unprofessional.

work.

effective

work cultures.

and living a successful life.

fascinated

with Type A; we glorify it and honor it. We don’t seem to value

preparation

and planning with anywhere near the amount of reverence we hold for

"rolling up our sleeves and getting right to work." We value

the result more than the method; we measure how much gets done instead

of how much fun it was to do it. We often meet our deadlines but don’t

grow and improve in the process.

When I give my speeches, I always ask the audience what are the

benefits

of incorporating fun with work. The answers are always the same: a

positive impact on morale and productivity; reduction in stress,

absenteeism,

and attrition; and the ability to attract and retain key employees.

Then I ask "If we understand that by incorporating fun into work

we can achieve these results, what prevents us from doing that?"

The answer is always our biases. And chief among these is our bias

that Type A Behavior is the desired norm.

We choose our biases; they are ours to keep or to let go. Why do we

choose to keep the biases we have? For example, if we spend more time

at work than at any other single activity, then why do we choose work

that is sterile and bleak over work that is fun and enriching? The

answer is fear.

We are afraid that if there is fun, there cannot be work. That if

we are having fun, the outside world will think less of us. The

companies

in Fun Works have faced this fear and conquered it. They have

incorporated

the principle of challenging their biases and they have prospered.

And in the process they have created a work environment that attracts

and retains the kind of people who will further enrich these companies

and increase their value.

The benefits of creating a work culture that places value on fun and

productivity can be quantified. They can be measured in terms of

employee

satisfaction, retention, work quality, and customer loyalty. If your

organization has strategic initiatives sucas as Finding and Keeping

Peak Performers, Innovation in Products and Services, Quality and

Service as a Competitive Advantage, Managing the Risks of Stress and

Change, Increased Productivity, and Employee Satisfaction, then the

principles of Challenge Your Bias will help you achieve these

initiatives

more quickly.

When we challenge our bias of "when the work is done then we’ll

have fun" and incorporate fun into work, then our self-imposed

obstacles to success will be removed.

Take down those roadblocks that prevent the full release of your

being.

Change the way you think about integrating fun and work. Challenge

the status quo and take control of your attitudes toward work.

Change your bias.

Corrections or additions?

— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.