WORK Labs

WORK Creative Exercise No. 2 — Faux Naming

One of my favorite creative exercises is something I call Faux Naming.

Take an ordinary category—in this case, labor unions—and invent organizations that don't exist... but somehow feel like they should.

Examples:
• Important Decision Makers Union
• Passive-Aggressive Emailers Union
• Underwear Inspectors Union
• Shopping Mall Santas Union
• Logo Size Adjusters Union
• Mission Statement Draft Writers Union

The objective isn't simply to be funny.

It's to sharpen your observation skills.

The best ideas often begin by noticing something everyone else has experienced—but nobody has named.

This is actually a collection I've already started building and hope to expand into hundreds of satirical unions. You'll find some of them, along with other WORK collections, at work-brands.com.

Now it's your turn.

What union should exist?
The more specific, the better.

The funniest ideas usually contain the most truth.

Always Thinking.

WORK: Past • Present • Future

EVERYONE WORKS DIFFERENTLY.

Some people build systems.
Some build relationships.
Some solve problems.
Some create momentum.

There is no single way to work well.

I've been developing a concept called WORK TYPES™—a collection of sixteen work personalities inspired by the Myers-Briggs framework.

Each animal represents a different approach to thinking, creating, collaborating, leading, and getting things done.

More coming soon.