New Year Culture
Should we declare an amnesty on “happy new year” greeting protocols?
I feel like it’s a good idea.
And, whilst it might seem like the classic example of a first world problem, or enough to elicit a ‘who really cares!’ type of response, I wonder if it has some wider implications.
We humans are social creatures and whether it be consciously or unconsciously, we are always alert to the social cues of our environment.
As this week progressed, more of my meetings started with, “is it still appropriate to wish everyone a ‘happy new year’?” where our underlying desire to get it right shows up. Given that it isn’t a world-ending faux pas to still be saying Happy New Year in the second week of January, or later (okay, well maybe not in November 😉) I wonder if this is an opportunity to encourage ourselves, and others, to be comfortable to follow our natural inclinations.
What ripple effects could a simple change like this create for us, our teams and our workplaces?
Our thoughts and energy can go to being present in the moment and not second guessing our actions.
We can be confident in being ourselves without fear of feeling different.
We can spend more time focused on finding the best solution to a problem, not worried about getting things wrong.
We can create a safe and inclusive culture in which to be.
Yes, it might seem a big jump to go from new year’s greetings to workplace culture, however, culture really is a combination of all the little things that happen day by day. And, we can all contribute to changing the little things, don’t you agree.