Why Monday Morning Quarterbacks Are Key to a Happy Workplace

I’m waking up this Monday morning with post-Super Bowl fever, and judging by the amount of noise outside my Brooklyn apartment last night, it’s safe to say that I am not alone (go Blue!).

As you and your staff roll in to work today, last night’s game is likely be the first thing on the agenda: who did what on the field, the commercials, the halftime show, and wardrobe malfunction-type incidents. There’s really no use fighting it – today, the first item on every corporate agenda in America will be the Super Bowl.

And that is a very good thing for your workplace’s morale.

Let me first say that I am actually not a sports fan, and admittedly only watch the “big games” such as last night’s Super Bowl (with the exception of going to the occasional Yankees Game – there’s something special about being at game versus watching on TV. And besides, I love hot dogs). I do it for the same reason I watch the ball drop at Times Square on New Years Eve, the State of the Union Address or the selection of a new pope: to partake in a shared cultural experience, so that I, too may have my own perspective, opinion and story to tell.

We live in an interesting time, one defined more by individualism and physical isolation than community and togetherness, thanks in good part to technology (read Robert D. Putnam’s Bowling Alone for more on this). The fact that we all have television, however, means that we can still share the same experience at home, while enjoying the social aspects of that experience later – say, among colleagues around the water cooler at work.

I’ve written here in this blog about the importance of encouraging your employees to socialize outside of work, for the sake of producing a more effective and productive workplace. While many managers look down on the “water cooler effect” as employees slacking off and gabbing among themselves while they should be working (true, if done to excess), allowing people at work a chance to chat about a shared experience before diving headlong into the workday is a great way to ease back into things after the weekend, as well as an opportunity to bond based on a shared experience.

As someone who delights in creating such shared experiences, I am usually the first one to jump into the conversation with colleagues about whatever happened the night before. Pop culture and entertainment phenomena play a strong role here, but along with sporting events, all may be considered “Monday morning quarterbacking” when discussed the next day at the office. When staff are talking fondly about something fun that they all experienced – either together as a group or on their own at home – it’s a good thing for morale, teamwork and bonding and, ultimately, productivity and performance.

(Incidentally, as far as the Giants go, an NYC team building itself up to another Super Bowl victory is both inspiring and awesome – and definitely worth talking about today!)