The mullet. Depending on who you talk to, what era you live in, or where you live, you probably think it is pretty awesome or just plain ugly. No matter what you think about the mullet, it is undeniably business in the front and a party in the back.
Maybe your company needs a little party in the back, or you need to add more business to the front. Either way, I think it is a good analogy for how you can give your enterprise some life without making it foolish.
Now, I am not talking about every industry. If you sell prank toys online, you will want to radiate endless fun. If you are a funeral home, you likely want to keep it all business (unless fun funerals are your niche, which could be an attractive USP). But most businesses fall in-between, and many we have come across in the last 15 years of our business suffer from taking themselves too seriously.
Those businesses are not wrong; in the corporate world, many rightfully want a certain seriousness. After all, work can be challenging, a lot of money is usually exchanged, and we desire sobriety over the flippant in the process.
But at the end of the day, businesses are made up of people, and people are far more important than today’s TPS reports. Wherever you have people together, there are relationships, and relationships hardly grow in the dry soil of the all-business-mindset. So maybe it is time to remake your company – business in the front and a party in the back.
What am I suggesting exactly?
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- Make your company culture fun but not distracting.
- Have a sense of humor as your client relationships grow.
- Approach new work or clients with a seriousness that fits their tone but also bring some life to the job as you get to know each other.
- Write more blog posts about mullets, even if it is partly a joke.
There is a reason that sense of humor is one of the must-haves on most people’s lists of qualities in a partner – we love to smile, laugh, and feel free to be ourselves in relationships. Businesses are built on relationships, and bringing a little more party to the back may be just what you need to grow longer-lasting connections with your team and clients.
Takeaways:
If your company is a little too solemn, consider giving your business a mullet – business in the front, party in the back. It may just increase your influence and market share.
