You heard it here first. It’s OK to Have Some Fun as a Leader.
Most of the popular press on leading and leadership focuses on the challenges, strain and pains of leading, leaving one to assume that signing on for the role is akin to a vow of chastity or at least a vow of silence.
You don’t often hear the “F” (for fun) word used in sentences with the words, leader, leading or leadership. And while I’ll encourage you to keep the red noses and floppy shoes and squirting flowers safely at home for your own use at birthday parties, I’m going to step out on a limb and encourage you to not make this a miserable experience for you or your team members.
And let’s face it, there’s not been much fun to go around in the world for at least a few years. Just be really, really careful what your definition of the word fun is, or, you’re liable to feel like you took a vow of poverty once you and your floppy shoes get bounced out of the show for inappropriate actions.
5 Ways to Infuse Fun Safely into Your Workplace:
1. Start by smiling a lot more. Smiles are contagious and that’s more than just popular lore. Our mirror neurons fire when we observe someone engaging in a particular behavior, and the positive act of smiling is one that all of us appreciate. Your smile as the leader will have an uplifting impact on everyone that you encounter. Of course, choosing to grin during a crisis will have the opposite effect. Use this technique liberally when the seas are calm and the wind is at your back.
2. Improve the quality and frequency of your positive feedback delivery. Effective positive feedback reinforces the right behaviors, offers encouragement and provides motivation for the receiver and for observers. Avoid calling out “Atta boys” for trivial reasons. “Way to make that pot of coffee this morning, Smith.” Be specific, link the feedback to business issues and dispense the positive encouragement in a ratio in excess of 1:1 versus constructive feedback.
3. Celebrate the right victories. If your team or organization is in crisis, celebrate the small victories that help propel you in the right direction. Depending upon your role or level, some of these small victories might seem insignificant, but each success strengthens the foundation for future successes. Spring for pizza or, at least take a few minutes to thank everyone. Remember to provide visibility to the teams that drove the results and then drive home with a smile on your face, knowing that this was the right thing to do. Remember to adapt your definition of the “victories to celebrate” as conditions improve or worsen.
4. Ensure that people know that their work is important. There’s almost no stronger motivational technique than ensuring that your team members understand that what they are working on is important. Whether it’s important to internal customers or external customers doesn’t matter, as long as they have context for the value of their work. Working on something important makes work relevant and yes, even fun.
5. Increase involvement. There are individuals laboring in all sections of firms that have ideas of value to offer, but have no outlet for those ideas. When is the last time that you invited someone from Accounting to one of your team’s brainstorming session? Mix things up, break down some walls and get people involved!
The Bottom-Line for Now:
OK, so my definition of “fun” might be a little more mundane than many others. It’s unlikely that I’ll be invited to choreograph any big Fun Fairs soon. However, if nothing else, take away from this post the reality that you as the leader have a tremendous impact on the working atmosphere at your place of business. Apply some or all of the 5 simple ideas above, and you’re likely to see a palpable increase in enthusiasm, motivation, performance and yes, even smiling and occasional light conversation. And you’ll have a lot more fun in the process.
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Updates:
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-Look for the Management Excellence Book Series to launch this week with my podcast interview with Bob Sutton on his new book, Good Boss, Bad Boss!
Great suggestions. There’s a lot of data showing how fun increases productivity and decreases stress. These ideas definitely help.
Thanks, David. It seems like we’ve all got enough stress in our professional lives. Any little bit of relief that’s handled positively, can only help. -Art
I think that leaders tend to underestimate the impact that their encouragement and expressed confidence in their team members can have. A smile and a bit of encouragment can energize a follower and really make the difference between finishing with a flourish and a harried push to the finish line.
Thanks for your post!
Love it, Art. I would add to that make sure people have the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to do their job. It’s absolutely not fun to suck. Help folks excel instead of setting them up to fail. Impressing customers and winning business is fun. Thanks, Art
Thanks, Catherine and Bret! Agreed on all counts. -Art