Motivating a team is not easy, and Walmart manager wanted to try it in a very different way (wait for it), no speeches, no motivational letters, no posters that make you want to rip your eyes out at 8 AM, he was even more imaginative.
He played K-pop music and jumped into doing a lip sync and dancing before starting the workday, just what someone needs when starting their shift.
At least he tried to break the routine
The protagonist is named Cody and he is a store manager. In the video that has gone viral, he appears dancing to Golden, the famous song from the movie K-pop Demon Hunters, those singing girls with colorful hair.
Well, Cody tried, with more enthusiasm than technique, it must be said, but his idea was to start the day with a different energy, make the team laugh, and change the mood. He achieved it, not with everyone (who could not like the song?!!).
Smiles, strange faces, and some “earth, swallow me”
If you watch the video closely, the contrast is wonderful, not even AI can create something as it… There are employees who laugh, others who look with a face of “is this really happening?” like it were a scene from The Office, and there are others who have not even noticed that their manager is dancing in front of them.
From the break room to TikTok
Cody uploaded the video to his TikTok to show his feat and obviously it started to go viral, with thousands of reactions because it is a video that leaves no one indifferent.
“A+ in attitude, C- in execution”
One of the most repeated comments is that the execution was terrible, the dancing was horrible, but his intention was there. The thing is that behind the screen there are very harsh people. Many would love to see their boss dancing first thing in the morning like a K-pop warrior.
Many people applauded that he dared to do it, that he did not take himself too seriously, and that he tried to cheer up the atmosphere even if it ended up causing a bit of secondhand embarrassment.
Motivation or discomfort?
What for some is closeness and good vibes, for others can be uncomfortable, forced, or simply unnecessary. There is no magic formula to motivate teams, it depends on your relationship with them, the context, the trust that exists. Cody tried and took the risk.
Leading is also making a fool of yourself
Many users commented that a boss who exposes himself, laughs at himself, and is not afraid of looking bad creates much more closeness, even if it is dancing K-pop, and that vulnerability also brings people together.
Walmart, suddenly, a bit more human
The video is not part of any official campaign, but it has a curious effect and that is that it humanizes. Walmart is usually associated with numbers, logistics, rushing, impossible checkout lines, but suddenly it all seems much cooler, right?
The magic of the unplanned
What makes this video work is exactly that, that it is not prepared, edited, or designed to please the audience. It is clumsy, spontaneous, and real, like when as kids you put together dances on Christmas Day to show them to grandma, and they were a complete disaster but nobody dared to tell us because it was the moment.
Work and TikTok
A few years ago, a scene like this would have stayed inside the store and would simply be a Christmas Eve anecdote, but today any video goes around the world in a matter of minutes. So you also have to know who to do it with and what to do, and above all, take this into account before doing anything.
Did it motivate everyone? Probably not. Did it generate conversation, laughs, and a different moment? Most likely, even if it was cringe. You do not always have to do it perfectly because sometimes trying is enough. And remember, “We’re goin’ up, up, up, it’s our moment. You know together we’re glowing, gonna be, gonna be golden!!!”
@codythornhill0 #golden the longer version #kpopdemonhunters ♬ original sound – Cody Thornhill