While firms are just waking up to tackling the "most depressing day", Leadership International founder Dr Chan Abraham made sure his staff enjoyed "Glorious Monday" for many years.
Take your pick of one of two Mondays in January which the media bill as the most depressing day of the year for workers. Meanwhile the UK's Chartered Management Institute present survey findings that managers plan to give "sweet treats" to boost morale on "Blue Monday".
Apparently a combination of weather, workload and failed New Year’s resolutions leaves us feeling unmotivated and sad.
Of 940 leaders surveyed 35% said they would be buying treats for the office, while many managers will be making a point of praising good work. A quarter will allow staff to finish early, 29% will encourage staff to take a lunch break and 16% will take the team to lunch or implementing a ‘dress down’ day.
However, Leadership International founder, Dr Chan Abraham demolished those dreadful Monday Blues over a decade ago in his multi-award-winning Luminus Group, which twice hit the No.2 spot on The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For, and which also recognised Dr Abraham as the UK's top CEO with its coveted "Leadership Award.
Believing in the power of words, this Group Chief Executive gave this notorious day a new name: Glorious Monday! Armed with his guitar, and accompanied by colleagues playing trombone, flute, recorders, mandolin and piano accordion, he visited all the offices, inviting staff to join in singing - in different years - Auld Lang Syne, Zip-a-de-do-dah and You are my sunshine. Most entered into the spirit of the occasion, in which they donned party hats, blew kazoos, pulled crackers and enjoyed a slice of cake or chocolates.
Events such as these are only effective, though, if they are part of a wider narrative that is consistenlty expressed in the working environment. Workers in all types of business will quickly see through insincerity. The principles at work in Luminus were those that Dr Abraham had built the company upon - Third Millennium Leadership© - and this enabled Luminus to achieve and sustain success as one of the UK's most recognised brands for positive employee engagement, producing impressive performance - especially with staff willing to "go the extra mile" for customers.
Much of Luminus' success was during the UK's most bleak period after the economic crisis from 2008 onwards, and despite high levels of incompetence and dubious practices by reguatory officials that added signficant challenges. Consequently, the approach pioneered by Dr Abraham and Leadership International is irrefutable evidence that hearts, minds and business effectiveness can be powerfully and positively transformed.
See Luminus Beats the Blues with Glorious Monday from 24 Housing News -
https://static.wixstatic.com/ugd/475cdd_e9727f07fe744c789a282f4998f5f80a.pdf