While your employer pays you to get results and add value to the organisation, Bruce Kasanoff* talks to a chief executive and author who believes there is no reason why you can’t have fun doing so.
No matter your job, you almost certainly get paid to produce results that have value.
That does not mean they are paying you to be miserable or lonely.
Work can absolutely be fun, and you can make trusted friends there, too. (I’m serious. This is not a joke.)
There was a stretch during those long months at home when I spoke to Morag Barrett, Chief Executive and founder of the leadership development firm, SkyeTeam once a week.
She never failed to uplift me thanks to her ability to be substantive, amusing and warm, all at the same time.
For reasons you will soon understand, I recently called her up and recorded a portion of our conversation (with her consent, of course).
Morag: Lately, you’ve been writing a lot about ways to live your best possible life.
Bruce: That’s right.
Morag: Well, we just wrote a book about having your best possible life at work.
Bruce: That’s why I called you.
Morag: What a fortunate coincidence!
Bruce: It’s not really a coincidence. You asked me to help spread the word about your book.
Morag: No matter. So many people are just putting in the hours. They’re conforming to the stereotype of nine-to-five.
Sit at your desk, do your thing, work your overtime, go home, and that’s where you get to do the real living.
The reality is that you can have fun at work. The work-life balance thing has always annoyed me.
It’s all life, of which work is a part. It’s not an either-or. So you need to embrace that and create a work environment in which you can thrive.
Bruce: Your book can help me do that? Not just me, but everybody?
Morag: Yes, everybody, but you actually have to read it. Just buying it won’t be enough.
Bruce: What if I buy a few copies and give them to people I want to be happier?
Morag: That would be lovely, thank you.
Regular readers of this newsletter know that I rarely promote books or anything else, for that matter.
Morag and her colleagues are the real deal and they are perfectly in sync with the theme of my articles, which is to grow your career by helping others.
The book is You, Me, We: Why We All Need a Friend at Work (and How to Show Up As One!) by Morag Barrett, Eric Spencer and Ruby Vesely.
*Bruce Kasanoff is the founder of The Journey, a newsletter for positive, uplifting and accomplished professionals. He is also an executive coach and social media ghostwriter for entrepreneurs. He can be contacted at kasanoff.com.
This article first appeared at kasanoff.com.
