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FUN in the workplace...

Guest post by: Jacque Small

Article Overview: Is FUN as waste of time or is it a necessity to increase productivity? If you and your employees are not having fun it is costing you money in all sorts of ways that you would likely prefer not to think about. Having fun is a necessity. Fun creates a good feeling inside of us a sense of euphoria. When we smile and laugh our brains produce a chemical serotonin that gives us this feeling of well being. Exuding this kind of energy is highly attractive for others; they may want to start hanging out with you.

FUN in the workplace...

In this issue: Catalyst LIVE! radio show is being launched on November 4 at noon.

Provocative thoughts on FUN (the topic of the radio show)

The final topic in the series of articles that I have been writing is on FUN. The previous article was on getting your value from training.

Catalyst LIVE! Radio Show

New to Catalyst is your ability to participate in a conversation about the articles that I write. The radio show on November 4th at noon will be about FUN in the workplace. Hosting the show is Hunter Dixon, of A Woman of Intrigue and my colleague Lynne Brisdon, of Living in Vision Enterprises.

Is FUN as waste of time or is it a necessity to increase productivity?

If you and your employees are not having fun it is costing you money in all sorts of ways that you would likely prefer not to think about. Having fun is a necessity. Fun creates a good feeling inside of us a sense of euphoria. When we smile and laugh our brains produce a chemical serotonin that gives us this feeling of well being. Exuding this kind of energy is highly attractive for others; they may want to start hanging out with you.

Fun activities increase the opportunity for people to connect at work. Connection and building stronger relationships are vital for creating a thrilling work environment. Vibrant work environments result in creative and profitable companies. In addition your people will be emotionally healthier, less stress.

Why are fun, vibrant companies more profitable? When people feel good about themselves and others at work they are more willing to collaborate and contribute ideas. They are open to listening to what you have to say. Now we have the potential to spark creativity. Creativity is the life line for businesses to progress forward; develop new technologies, new services and new ways of delivering these products and services.

This spontaneous creation inspires people to work with enthusiasm and focus to bring their ideas into reality. When we have fun at work we are likely to be inspiring and inspired. It's like a contagious virus causing people to rise to the best that they can be in the moment.

I had a wonderful opportunity to set up the world famous Pike Place Fish Market one morning in September. I asked one of the fish mongers, "is it tough to inspire yourself to have fun and high energy every day?" His response was "first, we all know what our purpose is here; second we don't take our own personal stuff to seriously and dwell on it. Plus we support each other with our personal stuff."

So is fun a waste of time or a necessity? Fun is naturally and spontaneously created when the following exist:

A clear understanding of what the game is and why we are playing it

Heart felt relationships for the people we work with

Excellent communication skills.

The challenge for most companies is the existing work hard, drive hard culture that's pushing people to achieve a predetermined set of goals. The communication at work is often uninspiring and hence doesn't engage people to want to do their best. We then try to solve this problem by throwing a "FUN" event to get everyone inspired. The events are fun, but don't create the result the organization is often looking for.

The FUN event is great providing there are some purposeful and focused activities that get people to interact with others they don't normally talk to. The second vital activity is to have people connect at a very personal level. When we don't know people personally, we don't care about them and we continue to maintain our position of "I" vs "WE".

If we really want to have a fun and vibrant work place then it is very important for people on the leadership team to have great communication skills, to be personally grounded and centered and to be inspiring. Leaders set the tone and are roll models for the people who they lead.

How do leaders create a culture of fun?

They have the clear intention that their business is a fun vibrant place to work.

They are centered and grounded personally.

They have excellent communication skills that inspire others.

When hosting fun events they are puroseful in choosing events that will build new and deeper relationships among their people.

FUN is a necessity and the way you build it is with intention and by being purposeful.

Sending you energy for FUN

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Article Tags: clarity, focus, having fun, productivity, vision



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