Katie Stricker - The Balance

Katie Stricker - The BalanceKatie Stricker - The Balance

Snap Incs corporate icebreakers involve rocks, intimate feelings

Snap Incs corporate icebreakers involve rocks, intimate feelingsSnap Incs corporate icebreakers involve rocks, intimate feelingsSitting in a circle, passing around a purple rock, and sharing stories about yourself may take you back to summer camp, but it is in fact, a corporate get-to-know-you exercise that Snap Inc - from its CEO and board of directors to its regular employees- regularly do.Called Council, the corporate icebreaker was recently detailed in a Bloomberg profile on theSnapchat and Bitmoji makers culture and its attempt to capitalize on Twitter and Facebooks failures.Employees show up in groups of about a dozen, sit cross-legged on black cushions, and take turns with the talking piece, a heart-shaped purple geode that gives the bearer the right to confidentially share deep thoughts, reporter Sarah Frier said. Outside the round room, morale at Snap has been low recently. Inside it, employees were connecting with each other, at times emotionally, about their childhoods, hopes, and fears.Council is an exercise that Snap Inc CEO Evan Spiegel learned in his own childhood at a Santa Monica, California, prep school. With Spiegels buy-in, the rest of the company has added Council to its workflow and now, Council has a staff of six full-time and eight part-time facilitators moderating sessions. Bloomberg reported that all employees must do Council when they are first hired and even board of directors do it before quarterly meetings.In Snap Incs promotional video on Council, as employees happily pass around a stuffed animal and chat, three rules get laid out 1) Speak with your heart, 2) Listen with your heart, and 3) Whatever happens at Council stays in Council.How to get employees to open up if you dont have CouncilYou do not need to pass around a purple rock and share your embarrassing high school stories to get to know your coworkers better. You do not even need to be friends with your coworkers to socialize with them. Councils mandated intimacy is a mo re extreme version of what experts advise companies to do to help employees bring their most authentic selves to work use structured exercises and orient the icebreakers around learning.As Harvard Business Review explained in an article on how to help ansicht exercises feel authentic and inclusive, happy hours are not the best way to get employees to open up. There are too many variables - cliques, drinking, the managers in the room- preventing people from getting vulnerable and sharing.Recognize the role that structure can play in easing the discomfort created by free-form socializing. Instead of the typical cocktail party, where some people (of any race) struggle to navigate the room, introduce themselves, and choose how, when, and with whom to initiate and exit conversations, consider a different approach, the experts said. Some companies use formal ice-breaker games that create orderliness and purpose, reducing that need to navigate.This can mean promoting structured activities like intramural sports to get different teams together. And if you have nothing to talk about, remember that you share one common purpose by virtue of being coworkers.Remember that no matter how diverse the workgroup, all its members have one thing in common the work, HBR said.

3 Things to Do When You Get a New Boss at Work - The Muse

3 Things to Do When You Get a New Boss at Work - The Muse3 Things to Do When You Get a New Boss at WorkGetting a new boss can be nerve-wracking. For better or worse, youve figured out how to work with current manager. You know how long it takes him or her to reply to an email, the best approach for pitching new ideas, and how he or she defines UrgentBut theres no denying that working for someone new is an opportunity. Even if youre one of the lucky few who loves your boss, a new person will push you to grow. At the very least, building that rapport all over again is a valuable skill.And if your felt like your old manager welches holding you back? Then, this just might be the break you needed. Of course, wanting things to get off on the right foot isnt enough to make it so. The people who make the most of this opportunity do the following three things 1. They Put Their Best Foot ForwardTypically, when you meet a new boss, its as an applicant or brand new hire, and youre focused on bei ng your most impressive self. And then, as time goes on, you get a bit more relaxed. When you started, you read every email draft five times. Now, you shoot off one-line responses from your phone. You used to be on time every day, but now you dont sweat the delay from a long line at Starbucks. Thats because once you established credibility with your old manager, you mayve learned she really didnt mind lax email etiquette or occasional tardiness. And while it can be confusing because you know your job inside and out at this point, you need to remember that youre back at square one in the impression game with your new boss. So, play by all the rules of professionalism to show you know what they are.Avoid Taking it Too FarOne thing that distinguishes smart people is they know how to dial up the professionalism- without overcompensating. In other words, you dont want to show up an hour early, in a suit, and write super formal emails for two weeks in a row and then go back to your old wa ys.Thatll make it seem like you think following the rules is a switch you turned on to make a good impression (and then switched off again the moment you got comfortable). Bouncing between extremes will only confuse your new boss. So, step it up in a way thats compatible with how you plan to work moving forward. Aim to be a couple of minutes early, skip the too-casual-looks, and proof your emails. Those are changes thatll make you look good- and be possible to keep up for the long run.2. They Pitch Fresh IdeasWhen someone steps into a management role, theyre looking for ways to keep moving the team forward. So its an opportunity for you to share ideas you have for innovations or new ways you can contribute.So, schedule a meeting and prep for it by brainstorming any areas for improvement. Is there anything you think could be streamlined (or worth experimenting with)? Do you have an idea to advance a team initiative? If nothing jumps out at you, spend the meeting asking questions. Ask your boss about his priorities and what hed like to build out. Take notes and then go back and think on what he said. From there, send a follow-up email with ways to meet those goals.Avoid Taking it Too FarWhen youre talking about improvements, theres a temptation to dwell on whats not working. But smart people know that things talking down- whether its your former boss or how things were done previously- is never a good idea. It can make you look petty, or like you have baggage. Even if you feel its an objective fact that your old system sucks or you werent able to work up to your full potential, avoid venting. Stay forward-focused and positive.3. They Offer to HelpYour boss is new- to the company, to the department, or to being responsible for your teams work. And you remember what its like to be the most recent addition to a group You invariably have a lot of questions.So, use that as a jumping off point to connect with your supervisor. Offer to share institutional knowledge, or the secret to getting a finicky printer to work, or your past interactions with a key stakeholder. Make it clear that youre happy to answer any question as your manager gets up to speed.Avoid Taking it Too FarSmart people know the difference between being helpful- and sucking up. Dont start acting like the teachers pet or appoint yourself as the intermediary between your supervisor and your team.This behavior nearly always backfires, because it looks like you want your manager to play favorites. Itll make your colleagues resentful (and can annoy your boss, too).So, dont act like youre the only person on the team who can provide any assistance. Encourage your co-workers to help as well, and talk up their abilities, too.The final thing all smart people do in this situation is let go. Even if your systems stay mostly the saatkorn (and its par for the course for them to change), people are, by nature, different. Your new boss will communicate in his own way and set priorities as he see s fit.To keep moving forward in your own career, be flexible and open to new opportunities. This is a chance for you to grow and get ahead, too.