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Workplace Enjoyment
Enjoyment in the Workplace: The Missing Ingredient in Your Success Strategy
Let’s talk about workplace enjoyment. But first, let me tell you something I learned after years of performing stand-up comedy alongside legends like Jerry Seinfeld and Rodney Dangerfield before trading the comedy stage for corporate keynotes: if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, you’re doing it wrong. And I’m not talking about some fluffy, feel-good concept that sounds nice in a PowerPoint presentation. I’m talking about a fundamental business strategy that impacts your bottom line, productivity, employee retention, and organizational success.
Here’s the thing that drives me crazy—and believe me, with my Brooklyn upbringing, a lot of things drive me crazy—we’ve been conditioned to believe that success and enjoyment are mutually exclusive. That somehow, if you’re having fun at work, you’re not being serious enough. That real professionals need to “get serious” to get results.
That’s complete nonsense.
The Business Case for Workplace Enjoyment
Let’s cut through the corporate jargon and get real for a minute. When was the last time you did your best work when you were miserable? When you were stressed out of your mind, counting the minutes until 5 PM, or dreading Monday morning like it was a root canal appointment?
Never, right?
Now think about the times when you were genuinely enjoying yourself. When you were excited about a project, laughing with your team, or feeling energized by what you were creating. That’s when the magic happened. Innovation occurred. You went the extra mile without anyone asking you to.
This isn’t just my opinion—it’s backed by research. Studies consistently show that happy, engaged employees are more productive, more creative, more loyal, and more profitable for their organizations. They take fewer sick days, provide better customer service, and generate more innovative solutions to complex problems.
But here’s what most business leaders miss: enjoyment isn’t the result of success. It’s the catalyst for it.
Enjoyment: The Spark That Ignites Performance
In my speeches to Fortune 500 companies across the globe, I always say: “Enjoyment is the spark that ignites passion and enthusiasm.” Without enjoyment, you’re just going through the motions. And going through the motions doesn’t create market leaders—it creates mediocrity.
Think about it. When you enjoy what you’re doing:
You show up differently. Your energy is contagious. You’re not dragging yourself to meetings like you’re walking through mud. You’re present, engaged, and bringing your best self to the table.
You think differently. Enjoyment opens up your creative thinking. When you’re stressed and miserable, your brain goes into survival mode. When you’re enjoying yourself, your mind expands. You see possibilities instead of just problems.
You connect differently. Teams that enjoy working together collaborate more effectively. They communicate more openly. They support each other instead of competing or protecting their turf.
You perform differently. This is where the rubber meets the road. Enjoyment doesn’t just make you feel better—it makes you produce better results. Period.
Workplace Enjoyment: The Mindset Adjuster’s Reality Check
Now, I can already hear some of you thinking: “That’s great, Steve, but you don’t understand my workplace. My boss is impossible. The workload is crushing. Company culture is toxic. How am I supposed to enjoy that?”
Here’s where I have to give you a dose of my straight-talking, no-nonsense New York reality: You’re right. And you’re wrong.
You’re right that you can’t control everything about your work environment. You can’t always control your boss’s mood, your company’s policies, or your coworkers’ attitudes.
But here’s where you’re wrong: You think that means you’re powerless.
The most important thing I teach in my Common Sense Success Strategies is this: You have more power over your experience than you think. And it starts with understanding that attitude is everything.
I’m not talking about toxic positivity or pretending everything is sunshine and roses when it’s not. I’m talking about making a conscious choice about how you’re going to show up, regardless of your circumstances.
Shifting Your Mindset: From Victim to Victor
One of my signature concepts is what I call the “mindset shift”—moving from a mindset of limitation to a mindset of possibility. This is absolutely critical when it comes to workplace enjoyment.
Most people wait for their circumstances to change before they allow themselves to enjoy their work. “I’ll be happy when I get that promotion.” “I can enjoy my job when we get a new manager.” “Once this busy season is over, I’ll feel better.”
But here’s the truth bomb: If you’re waiting for perfect circumstances to enjoy your work, you’ll be waiting forever.
Perfect circumstances don’t exist. There will always be challenges, frustrations, and obstacles. The question is: Are you going to let those circumstances steal your enjoyment, or are you going to find ways to enjoy yourself despite them?
This isn’t about being a Pollyanna. It’s about being strategic. Because when you choose enjoyment—when you actively look for ways to bring more lightness, humor, and engagement to your work—you actually perform better. You solve problems more creatively, influence people more effectively and lead more powerfully.
Practical Strategies for Bringing More Enjoyment to Your Workplace
Okay, enough philosophy. Let’s get practical. Here are some specific strategies I’ve taught to thousands of business leaders and their teams:
Find Your Humor Being
This is a term I coined, and it’s one of my most powerful concepts. Your “Humor Being” is that part of you that can find lightness even in heavy situations. It’s not about telling jokes or being the class clown—it’s about not taking everything so seriously that you suck the life out of yourself and everyone around you.
Start paying attention to moments of levity during your day. Don’t rush past them. Embrace them. Share them. Laughter is one of the fastest ways to shift energy in any situation.
Create Micro-Moments of Joy
You don’t need to overhaul your entire job to enjoy it more. Sometimes the smallest changes make the biggest difference. Maybe it’s a playlist that energizes you during tedious tasks. Or a inside joke with a coworker that makes you both laugh. It could even be treating yourself to your favorite coffee when you complete a challenging project.
These micro-moments of joy add up. They change the texture of your day. And they remind you that work doesn’t have to be a joyless grind.
Additional Strategies
Reframe Your Perspective
This is huge. The same situation can be either a burden or an opportunity, depending on how you frame it. Instead of “I have to attend another meeting,” try “I get to influence this decision.” Instead of “This project is impossible,” try “This project is challenging, and I’m going to learn something valuable.”
I’m not talking about delusional thinking. I’m talking about consciously choosing the most empowering interpretation of your circumstances.
Celebrate Small Wins
Most organizations are terrible at this. They focus on what’s not working, what’s behind schedule, what needs to be fixed. This creates a culture of chronic dissatisfaction where enjoyment is impossible.
Start celebrating small wins—your own and your team’s. Acknowledge progress. Recognize effort. Create moments of “We did it!” instead of just “What’s next?”
Connect with Purpose
One of the fastest ways to drain enjoyment from work is to lose sight of why it matters. Reconnect with the purpose behind what you do. How does your work impact customers? How does it contribute to something larger than yourself?
When you connect your daily tasks to a meaningful purpose, even mundane work can become more engaging and enjoyable.
The Leadership Imperative: Creating a Culture of Enjoyment
If you’re a leader, you have a special responsibility here. The culture you create has a massive impact on whether your team members can actually enjoy their work. Yes, workplace enjoyment is a serious topic!
Here’s what I tell executives: Your people are watching you. If you’re stressed, miserable, and running on fumes, they will be too. If you never smile, never laugh, and treat every moment like a crisis, that’s the culture you’re creating.
But if you show up with energy and enthusiasm—if you demonstrate that it’s possible to work hard and enjoy the process—you give your team permission to do the same.
This doesn’t mean you need to become a comedian (leave that to me). It means:
- Acknowledging the humanity in your workplace
- Creating space for connection and camaraderie
- Not punishing people for having moments of levity
- Modeling the behavior you want to see
- Recognizing and rewarding not just results, but the way people achieve those results
The most successful leaders I’ve worked with understand that their job isn’t just to drive results—it’s to create an environment where people can do their best work. And people do their best work when they’re engaged, energized, and yes—enjoying themselves.
Workplace Enjoyment: The Competitive Advantage You’re Ignoring
Here’s something that should get every CEO’s attention: In today’s competitive marketplace, your ability to attract and retain top talent is critical. And top talent doesn’t just follow money—they follow meaning, growth, and quality of life.
Companies that prioritize workplace enjoyment have a massive competitive advantage. They attract better candidates, retain their best people, build stronger cultures and generate better results.
Meanwhile, companies that grind their people into the ground with relentless pressure and joyless cultures are losing their best talent to competitors who understand that people want to enjoy their work.
This isn’t soft business thinking. This is strategic business thinking.
Your Choice: Grind or Thrive?
I spent eighteen years as a stand-up comedian before I walked away at the peak of my career to become a motivational speaker. Why? Because I realized I wanted to do more than just make people laugh for ninety minutes—I wanted to give them tools to shift their entire experience of life and work.
One of the most important tools I can give you is this: You don’t have to wait for permission to enjoy your work. You don’t have to wait for your circumstances to be perfect, or sacrifice your wellbeing on the altar of success.
You can be successful AND enjoy the journey. In fact, you’ll be more successful because you’re enjoying the journey.
This is a choice you make every single day—multiple times a day, actually. Are you going to show up with energy and intention, find moments of connection and lightness and bring your best self to your work?
Or are you going to sleepwalk through your career, waiting for someday when things will magically be better?
Workplace Enjoyment: The Bottom Line
Look, I’m not going to tell you that enjoying your work will solve all your problems. You’ll still face challenges, have difficult days and need to deal with frustrating situations and difficult people.
But here’s what I know after decades of performing for audiences and speaking to organizations around the world: The people who enjoy what they do are the ones who succeed. The teams that enjoy working together are the ones that win. The organizations that prioritize enjoyment alongside results are the ones that thrive.
So ask yourself: What would it take for you to enjoy your work more? What’s one thing you could do today to bring more lightness, energy, or engagement to what you do?
My Promise
Because here’s my promise to you about workplace enjoyment: When you shift your focus from grinding through your work to actually enjoying it, everything changes. Your performance, relationships, results and your entire experience of work—and life—changes.
And trust me, after being voted “Least Likely to Succeed” in high school and going on to become a Hall of Fame speaker, I know something about defying expectations and creating success on your own terms.
Don’t settle for a work life that drains you. Don’t accept that misery is the price of success. Because anything less than enjoying what you do? Well, anything less is just that.
Now get out there and start enjoying yourself. Your success depends on it.
About Steve Rizzo
Steve Rizzo is a member of the prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame and a former national headline comedian who shared the stage with Jerry Seinfeld, Rodney Dangerfield, Eddie Murphy, and Ellen DeGeneres. Known as “The Mindset Adjuster,” Steve delivers keynote speeches to Fortune 500 companies and associations worldwide, teaching his Common Sense Success Strategies that help people shift their mindset from limitation to possibility. His message is simple but powerful: You don’t have to choose between success and enjoyment—you can have both.
