Fun
Larry’s Leadership Launch
It was the same house, the same furniture, the same people living there… but things were different. We found ourselves laughing a bit more, enjoying ourselves, and having more fun. There was one thing that was different—we had just brought a 2-month-old miniature Golden Doodle puppy into our home. Her name is Honey Bear.
Honey is now almost 6 months old, and it’s fun watching her grow, develop, and learn. It is entertaining to see her pup personality on display as we engage and get to know each other. She brings lots of enthusiasm, energy, and laughter to our home.
I’ve been thinking about why our home has felt so different since the arrival of this pup. Certainly, she has brought a new aspect to our environment, but I think there is something more. We have chosen to look at things differently. We are willing to be inconvenienced with potty training, crate training, behavior training, and all the other things that come along with a new puppy. When we chose to bring Honey into our family, we made an intentional decision to change our environment, to adjust our attitude, and ultimately to change our perspective.
What if we could do that in other areas of our lives? What if we could choose to engage with those we love and care about with a new attitude or a different mindset? What if we changed our view of those we work with, becoming a positive impact instead of being negative or critical?
It is a choice. We get to decide the type of atmosphere we create and facilitate in our home, in our relationships, and in our workplace.
I realize that having a cute pup is a huge advantage when it comes to seeing challenges as a way to gain a new perspective. But I firmly believe that we can control more of our environment and our attitude than we realize.
Choose to have a “Honey Bear” attitude with those around you, and you will make a difference!
Larry Little
Eagle Center for Leadership
Fun is rarely the first word that comes to mind when we think about work. Yet we spend a significant portion of our lives in our professional roles, so it makes sense to look for ways to enjoy ourselves while we’re there. For that reason, Fun is one of the five Pillars of the North Wind Way.
A 2024 Gallup poll found that higher employee engagement is associated with about 17% greater organizational productivity. People who enjoy their work tend to collaborate more effectively, think more creatively, and support their teammates. Both the quality of work and the overall energy in the workplace improve.
Fun at work looks different from what you might expect. Think about moments when you're genuinely engaged in what you're doing, when collaboration feels natural rather than forced, or when you leave work feeling energized instead of drained. Experiences like these affect motivation, connection, and performance. This pillar is designed to help you build more of them into your workday.
“If work isn’t fun, you’re not playing on the right team.”
In this module, we’ll focus on three elements that can make work more enjoyable: Synergy, which examines how people work together and how collaboration improves both results and satisfaction; Creativity, which looks at how fresh thinking and innovation make problem-solving more engaging; and Work Life, which looks at how a healthy balance between your professional and personal life can strengthen your performance at work.
When work offers more than a paycheck and includes meaningful collaboration, creative challenges, and healthy boundaries, people grow in their roles as contributors, leaders, and colleagues. Let's explore how to make that happen.
