“There’s no place like Google, There’s no place like Google” was a line in the Internship about a school that Google created for its interns. In the movie, there was a weird outdoor game where people rode broomsticks like witches and tossed a ball around. I loved that because it was so childish, delightful and creative. But, the most creative thing was all the weird terms they created that were integral to the game which is called Quidditch. There were terms such as quaffles, bludgers, snitches, and seekers.
But, how can you make your company culture more like Google’s? Should you make up some weird words?
A samosa seventeener…
Research shows it is good to take breaks regularly. Some feel that seventeen minutes is optimal for peak performance. But, what if you have a samosa during your seventeen minute break? What would you call that type of break?
My daily rick! My scuffle?
The commute to work is an arduous task. But, what if this part of your daily routine had a different name? Since in India, people take rick-shaws, your commute could be referred to as your daily rick. I heard one British born India talk about his commute in Mumbai as “Two ricks and a train!” In any case, don’t forget to ask your co-workers, “How was todays rick?” If you don’t like “rick” you could call it a teleport to prepare yourself for life in 2050! Or you could just scuffle your way to work unless you are Yiddish speaking in which case you might schlep!
Lunchquet time anyone??
What could a weird term for lunch be? Perhaps a twist of words relating to banquet or feast? Perhaps lunchquet.
What about tasks around the office? In my business we have welcome calls, second welcome calls, newsletter calls, and calls to verify if someone is still alive. There there is order processing, email time, and blog writing in the evening. How can we come up with fun terms for these boring activities? How about, “Red carpet time” for welcome calls, and “Order time” for order processing?
Creating an atmosphere of innovation at your workplace might make your day more fun, and more productive. It could change how you think and make your business a lot more successful too. Part of innovation deals with the types of words we choose to use, and another part has to do with modifying processes and routines that we take part in daily. What’s your new word of the day?