So...we're back in Denver. Of course, our house is rented out to some Democrats until September (they're throwing a party you may have heard about) so we're not 100% "back home" but it sure feels close to that.

Knaddison Spanish Tour

We were gone for a little while. 9 months. Where were we? See, we went to Spain and then Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Denver, California, Denver. We even wrote a ton about our trip if you like to read about those places. But, now we're back in Denver and are excited to be home. In fact, a large part of the trip was learning about the Spanish Language and Culture. We did really fun stuff like take this video of winemaking in Argentina and then cut it together into this movie:

Spanish School - Denver Spanish House

Inspiration: Your tired, Your poor

In Emma Lazarus famous poem The New Colossus she describes her personal interpretation of the Statue of Liberty. Lazarus' brief poem captures many of the concepts and ideals that people have for America as a land of opportunity, a shining city on the hill where poor exiles from around the world can seek freedom:

Last week we had a few friends over for a wine tasting night. The system was simple:

Everyone was instructed to bring two of the same bottle of wine, from a Spanish speaking country, that cost less than $13 (each). When people walked in the door we took off the foil from one of the bottles and stuffed it into a brown paper bag that had a symbol on the outside. The bags were in a box so you couldn't see the symbol of the one you were using.

A couple things I've noticed in my limited career:

1. Seasonal events

like barbecues, holiday parties, picnics, potlucks, chili cook-offs and the like. Pick a friday of the month, tell everyone to plan ahead, and it will take care of itself. Nobody gets much done Friday afternoon anyway, so it isn't a big productivity loss.

2. Monthly meetings and awards.

One of my favorites on this was the award for the last person to arrive at the monthly meeting from Connexn. The last guy in the room received a trophy made out of a can of really bad beer. People who had done something good got a "GOBOSH (GO Big Or Stay Home). People who had been there for n*years got an anniversary certificate. People like awards. As Napoleon said "give me enough ribbon to cover the tunics of my soldiers and I will conquer the world." And when you give these awards - announce the person's name (learn how to pronounce it before hand), say "thanks", and look people in the eye.

3. Employee Appreciation dinner/breakfast/vacation

Some places spend lots of money on fancy dinners and think that's right - I don't think that makes much marginal difference beyond a hot dog from Mustard's Last Stand. Some places dont' do anything - that clearly won't work either. I like the idea of, first, doing things that help your employees get their work done and that keep them happy (like breakfast burritos on Friday morning once a month) and, second, that reward a common interest like a friend who works in a ski town and whose company flies employess who have worked there for 3+ years to Mexico for a vacation at the end of the year. All the employees take week long vacations in the spring/fall off-season anyway, that's part of the attraction of working in a mountain town. Letting them do it together builds corporate love.

Moral of the Happy Employee Story

These won't guarantee happy employees, but man if you don't do these things that's one sucky company.If these don't exist, start them.