The Power of Joy
What truly drives the success of a high-performing team? An often-overlooked “it factor" is joy. This vibrant sense of fulfillment can elevate a team from good to truly exceptional.
Joy in leadership is not about happy hours, foosball and nap pods. It's about consciously cultivating an environment where genuine pleasure and satisfaction fuel the work.
This type of joy is grounded in a clear sense of purpose. It flows from building the trust, creativity, courage and psychological safety vital for high-performing teams. It is a reliable engine for sustaining creativity, resilience and cohesion for everyone on your team.
Joy is contagious. You can feel it: the strong emotional bonds and motivation for excellence across the organization are real.
Think of “joy” in more traditional terms for the workplace—employee well-being or job satisfaction—and the impact of leadership becomes clear. McKinsey's "The Boss Factor" study emphasizes that good leaders significantly impact employee happiness, which in turn affects enthusiasm, productivity, and profitability. Leaders play a crucial role in fostering employee joy.
Moreover, creativity and innovation are in full swing when joy thrives. Fear melts away because joy and a culture of fear are incompatible. Software executive Richard Sheridan argues that joy is missing from too many workplaces today. In his book, Chief Joy Officer: How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear, Sheridan offers guidance for how leaders create joy at work—and why it’s so important for success.
I've seen firsthand how leaders nurture a sense of joy at work and the results. I’ve also learned this within my own career.
Just over ten years ago, I was leading change management for an HR organization at a Fortune 50 company. While the job was okay, I didn’t truly love it. My boss could see I wasn't fully energized. Rather than accept that as the status quo, he encouraged me to "go find something fun to do", something that would bring me joy, whether inside or outside my current role.
So, I decided to help a friend launch a new training program for leaders. In doing so, I learned more about executive coaching, which brought me joy by showing me the power of connecting my management training, beliefs, and purpose to support others. I also met an executive coach who ultimately became my mentor.
Although the work I was doing hadn’t changed, my perspective had. I was having more fun. I was energized and joyful. My performance improved and those around me were positively impacted.
Then, I was asked to present about coaching during our all-hands meeting. I had all the information, data, stories, and examples. I was excited to talk about it. However, during the presentation, my boss’s boss interrupted me. She wanted me to focus on how coaching had changed my view of work because she noticed how energized I was and how my performance improved. That’s what she wanted others on the team to see.
The work was still the work. There will always be fires to put out and challenges to navigate. But when you’re grounded in purpose and find moments of joy—even in the most stressful situations—you and those around you succeed.
I was lucky enough to have had these extraordinary leaders who understood that joy is fuel that drives better decisions and improves performance.
Key Strategies for Leaders
Think of your leadership journey as grounded in four fundamental pillars—Purpose, Prosperity, Joy, and Freedom. The first pillar, “purpose,” serves as your “why.” The second pillar, “prosperity,” sustains your capacity to fulfill that purpose. Finding joy and prioritizing your well-being sets a powerful example for your team. When you are energized, positive, and focused, you make better decisions, and performance naturally improves.
Here are some guiding principles for bringing joy to your work and your leadership.
Share your joy. Expressing what matters deeply to you and activities you love can help others discover their joy.
Encourage your team to find their joy by doing something fun and creative inside or outside work.
Facilitate collaboration and connection. Create systems and processes that strengthen relationships and camaraderie.
Celebrate. Acknowledge large and small accomplishments, both individually and as a team.
When leaders build a culture of joy and excitement, they change the way their teams experience work. They create an environment where team members feel safe and thrive.
I welcome your comments and questions. Share your thoughts. And if you’re interested in learning more about finding joy for you and your team, contact me for a free, 30-minute consultation.
In future issues, we’ll dive deeper into the Deliberate Path with practical strategies and insights, along with real-life examples from leaders I’ve worked with, to help you lead in today’s complex world.
Stay tuned!
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