Yes, I dressed as a ninja at the office. Here's why.

Culture change can be tough. Sometimes, a little absurdity makes it easier.

In Singapore, where I’ve lived for 12+ years, “chope-ing” (reserving a table with a tissue packet or other item) is a huge deal, especially at hawker centers. But at Google Singapore cafeterias, it was causing problems:

😡 People chope-ing tables and then waiting in several queues for food left others with trays in hand and nowhere to sit.
👮 Worse, some were using employee badges, phones, and even laptops to chope tables (major security risk!).
😕 International colleagues and visitors unfamiliar with chope-ing were totally confused.

Of course, there were valid arguments for chope-ing:

🇸🇬 It’s a beloved Singaporean tradition that could be taught to visitors.
❗ It can prevent people from wandering around with hot food.
💻 It’s helpful when juggling bags and laptops between meetings.

But adding more tables wasn’t an option. Our Food team (led by Sebastian Schwietzer) crunched the numbers and found that chope-ing was actually increasing overall waiting times for tables. So, we decided on a “No Chope” policy.

Then came the “Chope Ninjas.”

I don’t remember who coined the term in our Culture Club meeting (shout out to Neeta Tolani, Scott Palmer, Jan Peuker, Juliette Vautherot, and Nadia Lee), but the idea was brilliant. After announcing the new policy (and warning everyone about the ninjas), Juliette and I suited up.

Picture this: head-to-toe in ninja gear, lurking in the cafeteria. Someone chopes a table? Poof! We snatch their chope-ing item and vanish. They return with food, table’s taken. Poof! We reappear, return their item, and display a scroll explaining the “No Chope” policy.

This wacky approach actually worked. It got people talking (even if some weren’t fans of the ninjas) and turned a potentially contentious change into a fun, memorable experience. It was team building in disguise - helping colleagues respect rules, adapt, and laugh together while navigating cultural differences.

This experience demonstrated the power of blending work and fun to achieve real results… something I’m now putting at the core of my next step with Teamwork Unlocked. By combining humor, culture, and immersive challenges, we’re creating the world’s first B2B escape room Singapore experience designed for leadership training Singapore, escape room training, and team development training.

Because sometimes, whether it’s chope-ing tables or solving puzzles under pressure, the best way to change behavior isn’t through a lecture - it’s through memorable, experiential leadership escape room training that sticks.