Express Yourself
Happy All Hallows Eve! We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do some trick or treating with you today. Isn’t it amazing just how popular Halloween has gotten as a national holiday in the United States? Let’s start this blog by going back in time with a few questions.
When you were a child, how involved did you and your family get celebrating Halloween?
Did your whole family get dressed up and go trick or treating, or did your parents walk with you around the neighborhood?
Was your costume made or bought; and if it was bought how much did it cost?
I’ve watched the evolution of Halloween over the last 10 to 20 years, particularly the shift from a child’s celebration to that of an elaborate adult holiday, and I can hardly believe my eyes. I’ve been wondering why has this happened. Of course, I have some thoughts. But first, some stats… tricks or treats… facts or fiction.
It is estimated by the National Retail Federation (NRF) that Americans will spend $8.8 billion on Halloween this year. The average planned spending per person is $86.00, with men spending approximately $20.00 more than women on their costumes. Fact of Fiction?
First off, I am not naive. I know the world’s marketers and advertisers are behind this. But hear me out--I also think the rise in popularity of adults expressing themselves on Halloween is correlated to the fact that they feel as though they are unable to fully express themselves at work.
Just think about this. We each need an outlet to express who we are in order to make ourselves known, and to show the world our creativity and imagination. We do this in our approach to our work, our hobbies, etc. In fact, many of us approach the tasks assigned to us in a unique way--we integrate our knowledge, skills and experience with our personality and behavioral traits to address the tasks before us.
Meanwhile, today’s workplaces are driven by the importance of corporate quarterly market results which creates an imbalance with more emphasis on the results and less attention paid to people and culture. The end result of this imbalance is a lack of engagement; people doing just enough to get by because anything more will not be noticed, valued or appreciated. In fact, the opposite is true in some companies. For instance, doing more or suggesting a new approach is met with resistance. When we get to this point employees, management, and clients and customers suffer as a result of lackluster performance.
I suggest asking your employees what they did for Halloween this year, and whether or not they dressed up. It could be an indicator to you that you need to be paying more attention to the only asset that differentiates your company from its competitors, your people. Please let me know what you find out.