3 Business Lessons from Partying All Weekend Long

by | Sep 20, 2016 | 0 comments

“Surprise!” I yelled this three times over the past two weekends. I had attended four birthday parties, three of which were surprise parties, to help celebrate a combined total of 245 years! Clearly I know some old…er people.

Surprise! I took away more than a few extra pounds from all of the birthday cake I inhaled.

Through the weeks leading up to the parties and at the parties themselves, I observed a few interesting trends that when I looked a little deeper, I found were great business lessons. Naturally, I just had to share them with you!

Three surprise party protocols you should apply in business:

  1. Careful Communication. Your communication goes on high alert when you are invited to a surprise party. You know what I’m talking about. You walk around, extra careful, not to be the one who ruins the surprise and spills the beans. You remind yourself NOT to mention anything relative to the secret shindig prior to talking to the birthday guy or gal. It’s amazing how you choose your words more carefully during this time and censor what you say or post on social media. Imagine if you took this party protocol and applied it to your everyday business life. Oh yes I did go there! You would think twice about whom you share confidential information. You would most likely remove yourself from office politics and gossip. You would be intentional in your communication, careful to articulate the necessary details to the correct people. So often loose-lips lead to unnecessary stress, anxiety and five-alarm fires in the workplace. Careful communication can help you avoid these pitfalls. How will you begin applying this into your business life? Perhaps you need it in your personal life too…just saying.
  2. Arrive Early. For real! Guests arrived to the soiree’s early and on time. Surprise parties have a way of doing that I suppose. Which is why you need to treat every workday like you’re a guest arriving to a surprise party – get there early. If you want to separate yourself from the competition and stand out from your colleagues, start showing up early or at the minimum, on time. I don’t know when it became socially acceptable that five minutes late is “on time”. That’s a pile straight out of Dunkin, ya’ll! Being late is rude and usually completely preventable. You can arrive on time. You can show up early. Let me tell you a little surprise about this: when you show up early you’ll be better prepared, less stressed, and perform better. Special note to employees: everyday is your bosses’ surprise birthday party; always arrive before they show up. Yelling surprise when they do is completely optional!
  3. Dress to Impress. My favorite part about parties (doesn’t have to be a surprise) is the extra special care people take in their appearance. When I looked around at the birthday parties I attended, everyone (Ok…maybe not my Uncle Rusty) showed up dressed to impress. I’ll be the first to admit I LOVE the informal business culture of entrepreneurs and creatives. Yet, you can definitely take “casual” a little too far. I believe in wearing jeans, but not a pair that is ill fitting, has holes, or is falling off your booty. Taking time to plan how you are physically presenting yourself is as equally important as taking time to plan how you are demonstrating your psychological aptitude. When you perfectly pair the two together, you’ll be your most impressive.

Surprise party protocols are usually unspoken. Most guests know not to ruin the surprise, arrive before the guest of honor, and show up dressed a little spiffier than normal. However, sometimes you need to spell it out, you know, just to be on the safe side. It’s the same with applying these three protocols to business; you would think these items could go unspoken. SURPRISE! You would be wrong. Everyday, in offices across the globe, people are walking around being reckless with their communication, showing up late, dressed in yoga pants and a “messy hair, don’t care” attitude. Perhaps the bigger surprise…is that person you?