My own views on fun at work have been dramatically shaped by my collaboration with Devin McNulty, the self-described “head of braintending” at a consulting organization called Funmentum Labs. By tapping into the powers of fun and play, Devin has helped companies like ESPN, Google, Credit Karma, Logitech and Ubisoft unlock group creativity and create environments where people look forward to brainstorming and solving problems together.
Those of you who have been with me for a while may remember that Devin and I teamed up last year to run a series of live workshops around the theme of fun at work. In those workshops, we did activities where we put strangers into breakout rooms (did I just trigger a stress reaction in you?) and asked them to do things such as brainstorming the absolute worst ideas they could come up with to solve a problem, or identifying a celebrity they admired (such as Oprah, or Mister Rogers), and brainstorming ways that this “celebrity idol” might solve the problem.
All of the exercises—which were really games (did that just make you even more nervous? I’m sorry!)—were geared toward getting people’s inner critics to be quiet, and helping them find new ways to tap into their creativity, both individually and as a group.
The results were astonishing: people who had come onto the Zoom call as total strangers returned from their breakout rooms with big smiles on their faces, and with lists of new, creative ideas that they never would have come up with via a normal brainstorming session. Even better, they dropped comments into the chat about how much fun they’d had—and we found out later that several of these strangers had felt so bonded with their randomly assigned partners that they had actually exchanged contact information and made a plan to touch base regularly in the future to brainstorm about each other’s work.
Not bad for a Zoom call!
Send Us Your Problems
This year, Devin and I are experimenting—one might even say playing—with a different approach. Instead of live workshops, we’re inviting members of the Fun Squad to share issues, challenges, or projects that they’re struggling with at work that they would like Devin’s help in solving. These could be specific challenges (for example, you might be tasked with organizing a work retreat and want ideas for how to make it more enjoyable and effective) or they might be more general challenges, such as how to create culture and community when everyone is working remotely.
Each month, Devin and I will choose one of these challenges, and then will have a conversation (occasionally with the person who requested help, if they’re up for it) about ways to possibly address or solve it. We’ll then share the resulting ideas and conversation with the entire community. In other words, you’ll be able to benefit from Devin’s insights even if you’re not part of the Fun Squad—though I hope you’ll consider joining us.
Let’s get to work
And that’s it! Think about your challenges, share this post with others who might benefit, and let’s bring more fun into work.
To scrolling less and living more,
Catherine
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