Game time at the office

It’s Friday afternoon, and you are stuck at the office for an additional three or four hours before you can officially start your weekend.

Suddenly, your boss calls everyone out of their cubicles into the office’s hallway. He tells the staff that if any of the four employees put the golf ball in the cup using a golf bat, everyone gets to leave the office early. 

The tension is high; the adrenaline rush starts to quick in. Who will be the hero? The staff lines up to attempt the tricky maneuver with the average golfers first in line.

The first staff member hits the ball but missed the target. The sound of disappointment resonates in the hallway. However, the staff’s hope is still high; three more players are to go.

The second staff member hits the ball but also missed the target. Now the tension is running high.

Can anyone successfully put the ball into the cup and liberate the employees for the day?

The third staff member hits the ball; everyone looks at the ball rolling slowly on the carpet, and BANG! Into the cup.

He did it — the hero of the day!

The entire office resonates with cheers, laughter, cries, and relief. Staff members hug each other and clap hands. The teams can leave the office early for the day. Everyone sheers and kisses the hero.

Why not tell the staff to leave the office early instead of putting them through this challenging game? The answer is simple, the game was fun and connected the teams. The staff shared one similar goal (to go home early) and worked together to achieve that goal, and they succeeded. If the staff had never met each other before, the game allowed them to do so.

And David (the fictional hero of the day) will forever be remembered as the person who put the ball in the cup. The game boosted the employees’ morale, and as far as the boss was concerned, the staff developed a greater appreciation of working with him. The game will be the discussion point in the office at lunch on Monday. 

So, instead of asking just telling the staff to leave the office early, the appropriate question is: who’s up for a game?