Greater Joy

December 20, 2009

One of the famous phrases from this season (in the Christian part of the world) is this:

“Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.”

A slightly similar agile saying is this:

“If you are not having more fun, you are not doing it right.”

This is very true.
And very important.

So, why does the Scrooge CEO want us all, everyone, to be having fun?

Well, there are many reasons, but the most important reason is that only when we are having fun will we be the most inventive and creative.

And our work is not about mindless, brutish hard work, but about creativity, inventiveness and something simple that hits the target. One can argue which comes first: Joy or creativity? But, they are associated.

Even the managers get to have more fun in Agile, but that’s a topic for another post.

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2 thoughts on “Greater Joy”

  1. Larry Bock

    Hi Joe,

    To say it another way, "fun" means "enjoying what you do".

    I think the CEO wants each of us to enjoy what we do. If we enjoy what we do, we are more creative. Creativity sparks innovation. Innovation tends to provide more opportunities. Opportunities (and marketing) provide excitement and profit to a company. That is the CEO's goal.

    I agree with you though. If we don't have fun at work, we should find something else to do. It will keep us interested, and will be more beneficial to the organization.

    Thanks!

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  2. Joe Little

    Hi Larry,

    Well said. Of course, I agree with you.

    In a past life I tried to do something that I fundamentally did not enjoy. The school of hard knocks eventually taught me that lesson.

    Of course, it cannot always be so, but it would be my wish that my experience would never need to be repeated by others.

    But that is a negative reason to follow this law. Yours is a more positive reason.

    I guess we must add that educated judgment is required in understanding what true joy is. It is not mere hedonism.

    Thanks, Joe

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