Archive for the Fun Environment Category
How Your Company Can Bring the Fun Back
We’re afraid of having fun because we might get caught by our boss. The dreaded Fired hangs over us like a dark cloud. So we quietly go about our work trying to stay under the radar.
The problem with this method of working is that our confidence takes a hit. We don’t always make choices that best fit the situation, because if the choice scares us then we avoid it. Living this way puts us in a state of lack instead of abundance.
Most of us were raised to stay under the radar. We got negative attention for being bad. When we did something good there was no fanfare because it’s what we were supposed to be doing.
Much of the corporate world works this way too. The people who get promoted are the ones who do the least damage to the company. That’s no way to reward an employee who has the courage to try something new and they fail.
We need to build a culture that accepts mistakes especially if an employee puts their neck on the line. When people are encouraged to take risks, they will be more likely to accomplish projects that will succeed big.
Read the rest of this entry »
9 Comments »
Hard Fun and The Beautiful – Looking Forward Edition
(Can’t see the video? Then try watching it at Work Happy Now - Hard Fun and The Beautiful – Beautiful Brain Edition)
Where we are free to talk about the hard, the fun, and the beautiful of our work week.
When we gaze off and zone out there are usually thoughts of grandeur. Maybe writing a book, taking your kids to Disneyland or getting a promotion. Whatever it is, these thoughts have a ton of motivation in them. I constantly picture myself standing in front of thousands of people and giving a keynote about work happiness. It’s a subject that many people need to learn about.
You think about the possibilities and now you need to figure out how to make it happen. That means creating a Happy at Work Project to make your dreams come alive.
Read the rest of this entry »
10 Comments »
Team Building Activity – Hint – Colorful Balls
Jeff Sloan, co-founder of Start-up Nation, talked at a Microsoft conference about creating your own business. He is a serial entrepreneur of electronics and various other media.
Jeff and his brother were promoting one of their gadgets at a conference and they bumped into a woman who was juggling, so they started juggling with her. They got to talking with the woman and hashed out a distributorship to sell the juggling balls throughout North America.
Their juggling package was the number 1 item sold for Father’s Day back in 1992.
They positioned their product as “Stress Relief for the Busy Executive.” An item that has been around since the pyramids in Egypt was the best selling product for fathers in the US. Jeff was able to do this because of a relationship that he created with the department stores.
Read the rest of this entry »
15 Comments »
Netflix Company Culture – Freedom & Responsibility
Netflix believes in creating a culture that supports Freedom and Responsibility. They don’t promote to placate or keep people around out of loyalty. They know they have to make people happy and in order to do that they need to challenge and engage their employees.
Seven Aspects of Netflix Culture:
- Values are what we Value
- High Performance
- Freedom & Responsibility
- Context, not Control
- Highly Aligned, Loosely Coupled
- Pay Top of the Market
- Promotions & Development
6 Comments »
Have Fun and Be Weird
(Can’t see the video? Then click here and try watching it at Work Happy Now)
Too many of us get caught up in what our co-workers think of us, instead of letting loose and being a little weird. Zappos has ten values in place, one of which is “Create fun and be a little weird.” Otherwise you’ll be a tight, stressed out co-worker who has trouble having fun at work.
Read the rest of this entry »
12 Comments »
How do I make my people happy?
So you want an atmosphere that encourages great work? Don’t we all. Most bosses and managers talk a good game, but they don’t create a plan to make it happen.
Almost every CEO I worked for always talked about the importance of their people, but their actions did not coincide with their words. They were always more worried about the bottom line.
I know how important it is to make money, but if the employees are happy then believe me, the money will come. That is if you have a good product/service.
It’s why Southwest airlines is the only consistent money generator in the USA airline industry. They believe in creating a culture that encourages happiness.
As a leader of people you need to encourage happiness in every facet of your business. I’ve created 10 techniques that will help your company be happy and successful.
- Be happy yourself.
- Know your people.
- Make time for your people.
- Show people the autonomy that they already have.
- Help them find meaning in their work.
- Listen and respond to their emotions, not their problems.
- Stop letting assholes dictate the company culture.
- Encourage friendships.
- Recognize hard work.
- Find out why people leave.
These are concepts that are easy to understand, but may be hard to apply to your company’s culture. I’ll break them down so you can use them in your company.
18 Comments »
What do I do if I’m unhappy at Work?
Every person becomes unhappy at work at some time or another. It’s the natural emotional ebb and flow of being human. Even the best job has its problems.
You probably have certain expectations that can’t be met. These expectations must be emotionally bridged or you will constantly be grasping for unattainable happiness.
This article is not about settling for a crappy job. That’s the furthest thing from my mind. I believe you need to use your superpowers at work so you can optimize our present happiness while planning your most rewarding future.
Superpowers are actions that excite you, get you in the zone, and play to your strengths. If you aren’t using your superpowers at work you are missing out on doing meaningful work that will engage every part of your mind.
First you must allow yourself to feel and understand your present situation. A good scream or a good cry can cleanse the mind. It all depends on the person. When you allow yourself to feel the emotion that is blocking you from moving on, then you can accept your current situation.
After accepting this emotion, you have limitless ability to learn from this process.
The only way to understand what type of work will bring you the most happiness in the future is to understand your present self. That means dealing with your emotions and building internal tools.
Learn to watch your emotions when they occur, then create a plan that will help you explore and encourage personal growth. Some of this may be painful, but believe me it’s a good pain. It’s this pain that will help make you smarter and emotionally stronger. I don’t mean stronger as in more stoic. I define emotional strength as the ability to process emotions and bring the mind back into balance.
After studying videos, articles, myself, and my co-workers, I’ve put together a list of 8 tasks that will help you work happier.
- Find meaning.
- Become more aware of self-talk.
- Don’t take interactions personally.
- Help someone else become happy.
- Remember 3 good things.
- Utilize Smart Breaks.
- Speak up and take Action.
- Use More of Your Strengths.
-
These are concepts that are easy to understand, but may be hard to implement. You’ll need to practice these to make sure they become a part of you. I’ll break them down so you can apply them to your working life.
24 Comments »
Work Happiness Expert – Tony Hsieh of Zappos
Tony Hsieh of Zappos is everywhere. He was on the cover of Inc. Magazine. He speaks at large conferences and spreads the Zappos culture message. I felt lucky to hear him speak at SxSW conference this past year.
I’ve touted Tony’s leadership on Work Happy Now. I’ve also been spurred to write a few articles because of his blog. But now I landed an interview with him. Tony’s employee called him a genius. You know when an employee calls his boss a genius, this person must be something special. After all, your employees are the ones who see you for 40 to 50 hours a week and begin to see the cracks.
Tony has made me view work happiness from new angles. I’m glad he is out there in the business world. He helped create Zappos, a company that emphasizes the importance of enjoying work. His concepts are leading the employee revolution, encouraging change in the business world.
Karl: How important is work happiness to you?
Read the rest of this entry »
12 Comments »
Unleash Your Creative Beast
(If you have trouble viewing this video click here and watch it at Work Happy Now)
Watch the mistakes you make, find a creative solution and let the fun come. That’s work happiness at its best.
4 Comments »
Take Away Any Obstacles
Google understands that an employee who can focus on their work will do a better job.
“The goal is to strip away everything that gets in our employees way. We provide a standard package of fringe benefits, but on top of that are first-class dining facilities, gyms, laundry rooms, massage rooms, haircuts, carwashes, dry cleaning, commuting buses – just about anything a hardworking employee engineer might want. Let’s face it: programmers want to program, they don’t want to do their laundry. So we make it easy for them to do both.”
- Eric Schmidt, CEO Google
3 Comments »