Cocktails with Carl
Written by Carl Monty, Director and Partner at June Co.
Who Wants to Have Fun?
For fans of the great sitcom Seinfeld, you may remember an episode when Krammer barges into Jerry’s apartment and enthusiastically asks both Jerry and George, “who wants to have fun?” They answer affirmatively but with trepidation, not knowing exactly what Krammer has up his sleeve. Krammer then asks again even louder and with more excitement, “are you just saying you want to have fun, or do you REALLY want to have fun!?”.
The reason I bring this up is because this scene provides an interesting comparison to our world today. If someone were to ask us if we wanted to have fun, I’m not even sure we’d know how to answer. We’d certainly be caught off guard and the initial thoughts that would run through our minds are probably all the reasons we couldn’t or shouldn’t-”have fun”. After all, our brains have been reprogrammed to think this way.
Let’s be honest, the past 15 months have been a real drag when it comes to experiencing many of life’s pleasures. Even when we had the opportunity to dine out or participate in sporting events it came with restrictive rules like mask wearing and distancing. In many cases these restrictions were enough to deter us from doing anything at all. It was all just weird-so we opted to stay home and stream a movie instead.
The list of fun that we’ve put on hold is quite long and it’s really had a negative effect on us both personally and culturally. Think about some of the things we used to take for granted: live music, museums, movie theaters, spectator sports, state fairs, vacations, weddings, graduations, etc. Go ahead and make your own list. It will probably surprise you. We’ve missed out on a lot.
The good news is that it looks like we may be able to start enjoying life again. Vaccinations are up, cases are down, summer weather has kicked in, and many of the lockdown restrictions have been lifted. Hallelujah!
You may be asking what any of this “having fun” nonsense has to do with a business blog? Good question. Actually, having fun is one of our 7 core values at June Co. I know it sounds weird, but we’ve decided that regularly stepping away from the stress of work and enjoying one another’s company while doing something else is one of the most important things we can do. It gives us a chance to connect in a different way, to learn something new about our teammates while strengthening our relationships with each other. And we’ve missed that dearly during this pandemic. None of us were made to sit and stare at a computer screen for hours a day living in Zoom hell. Let’s hope those days are over!
Starting soon, we’re going to get back to doing some of the regular things that we enjoy like eating lunch together every 2 weeks around a big table. We all enjoy food and breaking bread together while discussing topics other than business is something the team looks forward to. What else is on the list? Besides the standard happy hours at the local joints, I’ve listed a few creative ideas below that I will share with our team. Meanwhile, my challenge to other business leaders is to think differently about employee engagement moving forward. As we emerge from the pandemic and teams start to engage face to face again, be sure to integrate some fun into your culture. There is no better time than now. You, and more importantly your team, will be happy you did (and probably some of your local businesses!).
Cooking Class
Pickleball
“Chopped” style cooking or cocktail making competition
Hiking
Top Golf
Wine Tasting
Brewery/Distillery Tour and Tasting
Kayaking/Canoeing
Karaoke
Mix up a Negroni!
Italy’s signature summer cocktail is delicious and packs the punch we all need right now.
Ingredients:
1.5 ozs Gin
1.5 ozs Campari (a classic Italian Liqueur)
1.5 ozs Sweet Vermouth
Orange Twist Garnish
Stir all ingredients together in a strainer with ice. Strain into a chilled rocks glass over 1 large ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist.