+44 7932 759240 info@andycoughlin.co.uk

Occasionally we see things happening in our customers which we just have to share with our readers, and last week in Baku I experienced one such thing – they call it a Learning Lunch. It’s both a sign of and a contributing factor towards a truly aligned team. Read on to find out more.

It’s a very simple concept. Once a week, on a Friday, one member of the team brings in lunch for the office, and prepares a short talk on something that interests them. The Friday I was in their office it was a member of the accounts department talking about ‘The Golden Ratio’…something I’m ashamed to admit I knew nothing about, but I do now. Next Friday it’ll be somebody else’s turn.

What struck me was how it brought the team together, how it shed some light on something personal that matters to the individual and how committed the whole office was to the concept. Two senior managers were stuck in the Baku traffic, returning from a key meeting with the client. They were slightly late, but made a point of coming straight into the Learning Lunch, before they’d even taken their coats off, and apologising to their team-mates. Sends out a very clear message.

There are many ways to engage your team, and to bring them together. I’m not suggesting you necessarily implement this idea. It might not work in your environment. But I love the thinking behind it.