The Business of Joy

What would happen if a company had half of their team with joyful members and the other without? I was reading excerpts of a book – Joy Inc., by Richard Sheridan wherein this caught my attention. This has been a concept close to me; something I always attempted. 

Imagine asking a client which half they would prefer to work. Obviously, the response would be to work with the joyful half. Why would they want to? What difference would it make? The joyful members would be easy to work, more productive, more engaged, and would care more about the outcome. 

Of course, you don’t have to wait to hear from your client that a joyful team would produce better outcomes, right? A joyful team will ensure that the work they are doing will be largely adopted and delightfully used by their clients. They care about the change they are making – even if it is minute. Businesses would perform better if only they realize that they can’t sustainably achieve outside joy unless there is inside joy.  

  

Samuel Pierpont Langley led a highly educated, well funded team of scientists to build the first powered, manned airplane. However, he lost the race to Wright brothers, totally unknowns at that time. Why? Langley was trying to build an airplane. The brothers wanted to fly. 

A pursuit of joy within a business context is not the pursuit of fame or profit. Humans aspire to a higher purpose. Teams desire to work on goals bigger than themselves.