Ten years ago, Humanergy was created. The funny name (who can pronounce it right the first time?) was just the foundation for 10 years of guffaws. It’s possible that we aren’t as funny as we think we are. But we doubt it. Here are a few excerpts from CrazyLand:
First office. Don’t want to dis the first digs, which came with very low rent, courtesy of the Battle Creek Chamber of Commerce. But it was so small that when one person pushed back a chair, others had to be alerted. “I’m standing up now.”
First bathroom. We thought we were pretty cool because we had an adjoining bathroom. However, it had to be re-purposed as a storage room when we discovered that people on the other end of the phone could hear the toilet flush.
Moving on up. Although we’ve settled into a beautiful historic home, complete with two out buildings (no, not outhouses), we contemplated some zany office moves. One was a building in the middle of a cemetery. Another was situated very close to a(n eroding) dam. Our third option - four stories and about 20,000 square feet - represented either a wealth of opportunities or a giant money pit, depending upon your perspective. When we dream, we go for it.
Team fun. Whether it’s bronco kicks while team bowling, singing our own lyrics to “Centerfield” by John Fogerty or good-natured laughter over our many foibles, we know how to have a good time. And we know how to give some gentle grief to our teammates, like the time one of them got “fired” (complete with commemorative “You’re Fired” coffee mug) for creating what turned out to be an amazing teambuilding event. (Let’s just say that it was initially greeted with groans and more than one expletive.)
John’s multiple run-ins with conference room furniture. He’s not a klutz. He’s just a deep thinker. Really.
David’s love of brown sweaters. If you’ve visited our website, perhaps you’ve seen our pictures in those fetching matching brown sweaters. Let it be known that David HATES those sweaters, the fact that we all had to wear them and the chest hair allegedly sported by some in their photo. Our next round of team photos is scheduled for 2050, when David might be over the whole brown sweater thing.
Jeopardy domination. We excel at Jeopardy, at least the kind that we play on our Jeopardy calendar. Some of us are random thought generators, others zero in (perhaps prematurely) on the “right” answer. The bottom line is that we netted over $5,000,000 in faux money in 2009. Wow, we know a lot of useless stuff.
If you are looking for buttoned up, suit-wearing, stuffy consultants, don’t call us. If you want creativity, intelligence, passion and authenticity, we’re the folks for you.
Many heartfelt thanks to all of you who have made our 10 years possible.
P.S. In lieu of throwing ourselves a party or spending dough on collectible Humanergy 1oth anniversary coffee mugs, we’re celebrating by making a difference. Find out more
Much has been written about the importance of people trusting their leaders. Less attention is paid to the essential quality of trust in your direct reports (sometimes referred to somewhat disparagingly as “subordinates”). There is a sweet spot of trust, somewhere between not trusting them at all, to simply doling out tasks and washing your hands of the matter.
Great leaders give inspiring speeches, restate the organization’s values and reinforce outstanding performance. They also know when to shut up, to put it somewhat crudely. What situations should cause you to stop talking?
Charlie, a retired engineer, is Humanergy’s on-call handyman. And he is so much more than that. Charlie can fix anything. Even more impressive than his multitude of abilities is his total commitment to our organization. From day one, Charlie has taken ownership for our physical spaces and our organization’s people.
Friday evenings are wonderful. We’re usually taking a breather after a hectic week. We’re enjoying a little time with friends and families. And for those of us lucky enough to be associated with Humanergy, we get to read Weeks Peaks!
Your team is made up of hard-working, intelligent people. But that’s where the similarities end. Stan needs to think out loud, so he regularly gathers teammates to brainstorm ideas. Ivana prefers to do her thinking alone in a quiet room. When Jamal makes decisions, he prefers to “go with his gut.” Pat uses logical decision-making based on a careful review of all of the facts. Tara delegates whenever she can, and Carlos likes to manage all aspects of a project himself.
Your co-worker is driving you nuts. You’ve tried subtle hints, but those haven’t worked. You know venting to coworkers is bad and makes you part of the problem. (Don’t you remember that from 
My boss is a controlling jerk. The project manager is an idiot. My assistant can’t think his way out of a paper bag. 
Things are chugging along at ABC Corporation. Profits are up, and everyone seems content. In fact, you can’t remember the last time one of your leaders had a serious disagreement with another. As CEO, that should make you pretty happy. But is there a downside to all this harmony?
Problem finders have gotten a bad rap. Maybe we assume that someone who points out problems is paranoid, looking to get others in trouble or just a pain in the butt.