Hot Dog Day.  Not many articles start with words like that. 

 

When I was a kid, I always opted for hot dogs when I attended baseball games.  Each year Opening Day would mark the arrival of Spring (in my mind), and an Opening Day hot dog was somehow the first meal of Spring.

 

I’ve slowly built a team and business over the past 15 years, and we just celebrated our 7^th “Hot Dog Day” on the day the Orioles had their first away game (too many people play hooky from work on the home opener).

 

Business and teams are made up of people.  And people like traditions, and the feeling of being a part of “something”.  Hot Dog Day is one example of a tradition our team looks forward to and that is a regular part of our yearly calendar.  One of my teammates wore hot dog socks.  One teammate brought in her dachshund dressed in a hot dog costume (a hot dog wrapped in a hot dog costume).  We’ve had condiment races in the parking lot.  We’ve had Amazon-purchased costumes, as well as homemade ones.  The point is, people embrace it and look forward to it.

 

I mention all of this because I firmly believe it’s events like Hot Dog Day that make our team successful.  The business world can be tough.  It can be stressful.  It can even be ruthless.  It’s important to remind ourselves to be ourselves and put our personal stamp and touch on things we do with our business partners and employees.  I ate hot dogs on Opening Day, so we all now eat hot dogs on Opening Day, together! 

 

Two grown men in hot dog costumes, in the lobby of a very successful business, is a bit absurd.  The camaraderie generated, though, is not at all absurd.  It’s actually invaluable.

 

My advice to any and all who are building teams or who have a team that needs to bond:  find your Hot Dog Day.