February 14, 2023
Work Hard. Play Hard.
During Pres. Linton’s recent community visit to Salina, I was driving by the bowling alley. I told the team members riding in my vehicle that the Extension Administration Team had a great time there the evening of a retreat we held in Salina.
One of the team members looked at me and questioned: “You went bowling at a retreat?” I said, “Sure. Work hard. Play hard.” By the way, Chris Onstad got the high score.
I also had a friend who was a manager in the food service industry. She was known to have her team do song and dance numbers during set up or clean up whenever things were stressful. The quality of the singing or the dancing did not matter. Having fun did matter. Her team’s attitude picked up immediately whenever they engaged in it.
On campus I see colleagues, both individually, in pairs, or in groups take morning or afternoon walks. I find that when I am having trouble concentrating, getting out for a walk allows me to think more clearly. I often find the solution to the problem that was troubling me either during the walk or soon after.
It is easy to become overwhelmed by the stress of the job. Trying to fight your way through that stress by working harder often just creates more stress. If you notice that you, a team member, or your entire team is feeling stressed, why not engage in a fun activity for all?
I believe you will find that doing so will help relieve stress, make you more effective when you return to work, and will help to build an even better team.
Work hard. Play hard.