-8- Lighten up & -9- Risk

-8- Lighten up! 

Under severe circumstance, people usually tend to focus the difficulty of problem and think too much in serious mode.

At such time, laughter or humor seems inappropriate things, but actually it’s an effective way to improve the situation.
Some examples, Shackleton’s annual celebration, Harford Life’s events to celebrate to the work, show the fact that celebration system are useful to encourage team morale and mode or the achievement of two company.

In the book, the author emphasis three points why the ability to lighten up, celebrate and laugh are needed under the stressful situation.　The ability is important as follow.

①    Give people appropriate distance from their problem

②    Abbreviate their fear and tension about the problem

③    Enable a team to refocus, reenergize

I usually feel the celebration party is needed to people who work hard.
I do part-time job in Kichijoji daiichi hotel and there are a lot of party there at every season. People reflect company’s achievement in a year or welcome new workers at the party. At the party of a hospital, some doctors are celebrated about their number of years with a hospital. At almost all party, people drink alcohol and enjoy bingo game with luxurious presents. People seem enjoy the party without any hieratically in a company or without work ties.

In addition to this, sport during continual study or coffee break at the meeting is good idea to lead better performance after that.

 Above all, people need celebration or humor even if they are not in the survival condition. Therefore, to distract people intense from difficult problem is more effective way though if they have to have courage to take away from the reality.

-9- Risk

In this section, I learned willingness to take the big risk is also important ability of leader. Leader shouldn’t hesitate when a risk is justified and should make decision. However, the choice to easy one has sometimes possibility to lead great risk.
And more, the point of view whether this case is worth taking risk or not is also essential.

In the class of Introduction to Service Learning, the head of JEN: a NGO group come to the class and made lecture about their job and service. ZEN did the work from emergency support for refugee to support for people’s independent in developing countries.
The most impressive her word for me is ‘we also need the courage to retreat.’’

The group support in dangerous areas in the world, so they usually go to such place and support to local people. However if the group take too much risk, and it caused wound or death, the fact would have bad influence to other group. Then they have to take a risk to choose to retreat when they want to support more.
In the short term, they are better to continue support, but the decision to stop service is appropriate decision in the long term. Though it seems to take great risk to move backward, sometime such risk is need too. I think it also similar to the first strategy: Vision and Quick Victories.