There’s a building down the street from our office. To be blatantly honest, it’s an eyesore. Someday, I guarantee it will be redeveloped and beautiful. But in the meantime, it’s living in a weird stasis of red tape and paper pushing.

So, I called the landlord and asked if we could paint the boarded-up windows. He said yes. Then I asked the Reds if they’d be up for donating a Saturday to the effort. They all said yes, emphatically.

We turned it into a bit of an experiment: what could we do with a small group of people, in a day, with as little planning as we could get away with? We asked friends and family to join, and a painting party was planned.

Now, it’s fair to note that the Reds are talented and artistically minded people, with artistically minded friends. We also happen to be hard workers who are deadline driven and a little stubborn about it. (That’s no accident, by the way. Intentional hiring practices FTW.) Plus, there happened to be a batch of literal Boy Scouts in the group, and you know they’re the responsible type. So, making something effective and impressive—quickly—is kind of our thing. While it was a really long day, I have to admit we rocked it.

Anyway, back to our painting adventure. We picked a color palette, devised a plan that accommodated multiple artists, styles, and levels of skill. We identified the people who aren’t afraid of climbing really high on a somewhat tenuous ladder, and we got to work.

I hesitate to call what we made a formal mural, since there are artists out there who specialize in crafting large-scale artwork and are renowned for such. (looking at you, Jackson, Michigan, for recognizing that. Fine job, hometown.) Instead, what I’d say we created was some ephemeral joy and light for a previously overlooked space.

Neighbors popped over to say thank you, pick up a brush, lend supplies. Passers-by had pizza delivered to our patch of sidewalk. Random people shouted “thank you!” as they drove by. In the end, the view is better. It’s a little playful. It makes one consider the building and its potential rather that glaze over and ignore it or grimace at it. (A metaphor for what good marketing and design can do, no?)

From a business standpoint, it dinged our billable hours. We spent some time solving logistics and color theory and such. We dumped money into paint, supplies, scaffolding. But much, much more importantly: it was the best investment we’ve made into team building in a while—working together to create something that improves the world around us.

Better than a trust fall, for sure.