The Hump Day Humor-Gram, June 20, 2007 Issue Number 223 ================================================================ 1. Just Imagine the Possibilities 2. Mike’s Fun at Work Tip 3. Quote of the Week 4. It’s a Wacky, Wacky World =============================================================== 1. Just Imagine the Possibilities When your team gets together to discuss issues and brainstorm are you focused on imagining completely new possibilities for the future, or do you always seem to be focused on problem- solving? Because of time constraints and the day-to-day grind, most teams fall into the trap of being reactionary and always getting together to “fix” problems. The problem with being exclusively problem-focused is that it can limit our thinking, it’s reactive, and, by nature, negative. Conversely, truly inspiring teams and workplaces set aside time to brainstorm future possibilities, rather than just playing catch up. They do this by asking “what if” kinds of questions, by imagining entirely different products or services, by asking what it is their competitors aren’t willing to do, and by simply asking the question, “What’s possible?”. =============================================================== 2. Mike's Fun at Work Tip Speaking of possibilities, if you really want to get creative, invite some kids to your next brainstorming meeting. At Fluor Corporation in Irvine, California, they invited children in from a local school to brainstorm ideas on how to improve the workplace. The group that had a mix of children and adults created more innovative ideas than the adults only group, including some ideas that were actually implemented. (From 301 More Ways to Have Fun at Work, Dave Hemsath) ================================================================ 3. Quote of the Week “It is the mark of an educated man to be able to entertain an idea without accepting it.” F. Scott Fitzgerald ================================================================ 4. It's a Wacky, Wacky, World Big news in the humor and/or diet world. A recent study by Dr. Alan Hirsch found that people who watch David Letterman ate 44% more potato chips than people who did nothing, while those who watched the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, only ate 42% more potato chips. So if you are trying to lose weight, please don’t watch funny people with potato chips in the room, and as Dr. Hirsch jokingly suggested, when eating, try to eat with less interesting people. Happy Hump day one and all. May the farce be with you. ================================================================== Copyright Michael Kerr, 2007. mike@mikekerr.com www.mikekerr.com