Let’s Do Lunch

The phenomenon of lunch in Corporate America is an interesting one. 

Some folks eat lunch at their desk. The Eat Lunch At Their Desk army will usually do so while they work or cruise the internet. I can appreciate the utility of eating at the desk while doing work, as that extra hour of work time is sometimes essential. Eating while surfing the internet gives the person a little time for a mental health break.

Some folks rarely every eat lunch at their desk. Count me as a charter member of this group. I can claim a few areas of expertise, food preparation is not among them. The Out To Lunch clan are explorers on the level of Dora, always extolling the virtues of some fantastic new restaurant they've found that nobody else knows about (aside from fifty customers currently in the restaurant).

There is some magic that happens for the Out To Lunch crowd that serves a higher purpose than just hitting a calorie count. The relationship building that happens over meals is a critical lubricant for corporate success. I've heard plenty of people complain about the favoritism that others receive because they are friends with influential people in the organization. You would be surprised how quickly you can become friends with people if you start sharing appetizers.

Yep, going out to lunch is a career development strategy and team building tool. I've managed a number of teams over my career, I'm pretty sure my effectiveness as a manager was directly correlated to how frequently I took my team out to feed them.

I'm still out here exploring these restaurants, and I have a pretty stellar list. So, if you're feeling adventurous, let's do lunch. See you at noon!