My stomach hurt; it was the best kind of pain. I could feel warm tears falling down my face. Through blurry eyes, I could see the faces of my team members; some had their heads down, and others were gazing at their ceilings, wiping tears from their eyes. While most of us had our messenger chat muted, those with live mics could be heard faintly somewhere between a whimper and a wail. We were in a complete belly laugh fest. I can’t tell you what started it, but I can tell you the only thing that brought us back was our shared commitment to using that laughter to our benefit and the benefits of our clients. We were having fun.
As I reflect on the teams and organizations that are most innovative and successful, I think about those that allow and encourage staff to have fun. Scientific and social aspects of fun at work allow people to test new ideas and welcome failure as a means of play that results in learning. My idea is - that if a team believes they can try new things and fail, they will be willing to share their failure - err learning - with others on the team. This reservoir of idea-sharing becomes a commodity the team can draw from as they iterate and test new ideas and outcomes.
So how do you do it? The freedom to have fun isn’t about having a slide that connects office floors. While that sounds awesome, and yes, please - the fun I’m thinking about does have its parameters. The end outcome of fun is psychological safety, which drives outcomes instead of the potential of steering toward distraction. For fun to be appropriately utilized, leadership is needed. After all, leadership models and allows the norming of behaviors that create team culture.
Can you do it? You can do whatever you put your mind to, so if you think fun at work is inappropriate, you’re right. Who am I to argue with you? I would challenge you to consider why anyone would want to spend their time in work that isn’t fun. You don’t have to be an outgoing leader to make work fun; you have to honor it when you see it and direct it toward outcomes that benefit your goals. We work with leaders to develop practical and inspiring team environments. We call these winning cultures. We’d love to help you win - let’s connect!
I love this perspective on fun at work! It's not about perks like foosball tables—it's about creating a culture where people feel safe to experiment and fail without judgment. I've seen firsthand how teams that embrace failure, learn from mishaps, and laugh together thrive. Leadership plays a key role in fostering psychological safety, which sparks creativity and innovation. It's not about being the funniest person in the room, but about empowering people to bring their full selves to work. Great reminder that work should be challenging, but also enjoyable. Thanks for sharing!
#Leadership #TeamCulture #Innovation #PsychologicalSafety #FunAtWork