The following post was written by Tony nominated songwriter, Lauren Lucas. Lauren is our CRD (chief razzler dazzler).
Has your boss ever told you that they’d like to pay you to slow down and take time off every week just for thinking? Mine has. In fact, it caught me so off guard that I actually pushed back and argued that I needed to be working more. Perhaps it should also be noted that I may not be the brightest crayon in the box.
Kidbilly Music is a small company, so a small number of people wear a lot of different hats. Our President and founder, Billy Kirsch, likes to refer to our corporate culture as a “Malarkey-archy,” which is a loose spin-off of holacrasy. The phenomenal growth of our company over the last few years is highly due to the brainstorming Billy has done to innovate and differentiate our musical team building company from the pack.
Now that he has a few more folks working with him, we know who’s really boss (I am! Just kidding). But we truly do share a free flow of ideas on a regular basis and learn a lot from each other. I get rewarded for my creative thinking and I feel highly respected for my ideas — even when they don’t always get used.
And that’s the way it should be at Kidbilly Music, because that’s how we encourage our clients to think. I have no problem walking the walk on the general session floor during a team building program, yet I was having trouble talking the talk when it came down to my own job. Taking time to sit quietly and brainstorm — and getting paid for it — seems so strange and even like I’m doing something wrong or dilly dallying. The irony is, that’s what our company is all about. Externally, we offer companies the permission to play, to take time to be creative, to innovate, to grow, to succeed. So it only makes sense that Billy would want our company to work that way internally, as well.
Now, I can’t change your corporate culture or tell your boss you need time off to think, but I can tell you that there is huge advantage to taking time for a little malarkey every now and then. It feels strange to me right now, but it’s quickly becoming my new normal.
Happy thinking!
Lauren Lucas, CRD
