Karin’s Leadership Articles

Fun at work

Frontline Festival: Leaders Share about Having Fun

by | Oct 20, 2016 | By Karin Hurt, Frontline Festival |

Welcome back to the Let’s Grow Leaders Frontline Festival. This month’s festival is all about having fun.  Thanks to Joy and Tom Guthrie of Vizwerx Group for the great pic and to all our contributors! Next month’s Frontline Festival is all about giving thanks.  Submit your ideas here!

Chip Bell of the Chip Bell Group finds fun in his surroundings such as a happy office with great music, quirky artifacts, awesome pictures, a gazillion books, and a cat that sleeps on the copier nearby.  The panoramic view of the lake 75 feet away also helps! Follow Chip

Beth Beutler of H.O.P.E. Unlimited treats herself each week by making sure her weekend starts no later than 1:00pm on Fridays (her commitment to a regular bowling league also helps). She offers this fun puzzle game for teams who work at an office together.  Follow Beth.

Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership observes that when people say that work is “fun” they usually don’t mean it’s a party or a game. They’re talking about grown-up fun. Follow Wally.

Even though you are growing up, you should never stop having fun.
~ Nina Dobrev

Michelle Cubas, CPCC, ACC, of Positive Potentials, LLC  advises that in today’s stressful work environment, fun must be baked into our workflow to offer comic relief. Leaders must encourage humor and positive expression to slice through the thick veil of cynicism and stress. Follow Michelle.

David Dye of Trailblaze advises we start by finding the fun in the everyday. Build from there – as a team leader, I scheduled regular (and sometimes surprise) opportunities for people to let their hair down and have fun. We would go bowling, I would personally cook everyone a holiday breakfast, or I’d put together fun team-focused city-wide scavenger hunts. (Note: do these things when people are being paid – it usually doesn’t work to ask them to leave their family to have ‘fun’).  Follow David.

Chris Edmonds of Driving Results through Culture shares, “As a solopreneur, I can easily find myself writing, consulting with clients, etc. eight hours a day (or ten)! I’ve learned to schedule time for exercise (walking at 8400 feet is a treat – even in 2′ of snow), trap shooting down the hill in Denver (my daughter still beats me), regular lunches with my #DenverTweeps colleagues, and learning new music for upcoming Brian Raine band gigs @BrianRaineBand). Diversity of experiences is a must! Follow Chris.

Life is too important to be taken seriously.
~ Oscar Wilde

Lisa Kohn from Thoughtful Leaders Blog reminds us that in order to help your team, or family or anyone, have fun, you have to make fun a priority. You have to look for reasons to smile and to laugh, to maybe have a few toys or games hanging around for moments of levity, and to schedule “light time” and breaks especially in times of the most intensity and stress. Follow Lisa.

Paul LaRue of The UPwards Leader, says that being able to cook and serve his teams has been a huge blessing to them and to him. Nothing says thank you more than taking the time to make a breakfast or lunch out of a busy schedule for the team. They truly appreciate it and it always puts a smile on his face too!  Follow Paul.

Eileen McDargh of The Energizer muses, To rise and leave a desk. To walk outside and down to the bluff overlooking the beach. To play with a dog. To feed the birds. Nature nurtures. Follow Eileen

Shelley Row of Shelley Row Associates gives thought to what to do when our brain wilts. Learning to recognize the signs and counteract with refreshing space for yourself (and your team) is important.  Follow Shelley

Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.
~ Dr. Seuss

Next month’s question: What are three things you are thankful for when it comes to your business? Submit your ideas here!

Quote source: Brainyquote

 

 

Want more human-centered leaders in the workplace? Share this today!

Want more human-centered leaders in the workplace? Share this today?

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Other Related Articles

Karin Hurt

Karin Hurt helps human-centered leaders find clarity in uncertainty, drive innovation, and achieve breakthrough results.  She’s the founder and CEO of Let’s Grow Leaders, an international leadership development and training firm known for practical tools and leadership development programs that stick. She’s the award-winning author of four books including Courageous Cultures: How to Build Teams of Micro-Innovators, Problem Solvers, and Customer Advocates and Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Workplace Conflict, and hosts the popular Asking For a Friend Vlog on LinkedIn. A former Verizon Wireless executive, Karin was named to Inc. Magazine’s list of great leadership speakers. Karin and her husband and business partner, David Dye, are committed to their philanthropic initiative, Winning Wells – building clean water wells for the people of Cambodia.

Be More Daring

BUILD CONFIDENCE, TRUST AND CONNECTION WITH CONSISTENT ACTS OF MANAGERIAL COURAGE

Get the FREE Courageous Cultures E-Book to learn how

7 Practical Ways to be a Bit More Daring

Be More Daring

BUILD CONFIDENCE, TRUST AND CONNECTION WITH CONSISTENT ACTS OF MANAGERIAL COURAGE

Get the FREE Courageous Cultures E-Book to learn how

7 Practical Ways to be a Bit More Daring

Leadership Training Programs