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The Importance of Small Blocks of “Normal”

Every May our team usually gets together for an in-person team building event.  We’ve scavenger hunted in downtown Ann Arbor, broke out of a high-tech escape room (in record time no less!), and conquered obstacle courses. 

The annual event is really important to maintaining our company culture because we’re spread out across the country. This year, of course, our Michigan event was canceled which was especially tough because we have some new team members who have never met one another. 

Enter tiny campfire

My daughter and I have had a guilty quarantine pleasure of s’mores. I found the folks at tiny campfire while searching for novel remote team building events. We played online games, ate mini s’ mores, and told spooky stories. For 90 minutes we didn’t think of masks, toilet paper shortages, the risks of going grocery shopping, or client deadlines.  

“Normal” is a necessity

Over the past 19 years since I started the agency, there have been periods of full-out, non-stop projects, periods of strategic planning, and periods of chaos. 2008 and this year had and have all three elements. 

Our team has been heads-down on a massive influx of new projects, becoming parents in the time of COVID-19, and dealing with child and pet care while working from home.  

We needed a tiny bit of normal so we can be creative and stay human through all this. 

Perspective is power

When it’s all “doom and gloom” around you, it’s essential to get silly a bit and prop each other up. My fitness watch tells me when it’s time to relax. How many times have your stress alarms gone off these past two months?  

In order to recharge, you have to hit reset. Our team did just that this week. I’m so thankful to be able to work with such amazingly creative, resilient, energetic, and smart people. 

Chris Slocumb

Chris is the founder of Clarity Quest Marketing and Chief Growth Officer of Supreme Group. To learn more about Chris' experiences and qualifications, visit our leadership team page.