How to Have More Joy, Fun and Play at Work

I recently posted a poll on social media asking what my community wanted to learn about next. A whopping 57% voted for "reclaiming joy at work," so here we are! I can't tell you how happy—or shall I say joyful—it makes me that there's an appetite for exploring this topic in the context of work. This isn't talked about enough. 

As many of you know, I've been in a year of major transition and reinvention. After leaving a big executive leadership job in tech, I took a sabbatical, went back to school to become a Somatic Experiencing Professional, started consulting, and launched my own company (Awarely Embodied Leadership). Just a couple of things!

But the common thread through all of this is the pursuit of joy. Here's what I've learned along the way about reclaiming joy, fun and play at work (and in life)...

1. Ask yourself the hard questions
Over the last year, I've asked myself these questions over and over again when making decisions and deciding on direction:
- What do I REALLY want? 
- What makes me feel the most aligned and alive?
- What impact do I want to have on the world? 

2. Question the source of the answers
When I first started asking these tough questions, old stories, societal expectations, and systemic pressures answered for me. If it felt like a "should," it was a no. If it came from an external source, it was also a no. I've made terrifying decisions like turning down job offers when I felt pressured to accept them for the wrong reasons. But I can say with resounding clarity that saying no was the right call. 

3. Learn to listen to different channels 
At the beginning of this wild ride of a year, I was so confused about what to listen to and what was true. What was my voice vs. external pressures? What was a want vs. a need? As uncomfortable as it's been, I've learned to sift through the layers and listen to what's real. I can only describe it as a deep knowing - a feeling that's in the body instead of the brain. My Somatic Experiencing training has helped immensely with this and learning the language of my body. 

4. Prioritize play
When I feel the pressure to do, push, perform and conform to expectations of how my business should be growing or how much I should be doing, I'm learning to do the opposite. Instead of doubling down with more time and more effort, I do something that makes me smile and laugh. I get on the floor and play with my dogs. I go golfing and laugh at how many balls I lose to the dreaded water hazard. I dance to 90's throwback jams. I go to the woods and or to the sea, and whoop when we leave shore. I go to the nursery and fill my eyes with awe of the beauty of nature. 

And more often than not, I come back with more space, capacity and clarity for where to go next. 

But what does this have to do with leadership? 

1. Connection 
Whether it's an economic development summit or a women's leadership summit, the theme I hear repeatedly is that people are craving connection more than ever—connection to their work, to themselves, the world, and each other. When we're more rooted in our aliveness and joy, we're engaging our ventral vagal system, which is literally designed for socialization and connection. In the workplace, this supports engagement, reduces conflict, helps rally teams around a common purpose, and boosts culture. 

2. Build capacity
When we're prioritizing joy in our lives, we're building internal resources to manage stress and mitigate burnout. Joy acts as a "counter vortex" to the shi*t storm of leadership and life. When we have a foot heavily anchored in fun and play, we can literally weather the storm differently. We have more space for making informed decisions, responding instead of reacting, and innovation. 

3. Mobilize change
Change starts with one person leading differently. It takes one person to start making subtle shifts to evolve a culture or work environment. We all know how big of an impact the toxic person can have, so what if we could override that with the opposite? And no, I'm not talking about toxic positivity. I'm talking about leading with intention, with curiosity and with alignment of what brings you joy. It's contagious.