This document outlines 101 weird ideas that companies can implement to make their workplace more fun, engaging, and creative for employees. Some of the ideas include having an "open meeting policy" where employees can optionally observe meetings, organizing a "family day" for employees to bring their families to work, creating a "wall of fame" to recognize employees, allowing flexible work schedules like "firefighters hours" of working 10 hours a day 4 days a week, and holding "customer clinics" where customers are invited to be trained. The overall message is that embracing weird, creative ideas can help companies attract and retain top talent in today's competitive environment.
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Introduction
About John Putzier
His old story
Why he wrote this book?
Work ethic is dead
Don’t invest more
in conferences
No need for consultants,
you have now 101 ideas
Introduction
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HR revolution
Work ethic made crisis over years
“Crisis is opportunity riding a dangerous
horse“, Chinese proverb
"the most important corporate resource over
the next twenty years will be talent”, McKinsey &
Co.’s survey
"The War for Talent,“
"the search for the best and the brightest will
become a fight with no final victory”
Introduction
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Weird?
Get weird = Be yourself !
Tap your natural weirdness to become what
you were !
Need a proof?
1,600 children were tested for “divergent
thinking” (i.e., “thinking outside the box”)
Weird?
Child age Percent scored in genius category
3-5
8-10
13-15
>25
98 %
32 %
10 %
2 %
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Your natural weirdness
Creativity Vs. Innovation
Creativity : the act of coming up with new idea
Innovation: Simply, take action and implement
your idea
3 barriers to creativity:
Structures and patterns
Judgmentalism
Resistance to change
Your natural weirdness
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1- Structures and patterns
About 85 percent of the average adult's day
is habit
Every day:
Same alarm
Same route to work
Same routine
Same …
Have you ever tried different route to work!
Using same routine is comfortable but boring
Natural weirdness- 3 barriers to creativity
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2- Judgmentalism
It affects decision-making, but how?
Every day adults have to:
Make decisions
Deal with unknowns
So, it is good to have some decisions already-
made
Good & bad, normal & weird …
Religious issues, social issues, political issues …
We began to get comfortable with anyone
who is consistent with our way of thinking
Natural weirdness- 3 barriers to creativity
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2- Judgmentalism
How?
You began to judge
Any information
against your buffers
Truth buffer
Value buffer
Index buffer
Then hashing
takes place!
Older we get = more we created files
= more we hate to create new files
Natural weirdness- 3 barriers to creativity
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3- Resistance to change
Our primary objective is: to get back to our
comfort zone asap
Writer’s example:
He uses copy shop
Let’s buy a computer
− Denial
Copy shop is expensive so he buy a used one
− confusion (pebcac problem)
Then he mastered his computer
− Comfort
Another “software upgrade” problem arises and
so on
Natural weirdness- 3 barriers to creativity
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3- Resistance to change
Stop the habit of getting into habits
Change is stressful
Stress is rooted in a perceived loss of control
Then you became the victim of change
Golden idea to solve this:
“Don’t wait for others’ ideas
Initiate the change yourself”
Now you aren’t the victim anymore
Let the rest of the world be stressed!
Natural weirdness- 3 barriers to creativity
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2nd
Right Answers
We used to search for ‘Right Answers’
Not the ‘Best Answers’
Most organizations reward ‘fast solutions’
Over the ‘creative solutions’
Oil Company example
So, how to get the “2nd
Right Answer”?
Take ‘time-out’ after 1st
solution
Press forward for additional solutions
Then, you will find 2nd
,3rd
, or may be the 5th
Answer is
more Innovative and cost effective than the 1st
one
Let’s Get Weird
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In Search of QWERTYUIOPs
Why this illogical inefficient order?
QWERTYUIOPs is symbolic of illogical,
outdated, or inefficient things
"that's the way we've always done it“
Reporting example
So, begin searching for QWERTYUIOPs
Reward who finds it; he saves our money
Make it fun to poke at the system
Let’s Get Weird
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Whatiffings
In brainstorming, there is a fundamental rule:
“withhold judgment”
But judgment happens, it’s a human nature!
So, what we can do? Whatiffings
1st
step, is to ask impossible questions:
“What if you could make yourself invisible?”
“What if we had eyes in our thumbs?”
Try it for 5 or 7 min
“No one can judge the impossible!”
Let’s Get Weird
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Whatiffings
2nd
step is throwing some whatifs to begin
brainstorming
Whatifs here can replace any thing with
fantasy alternative
Whatif our G.M was …
Let’s Get Weird
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How bad can it get?
Rather than looking for ideal future,
Just imagine worst things we can do
Worst customer service:
− Not answering phones, voicemail instead
− Break our promises
− Deliver low quality
− Exceed deadlines
Now try to invert it all to answer:
“How good can it get?”
Let’s Get Weird
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5 Whys
Example: My car wouldn’t start this morning
After 5 Whys:
Let’s Get Weird
1- Why? Ignition wouldn’t turn over
2- Why? Battery was dead
Solution Change battery
1- Why? Ignition wouldn’t turn over
2- Why? Battery was dead
3- Why? Dome light was on all night
4- Why? Door switch didn’t turn off
5- Why? Door switch was defective
Solution Replace door switch
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Personal Brainspurt Journal
Brainspurt:
when something pops in your mind spontaneously
keeping your "Personal Brainspurt Journal"
with you at all times
When idea pops into your mind:
Write it down
Write where & when you got it
After a month, you will notice a pattern!
Now put your hard questions in the same
journal!
Let’s Get Weird
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101 weird ideas
Ideas to win today’s talent
Ideas for care and feeding today’s talent
Ideas for changing your company culture
Ideas for recognition & incentives
Ideas for educating today’s talent
Ideas for enhancing your company image
101 weird ideas
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Why feeding today’s talent?
Remember “The war for talent”
Why people leave companies?
Because of money?
If people tell you they are leaving for money:
They are just saving you the embarrassment
Or they are getting out with minimal hassle
People who:
Love their: work, boss and company
Won’t leave, until the offer is from the Godfather
Or why this lack of loyalty benefits only your
competitors!
101 weird ideas
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24- Come on down
Originally called Open Meeting Policy
Optional attendees could be:
Participants, or
Observers
Why make the meeting Open:
Make people part of the bigger picture
Personal development
Kill the grapevine
Reduce resistance to change
More you open = more trust develops
= no one feels a need to use this privilege!
101 weird ideas
x
Privilege
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101 weird ideas
28- Family Day
Let fathers know what their kids do for living
29- Trinkets and Trash
Inexpensive
May be bought or earned
Spreading your Logo (your loyalty)
30- Personal Space
Give them liberty instead of death
Create your own corner = higher loyalty
33- Show me how to keep the money
Give financial advices
101 weird ideas
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101 weird ideas
37- Wish List
Shared between departments
May be shared with universities
38- Fire-Fighters’ hours
40 = 8 * 5 OR
40 = 10 * 4 !
45- Are we having fun yet
Fun Committee!
55- Oh, Baby!
Collect childhood photos for employees
Begin the fun, by games or just guessing attitude
101 weird ideas
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101 weird ideas
64- Wall of Fame
66- Name that Room
69- I’ll scratch yours
Give everyone a card (offer, prize, discount…)
that he can’t use for himself
Let him appreciate someone else by this card!
96- Customer Clinics
Held a tech talk and invite customers to train
them
You may give them certificate with your logo!
100- Get a Life
If you can’t do it organizationally, do it personally
101 weird ideas