I’ve noticed that almost every time a new boss arrives, they introduce themselves with the statement that the most important thing is having a good time.
I think, great!. That suits me.
I appreciate the importance of work being fun (but focussed) and feel relieved when a boss calls this out as one of their intents.
Unfortunately, it rarely happens. Probably not their fault – the daily grind of growth and people management seems to wear them down quickly, so having fun at work doesn’t always happen. If it does, it’s scheduled.
Having fun at work, to me, is having the proper perspective. Meetings, interactions, emails, IM’s all allow sharing some smiles.
There are ways to get the right balance between gravity and levity.
The best leaders at work arrive and share their philosophy at a team introduction. They rarely mention the fun objective, but it shows in all that they do.
For business leaders, there is a job to do.
A leaders job involves creating order out of chaos. (Managers tend to only deal with reinforcing order).
To enjoy the creation of order out of disorder is a rare quality, and the best leaders have it and show it.