Joy and shining eyes at work – A provocative proposition

What if organisations could be as creative, purposeful, and life-giving as the best version of the people in them?

What if people could go home with shining eyes and hearts full of joy after spending eight or more hours at work?

When I pose these questions - what David Cooperrider calls "provocative propositions"- to leaders, I often sense skepticism. Many look at me as if I’m slightly delusional. The idea makes them uncomfortable, as though I’m describing a fairy-tale world that has no place in the realm of work.

But when I quote Gary Hamel, who declared in 2007 that “most organisations are not fit for human life,” I see them relax. This feels familiar. It resonates. Have we collectively bought into the idea that work must be devoid of joy?

Hamel launched The Human Movement, urging leaders to build organisations “as amazing as the people inside them.” And yet, some of the most passionate and creative people I know find themselves in environments that stifle them - where they are neither living their best lives nor making their best contributions.

A story that changed me

I have vivid memories of the morning of 5th October 1999, when we received the devastating news: a colleague had died in the Paddington train crash. The shock was overwhelming. But what made the grief even heavier was knowing the deep unhappiness he had carried in his final years.

He was trapped in a toxic, dysfunctional relationship with his manager. But he had a dream - a house in the South of France, a future he was working toward. The “Year 2K” project paid well, and he endured everything in the hope that one day he and his family would finally live the life he longed for.

I will never forget the sadness in his wife’s eyes when she spoke to us at his funeral. She shared something that still haunts me:

“We don’t remember him being happy. For the last two years of his life, he was just surviving, always saving for the future. He never got to enjoy the life he was working so hard to build.”

It was a moment that changed me. A brutal, painful reminder that life is happening now. That waiting for happiness is a dangerous gamble. No amount of money, security, or future plans can replace the everyday moments of joy, connection, and presence.

Building workplaces where people thrive

Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with teams who have done exactly what Hamel envisioned—they have built environments where people go home with shining eyes and joyful hearts. They have not left this to chance. They have made deliberate choices:

1. They refuse to be held hostage by outdated stories about work. They recognise that they have the power to shape their own organisational culture.
2. They embrace their vulnerability and humanity. They are committed to being as authentic as possible in their engagement with each other.
3. They measure success by “shining eyes.” They track energy, enthusiasm, and the emotional well-being of their teams, knowing that when people feel seen, valued, and inspired, they do their best work.
4. They practice the leadership principles from The Art of Possibility (Ben & Roz Zander). For them, possibility is not an abstract concept—it is a way of being that fosters creativity, engagement, and transformation.
5. They prioritise their own growth and development. They invest in strengthening their capacity to collaborate and work productively with others.
6. They understand the neuroscience of engagement. They know how to create conditions that allow people to make their best contributions.
7. They embrace diversity as an asset. They know that every team member brings unique gifts, and they create spaces where those contributions are valued.
8. They have banished the parent-child dynamic. They have shifted from hierarchical, “power-over” structures to adult-to-adult relationships, where every voice matters and accountability is shared.
9. They have built Thinking Environments (Nancy Kline). They create cultures of deep listening, ensuring that independent thinking and meaningful contributions can flourish.
10. They follow Peter Block’s five phases of consulting. They contract clearly, engage deeply with their context, think collectively before deciding, and reflect intentionally to learn and grow.
11. They are committed to unleashing human magic (Hubert Joly, The Heart of Business). They recognise that people are at their best when they feel connected to purpose, meaning, and contribution.

A new story about work

These are not abstract ideals. They are real, tangible choices that teams have made. And in doing so, they have transformed their workplaces into communities of possibility.

What if this could be the norm, not the exception?

What if we no longer accepted the idea that work must drain us?

What if we chose, instead, to reimagine organisations as places where people leave energised rather than exhausted—where they know their work matters?

What will it take for us to stop enduring work and start designing workplaces that ignite us?

Let’s build organisations where people leave each day with shining eyes, knowing they have contributed their gifts to something meaningful.

Because when we do, the world changes—not just for us, but for generations to come.