Orange is a Beautiful Color

Leadership

Living down in SEC land, I've discovered that there aren't many things that a true Alabama fan dislikes more than the color orange. It's found on the jerseys of cross-town rival Auburn, neighboring Florida Gators, arch nemesis, Tennessee Volunteers, and new kid on the SEC block, the Texas Longhorns. And make no mistake about it, for those schools, Crimson is the color of the devil...pure evil.

That's what made the prank so beautiful! A friend and colleague, whose name is still not safe to reveal, was in a season of minor conflict with the head of our Human Resources team (he likes to live on the edge). Two extraordinarily passionate and intelligent professionals who see opposite sides of the coin can cause it to aggressively flip a few times. Especially when they each have a modest amount of perseverance, which some may even call stubbornness. So, when the perpetrator (possibly from Texas) was in town and the HR director (rabid Alabama fan) wasn't, he decided it would be a good idea to fill her office, top to bottom, with orange and white balloons and streamers! What could go wrong? Conflict resolved!

"He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." (Job 8:21)

There's nothing quite as healing as a little laughter.

Finding ways to bring joy and fun into relationships is so important. Especially when those relationships may have a few opposing perspectives at work. We don't have to agree on everything, but we do have to agree that the person is always more important than the issue. No better way to remind us of that than a good old-fashioned prank, not taking yourself too seriously, and some hearty laughter.

Creating memories is like Miracle Grow for relationships. Sprinkle a little in the pot and watch it sprout. You don't need to have conflict with someone to fill their office with balloons.

Bring a little whimsy into your next partnership meeting. Create a memory for others, and you will maintain a positive place in their minds. And if you are in the middle of a little healthy collision with a teammate, family member, or friend, cushion the blow with some balloons and laugh about it together...Orange really is a beautiful color...Go Pokes!