MAKE WORK FUN
WHY IT MATTERS
People will always perform better if they like where they are, whom they are with, and what they are doing. Happy people are hard-working people. Work is work, but leaders who make the work fun and the workplace enjoyable will instill in their people a more positive and optimistic enthusiasm for what they do each day. Leaders who program the work environment to allow people to enjoy their time working will see their people exhibit more energy, creativity, drive, and passion. Their people will naturally want to give more of themselves to their responsibilities. Leaders who make the workplace a dreary destination will see that feeling reflected in people’s actions, demeanor, and performance.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that make work fun are realistic and know that most people come to work because they have to, not because they want to. They know that given the choice, no matter how grand the vision of the organization may be, people would rather not have to go to work each day. Leaders that make the work enjoyable want their people to wake up in the morning and feel good about what they are getting up to do. If people are making the effort to work for them, they want to make the effort to make the workplace an enjoyable place to be.
Leaders that make work fun don’t see a conflict between having a performance driven culture while simultaneously encouraging a fun culture. They believe people will perform their best when they are in a place they enjoy being. Their recipe for high performance includes encouraging employees to work hard but also to have fun doing it. They believe that performance and results are accomplished through an enjoyable work environment, and not in spite of it.
Leaders that excel at making work fun are quick to laugh. They are not serious all the time. They can break away from a task and enjoy the experiences, people, and lighthearted moments that accompany the daily grind of work. They avoid the façade of being over-stressed and show they know how to enjoy life. They have fun in a way that engages others and recruits their loyalty. They are quick to laugh. They are willing to allow themselves to be the target of good-humored attention, knowing the bonds it can create with those they lead.
Leaders that make work fun don’t allow themselves or others to personally engage in humor or activities that are degrading or offensive. They are sensitive to the negative fallout that can come from a poorly placed comment. They ensure all interactions are good natured, appropriate, and conducive to a professional work environment. When other people cross the line of propriety, they are quick to pull them aside and correct them.
Leaders that make work fun know the right moment to have fun and the right moment to be serious. They are sensitive to the stress levels others are feeling and know when to call a time-out to allow people to rejuvenate. They are expert at diffusing stressful conversations or situations with well-timed fun that helps everyone rise above the tension and solve the problems at hand. Leaders keep focused on their end goals but find ways to enjoy the journey while getting there.
BELIEFS
SELF-REFLECTION
People will always perform better if they like where they are, whom they are with, and what they are doing. Happy people are hard-working people. Work is work, but leaders who make the work fun and the workplace enjoyable will instill in their people a more positive and optimistic enthusiasm for what they do each day. Leaders who program the work environment to allow people to enjoy their time working will see their people exhibit more energy, creativity, drive, and passion. Their people will naturally want to give more of themselves to their responsibilities. Leaders who make the workplace a dreary destination will see that feeling reflected in people’s actions, demeanor, and performance.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that make work fun are realistic and know that most people come to work because they have to, not because they want to. They know that given the choice, no matter how grand the vision of the organization may be, people would rather not have to go to work each day. Leaders that make the work enjoyable want their people to wake up in the morning and feel good about what they are getting up to do. If people are making the effort to work for them, they want to make the effort to make the workplace an enjoyable place to be.
Leaders that make work fun don’t see a conflict between having a performance driven culture while simultaneously encouraging a fun culture. They believe people will perform their best when they are in a place they enjoy being. Their recipe for high performance includes encouraging employees to work hard but also to have fun doing it. They believe that performance and results are accomplished through an enjoyable work environment, and not in spite of it.
Leaders that excel at making work fun are quick to laugh. They are not serious all the time. They can break away from a task and enjoy the experiences, people, and lighthearted moments that accompany the daily grind of work. They avoid the façade of being over-stressed and show they know how to enjoy life. They have fun in a way that engages others and recruits their loyalty. They are quick to laugh. They are willing to allow themselves to be the target of good-humored attention, knowing the bonds it can create with those they lead.
Leaders that make work fun don’t allow themselves or others to personally engage in humor or activities that are degrading or offensive. They are sensitive to the negative fallout that can come from a poorly placed comment. They ensure all interactions are good natured, appropriate, and conducive to a professional work environment. When other people cross the line of propriety, they are quick to pull them aside and correct them.
Leaders that make work fun know the right moment to have fun and the right moment to be serious. They are sensitive to the stress levels others are feeling and know when to call a time-out to allow people to rejuvenate. They are expert at diffusing stressful conversations or situations with well-timed fun that helps everyone rise above the tension and solve the problems at hand. Leaders keep focused on their end goals but find ways to enjoy the journey while getting there.
BELIEFS
- Well-timed and good-natured fun is often the greatest tool in diffusing a stressful situation.
- Poor timed or ill-humored can be very destructive, so be sure to never cross lines of propriety.
- You need to find the balance between keeping your eye on the end goal while simultaneously enjoying the journey to get there.
- Ultimately people are seeking happiness. Since people do have to work, why not make it as enjoyable as possible?
- People like being around people that are happy, quick to laugh, and don’t take themselves too seriously.
- Humor and fun are two of the greatest tools for increasing employee satisfaction and leadership loyalty.
- People want leaders that are real and down to earth. Be a fun leader and people will be more apt to follow you.
- People will perform better in an environment that frees them to be themselves instead of forcing them to always be so serious.
- Be sensitive to people’s stress levels.
- Use fun as a tool to build unity and comradery.
- Be quick to laugh and enjoy the moment.
- Be willing to break away for a moment of fun.
- Encourage people to look for the good each day.
- Know when fun is appropriate or not.
- Use fun to diffuse stressful situations.
- Correct others when humor is inappropriate.
- Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself.
- Avoid creating a climate of sarcasm.
- Create an environment where people want to be.
- Balance fun with getting things done.
- Be serious when you need, but not always.
- Create a culture where it is okay to enjoy work.
- Use fun as a way to engage employees.
- Help others lighten up when they are stressed.
- Takes things seriously, but not too seriously.
- Do not accept humor that could be offensive.
- Do not take yourself too seriously.
- Believe fun has a very important place at work.
- Allow employees to take time to rejuvenate.
- Accept that life isn’t all about work.
SELF-REFLECTION
- Do I believe that people perform better when they are happy at work, or do I believe their work enjoyment is irrelevant?
- Do I purposefully find ways to help people rejuvenate and lighten up, or do I solely focus on getting work done?
- Do I believe that an enjoyable work culture will help improve performance, or do I not?
- Do I laugh at myself quickly, or do I take my work and myself way too seriously?
- Do I put people at ease with my personal attitudes and actions at work, or do I add to people’s stress level?
- Do I ensure all efforts at humor and fun are good natured and appropriate, or do I let things go too far?
- Do I know the right time to be serious and the right time to be relaxed, or do I lean one way too often?
- Do I allow others to have fun at work and enjoy the light-hearted moments, or do I act more like a taskmaster?
- Don’t cause the workplace to become so casual and focused on fun that it loses its professional edge.
- Don’t lesson people’s respect for you as their leader because they think you don’t take things seriously.
- Don’t allow people to forget the reason they come to work each day is to deliver extraordinary results, not just hang out.
- There’s always time to make work a fun place to be.
- I like to be spontaneous.
- I create a work environment where people feel comfortable being themselves.
- “Work hard, play hard” describes my outlook on work.
- I like to laugh.
- I don’t take myself too seriously.
- I help contribute to a happy work environment.