Moe and Richard discuss a blueprint for people who want a committed, energizing atmosphere at work—leading to sustainable business results.
The Business Case for Joy
One of the great management lessons that I learned early in my career can be captured by this simple metaphor: Running a business is like riding a bike; the moment you stop peddling, you’ll fall off. Certainly, that’s as applicable to life as it is to business, still unless you create the conditions in your workplace, complacency can be contagious.
Three conditions, in particular seem to always spark that next gear. First, to ignite the imagination and ingenuity of your team, create more autonomy and less bureaucracy – most of us hate rigid systems. Next, to minimize the ‘good enough,’ mentality, create more challenge and less predicability, but remember that it’s tiny steps each day that will ultimately build big feats. Finally, to encourage greater spontaneity, create more laughter and joy – creating something great should never be boring. No one lives that more than Menlo Innovations creator, Richard Sheridan. Not only are there no boundaries at Menlo, but as he describes in his book – Joy, Inc: How We Built a Workplace People Love – the entire culture is structured to answer this one question.