Let's Go Dragonboating

We've talked before about the dangers of mandatory fun. But even though putting your Creatives into required social activities can be a bad idea, there's nothing that says they shouldn't do stuff together outside the office if they want to. The trick is to find something interesting and interactive, and when you're leading Creatives, "interesting" may involve more thought than normal.

The office picnic is a common social event, but even though it's interactive, much of the interaction comes through organizing, setting up, and cleaning up...hardly the funnest thing in the world. Some people turn instead to local sports leagues, but for your Creatives such things as softball and hockey may be a little too...ordinary.

So why not suggest something different? If you're looking for a sports activity, consider something outside the mainstream. How about getting a dragonboat team together? Maybe your employees prefer staying on dry land, so how about a kickball team? If you can get into a league or a local tournament of some sort, you'll find that someone else does most of the organizing, leaving you with something fun and a little different.



A common event in military organizations is "the staff ride," where all the folks in a unit will pile into buses and head off for a day to some place of historical interest. How about doing something similar, and relevant to your field? Like, heading off on a road trip to Fashion Week in New York? Something that's fun AND can contribute to professional development...hmmm, that's got a few benefits you might want to take advantage of.

The point of all this is, if you want to use "outside of work" stuff to motivate and energize your employees, and if they're up for that, then you're going to need to be creative for your Creatives. If you want people thinking creatively at work, remember that's not a 9-to-5 style of thinking. Putting people back into ordinary, and boring, situations can end up sucking the creative life right out of them.