Life is short. Work happy.

Life is short. Work happy. These are the wise words of Norman Brinker, who is also known as the “god-father of casual dining”. On Wednesday we learned the in’s and out’s of crisis communications in the Brinker family. Along with learning the demands and struggles in crisis communications, Maureen Locus also focused on the Brinker family's corporate culture.

She explained to our class that Brinker consists of an open, warm family atmosphere even in the midst of dealing with stressful crisis situations. They refer to each other as “team members” and “chiliheads”. I think this is a very refreshing kind of corporate setting. When I think of most major corporations I think of people walking around in shirts and ties, I rarely think of "chiliheads". I think this very casual and welcoming corporate setting is especially conducive in crisis communications because it gives a sense of trust and community in the workplace.

This type of community is a necessity especially in the Brinker family because of their small communications team. I couldn't imagine dealing with crisis situations across the nation with just three other people. However, I think the Brinker family makes this possible by "working happy" and having personable and trustworthy relationships with all of the "team members".