Break the rule concept
“Imagine what would happen to the creativity and innovation of your team if you took more time to laugh together.”— Misti Burmeister

Rather than drive to CVS to drop off my prescription, I decided to jog over. As I approached the store, I got lazy and didn’t feel like going in. Since there were no cars in line at the drive-thru, I ran right up to the window.

The pharmacist opened the window, gave me a funny look, and said, “We don’t usually allow customers to walk up to this window, but we’ll do it this one time.”

“Oh, I didn’t walk up,” I said, smiling. “I jogged.”

“It’s just that there could be a car behind you waiting,” she said.

I looked to my left and said, “Actually, there’s one here right now.”

As the pharmacist jotted down my date of birth and phone number, I noticed that the driver behind me looked irritated. When I turned to her and smiled, she put her hands in the air, as if to say, “Can’t you see I’m trying to get my medicine?!”

With that, I turned my back to her, motioned like I had one hand on a steering wheel and one rolling down my window, and reached for the paper the pharmacist handed back to me. When I was done, I beeped my “horn” and “drove” off.

Sometimes we need to add some humor and lighten up a bit. Yes, rules are important, but not all of them are critical. Imagine what would happen to the creativity and innovation of your team if you took more time to laugh together.

Join the Conversation: What goofy thing have you done recently?

Keeping it simple,

Misti Burmeister, best-selling author of From Boomers to Bloggers: Success Strategies Across GenerationsHidden Heroes and Power Suck.

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