Episode 120: Your First Day Back to Work

Welcome to the Soul of Innovation podcast.

I am Thomas Anglero. And let me ask you a question. You're returning back to work after many, many months of COVID You haven't been in the office in a long time. You're so excited to go back, maybe to be with people, excited to get back to normality. You're excited. You can't wait to see how it's going to be like. So here's the question: Who are you when you walk through those doors? What version of you are you going to be?

What version of you are you to let me experience of you? This is your greatest moment to redo yourself.

This is sort of like those stories you hear of people where things don't go well in the childhood town that they grew up in and they move to a new town to start a new life, or they they move to a new country— sounds familiar— and they start a new life because they're escaping their past and they just, they just want to forget about who they were. This is that moment for you. Do you see that? It's been anywhere from 12 to 18 months for anyone on this planet since the last time someone saw you at work, because we've all been locked up at home, working from home, working remotely. So are you going into the office As who? Let me tell you a story. The other day was in the office and a colleague came in who I've only seen online.

Sounds familiar. This could be you.

He came into the office with expectations.

His eyes were gleaming of like, yeah, what's this thing to be about?

Looking about, looking around as if the office itself and the furniture itself should be entertaining him. Should be exciting him, should be stimulating him. And when I saw him, I said, hey, I would never, you know, never saw him other than just his head online. And I said, let's sit down, let's talk. But his whole body language, everything was that of like, what are you gonna do for me? Yeah, you have to entertain me, impress me now that I'm seeing you for the first time as a whole. And we had a nice conversation, but it wasn't enough. He wanted more. The whole body language of like, I need more. And then he left and he went to another place in the office. And I reflected on it and I realized, are you— and this is the whole thing you gotta ask yourself, call your bullshit now— who are you when you enter the office? Are you going back to the offices with that attitude? And this is where I'm calling you bullshit. Yeah, let's see what the office is about now. Let's see what, uh, how they can excite me. That this better be entertaining. This better not be a waste of my time. Let me ask you something if you're thinking that way. Who the hell do you think you are? Who the hell do you think you are? Seriously. Don't you understand that your office environment is a cumulative of people like you and others like you, what you bring, what we bring to the office, our excitement, our love, our passion, our sorrow, our stories. That is called the culture of the office. Not that version of you. Don't you know the people in the office that you talk about you can't stand are the people who do exactly the way you're thinking now? Those people who just like take, me, me, me, take, take, take, never happy. The office, your colleagues are not there to entertain you in your life. Let me repeat that again slower. Your colleagues in the office, the people in the office The furniture in the office, the projects that you have to do during your job are not there to entertain you. You're going to be disappointed when you go back to work. And let me tell you what you should do.

What you should do is take a moment now, a moment being a minute, a day, a week, whatever you got before you go back into the office and ask yourself, What version of me do I want people to experience and fall in love with? What version of me do I want people to experience and fall in love with? That's all you should be repeating to yourself as you think about going back into the office.

Do not think any other egotistical way, and this is the way everybody's thinking and they will be disappointed. You will need not to be disappointed about the office. You're gonna be disappointed with yourself because you've been thinking, oh, when I go back, everything's gonna go back to normal. Everything's gonna be better.

Life doesn't work that way.

Life is better for those people who put in the work, for those people who have invested. Look at yourself, be real right now. Pause this podcast, go in front of a mirror. If you're walking down the street and it's been raining recently, look into a puddle, look at your reflection, and ask yourself, in the last 12, 16 months you've been locked up, 18 months, are you a better version of yourself physically, mentally, spiritually? This is who you're going to bring into the office. This is who I'm going— I'm going to experience when you come in. If that disappoints you, then ask yourself, okay, maybe it's too late for all that. Maybe I slipped. I felt I ate too much. I didn't exercise enough. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Fine.

But you can bring your raw enthusiasm, your love of life, your smile, your energy, your good nature, your new ability to listen during conversations and not interrupt people, your ability to Give someone a hug when they need it. Let's spend a moment on that power.

Let me just show you here. There's a free trick, a free gift for all of you. You go back in the office, it's okay now to hug people. It's okay now to shake hands again and all that. Let me tell you something. You want to do the greatest favor for everybody in the office? Do you want to become legendary?

When you greet everybody back in the office, those people Who you meet, greet them with a hug. You'll be remembered forever. Because if there's one thing that we all need so, so desperately after being away from humanity itself for over a year is a hug. So you may have put on weight, You may have gotten gray hairs, you may have slipped a bit, but you can make up for all that when you come back into the office and you give everybody a hug. And then forevermore, will everybody remember you as that person who sparked to make their life so much better that first moment they came back in the office, that you were the brightest thing that they, they saw, the best conversation they had. On that first day back to the office. That first day at work is a day we all remember, even back when we were kids and our first day at work. I sort of can't remember that day. I remember being nervous as hell, and I'm sure I would remember somebody would have gave me an incredible hug. Do that. Be that. Go forth and spread beauty and light. Call your bullshit. Bring energy, bring love to the office on the first day. Don't ask yourself or expect the office and your boss to do something for you. You're so full of crap if you do. What are you going to bring? If everyone in your office had that mindset, this is what I'm going to bring to your office on the first day. You can bring cakes and cookies or candy if you want to physically bring something. But I'm saying, what are you mentally, emotionally, spiritually, energetically going to bring into the office the first day? If everybody did that on the first day, you would create a culture in that office that will never stop forevermore. Every day would be a party. Every day. Would be a first day in your office, in your warehouse, in your delivery truck, in your store. It's a beautiful picture and it's real. Just bring it. Bring yourself. Bring your love. Because I do love you. This is Thomas Anglero. Wishing you the greatest and most wonderful first day back to work that anyone could ever have. And the way you're going to do that is being you— transparent, full of flaws, full of everything, but most of all, Full of love. Until the next time.