Breaking The Office Walls (Part 3)

Posted on September 2, 2023

DON EBUBEOGU

In the last few weeks since we started our Tiger Mayonnaise Tasting Party in various cities, one of the things I enjoyed more was the enthusiasm and passion my colleagues in the office exhibited throughout the time and across multiple party arenas.

The outing was not mandatory. It was a voluntary participation without compulsion. Yet, every week, more than 20 people, including members of the management team, departmental heads, account personnel and drivers, will volunteer to be part of the public tasting, providing direct and indirect assistance and making sure visitors are taken good care of. They expected nothing and received nothing for these services and yet are willing to explore and participate in other cities during off-work hours.

Call it luck or jazz; I personally think Tiger Foods has one of the best sets of employees in the country. Those of you who participated in our Tiger Mayonnaise Tasting Party will attest to this.

Recall the articles I wrote in December last year about “breaking the office walls” and improving personal relationships with colleagues in the office. This and more are the benefits. Once your colleagues stop seeing you as a leader, you have an army of acquaintances to achieve your goals passionately.

We must recognise that in any organisation, the passion and dedication of employees are critical factors in driving innovation and growth. And these cannot be achieved when employees are not expressive and involved.

People must have the atmosphere and environment to express themselves without fearing repercussions. Employees cannot be expressive where the leaders are feared and unreachable.

As an entrepreneur, we must be sensitive and observant to know when passionate employees start to become quiet and disengaged; it’s indeed a warning sign of potential dysfunction within the work environment. Such a shift can indicate underlying issues like lack of transparency, ineffective communication, or even leadership problems.

When these negative emotions take root, employees might retreat into self-protective modes, stifling collaboration and creativity. This not only hampers individual growth but also impedes the collective progress of the team.