Last week I attempted a good faith effort to improve my department's morale and held a retreat. The planning committee was shocked when I actually asked them to plan stuff that was meaningful and work related. Their first agenda included things like board games, walk, movie, mingle time. I sent them back to the drawing board thinking how would I explain to my CEO that it was worth a day of salary dollars for 30 people.
We did the usual ice breakers (which are stupid, by the way because you should know everyone already), a team building scavenger walk (I compromised on this one yet still added more of a point to the activity), and other stuff. When I refer to the "other stuff" I'm talking about all of the touchy-feely things mental health people get off on. We had to "process."
We themed the retreat: transisitions. Also known as: Get over it already, the bus has come, left the station and now you are just being dragged behind it. Processing how all of the transistions affected them over the past few years took awhile. People brought objects to make things safe. I saw everything from pantyhose (my job is a good fit) to a flag (I feel freedom at work to get paid to do something I love) to my personal favorite, a sign mocking our mission written in barbed wire font (I think my boss is a bitch).
We are a family centered organization. Note: I have to explain constantly to my employees that the term, "family," does not mean their personal family, but the patients and families we serve and therefore gives us money. To them, business is a foreign concept. However, not to cause a scene in front of the group when I saw the barbed wire thing I pulled a non-commitmal, "Hum. Interesting."
In the afternoon we did the color code test. If you have ever taken this test, it seems to be more of a parlor trick than others, but its what they decided (another concession on my part). I am the only red personality in my whole department. Reds are the decision makers, the power guys, the action people. However, I am a close second of blue. Blues are the do-gooders, the morally just, and the intellectuals. The Whites are the peace keepers. They tend to be boring, quiet, and their motto is very Rodney King-esque. The Yellows are motivated by fun. Fun, fun,fun! People people, flashy, a bit funny, and a bit inconsistent, but Fun! I only have one yellow in my department and wouldn't you know, she is the only one besides me who can't figure out why everyone is so invested in feeling stuck. Afterall, being stuck isn't fun!
Nope, wouldn't you know it I have a whole department of blue/whites. They feel bad, know that they are justified in feeling bad, and won't tell anyone outright because they wouldn't want to rock the boat. I actually had someone say, "You can't put a timeline on my grief." Ohhkay, well sister it has been 2 years!!! Kleenex called and they want to put you on the board of directors because you alone increased their stock value!!! Winnie the Pooh called and wants you to play the part of Eeyore in their next Heffalump movie!! (Ok, why I even know there is a Heffalump movie is scary, but I blame it on the line of work I'm in.) Point is: get over it!
When I spoke to my mentor, another red/blue split, later in the week she said, "Well that explains a lot. You need diversification in that rainbow you've got over there." Yup, mixing blue and white (depending on the hues of course) could wind up being a really drab light grey-blue. (Again, not fun!)
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