People, Purpose, Pranks! Creating fullfulling places to work

It must be the time of year (and/or preparing for a holiday next week!) but I've been having an annual bout of nostalgia this week and decided to re-use an old blog article as it still remains the best explanation I can give about some of the fun times I’ve had at work over the years.

Whilst reflecting on what made those times fun and fulfilling, versus other more stressful work experiences I’d rather forget.

In the original article the question that resulted from all this was: what makes an office/place/company a fun and fulfilling place to work, and how can we create these environments as leaders and managers?

I think it boils down to three things, which I’ve alliterated nicely as follows:

People, Purpose, Pranks

The People

Firstly, it all comes down to the people you’re working with. A great team gels well, works for each other and can collectively play to the strengths of each individual member. A supportive, engaged team of people will weather any storm and even emerge better off. I've spoken at length about this elsewhere and frequently, so let's move on.

Their Purpose

Aa team with a clear goal that, even if not mutually agreed upon, is well understood and properly communicated will feel a great sense of purpose and therefore be more likely to engage with their work. This can cover a variety of perspectives, including believing in what they are doing, perhaps for a common good, or even feeling empowered to set the direction themselves – or at least participate in that process.

Again, much has been written about purpose, mission, values, and so on. So I won't labour the point here, because the next section is what this article is really about. ??

(Some) Pranks

I posted yesterday about the crucial role of a sense of humour in leadership, and why it's important not to take yourself too seriously. Part of that means creating an environment where people can have a bit of fun. And occasionally that means some messing about and pranks.

To be clear, this doesn’t mean bullying, toxic so-called 'banter', or the potentially divisive, dangerous, or otherwise harmful stuff – no rewiring or water buckets on top of doors please! But it does mean the silly things, like coming back from a holiday to find boxes of inventory stacked from your desk to the ceiling...

...or returning from lunch to find your colleagues have constructed a v2.0 of you out of empty printer cartridge boxes, surplus IT kit, and honestly the most artistic drawing you've ever seen in your life...

...or setting up a "bowling alley" in the kitchen using mugs for pins, not because you intend to actually use it, but you just wanted to see the look on the office manager's face.... ok, that one might have been over the line. Sorry past colleague who shall (probably) remain nameless!!

The key here is having a bit of fun at work, relaxing with your colleagues and exercising everyone’s sense of humour in a way that everyone laughs together, with each other and never at each other.

In a similar vein, a favourite trend for me, from a past role, was the ‘Friday sillies’ where we’d set each other pointless challenges.

This kind of thing sounds like trivial nonsense, and it is, but also it isn't, because it makes a huge difference to the culture of your team and the general stress level in the office.

To the kind of manager who turns their nose up at these sorts of antics, or bans fun in the office, I have this to say: you will never see the team going above and beyond for you.

Bringing it back to leadership, as I always do:

The overarching theme to all of this is, of course, leadership. Without the effective application of a relaxed, engaging and people-focused leadership style, it is rare for any of these other elements to come together.

So, what can a leader do to help foster these three lynchpins of a great place to work?

• First has to be: have a sense of humour, particularly about yourself, and don’t be afraid of showing it. Leaders who take themselves too seriously tend to create stuffy, tense working environments where it’s difficult to relax. Staff who don’t feel able to relax tend to make more mistakes and be less happy at work.
• Clarity of communication is crucial – especially around the purpose and goals of your organisation. For example, does every person in your company know: 1. Why it does what it does, 2. What its overall goals are, 3. What the big picture strategy is to achieve those goals, and 4. How their specific role fits into that big picture? If not, I would strongly recommend addressing that at your first opportunity.
• It is also important not to sweat the small things, if there’s an occasional mistake, or something doesn’t go according to plan, don’t let that derail the rest of the company.

I’ve said it before and I’ll no doubt say it again: ?Your mindset as a leader is the first and easiest thing to change.

At the end of the day, people perform better when they enjoy their job and find it a fulfilling place to work, there are many ways to achieve that as a leader, but getting the people, purpose and pranks right is a good guide if you’re unsure.

Remember: don’t be a boss, be a leader.

Thanks for reading! If you're looking for help developing or establishing your leadership style, a great place to start is by joining my online community of leaders. Take a look here: www.leadernotaboss.com and get in contact if you have any questions.