What we carry into a room shapes what becomes possible inside it. In this episode, Steven Morris explores how joy, play, and pleasure can strengthen creativity, trust, engagement, and performance—and why choosing to enjoy the work may be one of the most serious decisions a leader can make.
In today’s episode, I reflect on a question a CEO once asked me after a leadership workshop: “Are you having fun?”
It was a casual question, but it stayed with me. Over time, it became less about whether I enjoyed the workshop and more about what I was choosing to carry into every meeting, conversation, and difficult room.
The word “sport” once meant pleasure—to be carried away. Long before it became associated with competition, it described something joyful. Yet in business, we have largely kept the competitive half of the word while leaving play, delight, and lightheartedness behind.
The highest-performing teams often show us that seriousness and joy are not opposites. Steve Kerr placed joy first among the values that shaped the Golden State Warriors. Research also suggests that play can support originality, engagement, psychological safety, and stronger team performance.
Joy at work is not simply something that happens when conditions are perfect. It can be a deliberate choice in how we enter the room. We can decide, before the meeting begins, what we want to bring with us.
The results matter, but they are not the only reason to make that choice. Work is where much of life is spent. Choosing to experience more of it with pleasure, presence, and openness may be part of building a better life.
Join me as I explore:
What a CEO’s simple question revealed about leadership
Why joy and competition can strengthen one another
The forgotten meaning behind the word “sport”
How play supports creativity, trust, and performance
What it means to choose what you carry into a room
Key Takeaways:
Joy is not a distraction from meaningful or demanding work.
Play can improve creativity, engagement, and collaboration.
Psychological safety allows teams to experiment and improvise.
Leaders influence a room through what they carry into it.
Enjoying the work can be a deliberate practice rather than a reward.
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#Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #JoyAtWork #TeamPerformance #PsychologicalSafety #CreativeLeadership