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When Robert Shillman showed up to a meeting of the Cognex Corp.board of directors wearing a King of Hearts costume, he solidifiedhis reputation as an offbeat, zany CEO. But there was a good reasonfor his wacky outfit: "It was Halloween, and our company ruleis that everybody shows up in costume, no matter who you aremeeting that day," explains Shillman.
Besides, Shillman's board well knows that "Dr.Bob," as employees call him, is no ordinary CEO. Shillmancloses staff meetings with a salute borrowed from the Three Stoogesand has added a game room packed with pinball machines at companyheadquarters. One year, he gathered his workers to watch him andhis top executives--dressed in `rapper' outfits--perform achoreographed dance to celebrate Cognex's "many brokenrecords."
What kind of records were broken? Fast-track growth in bothrevenues and profitability. That's because Cognex--involved inmachine vision, a high-tech process that lets computers"see"--may seem like a playground to outsiders, butit's a competitive powerhouse. Last year, it took in $104.5million in sales, with a 22 percent profit margin. That was nofluke--the year before, Cognex's profit margin hit 25.7percent.
"Our aim is to have a lot of fun making a lot ofmoney," says Shill-man, a former college professor who foundedNatick, Massachusetts-based Cognex in 1981 with $100,000 insavings. "There are two sides to this company. There's aserious side where we work hard. And there's the other sidewhere, after the day is over, we say `Let's have fun.'"
Bravo to Shillman, you say, but this zaniness would never workin your company? Think again. Mounting research shows companiesthat are fun places to work "enjoy improved employee loyalty,lower employee stress and higher creativity," says MattWeinstein, author of
Managing to Have Fun (Simon & Schuster) and founder ofBerkeley, California-based Playfair, a consulting firm that helpsbusinesses boost playfulness.
The problem, says Weinstein, is that many bosses--especiallydriven entrepreneurs--find it hard to have fun at work."Entrepreneurs, who are usually focused on building long-termsuccess, can lose sight of the need to have fun now to betterprepare for achieving that success," he says.
But hard-driving entrepreneurs had better learn how to buildmore fun into the workday, warns Weinstein. "Fail to celebratethe successes you are achieving," he says, "and you runthe risk of driving away the very employees who make thosesuccesses happen."
The irony, though, is that having fun on the job isn't easy."Having fun at work takes work--it doesn't justhappen," says Weinstein. And it's you who must do thework: "In small businesses, it's critical that the bossparticipate. You cannot stand on the sidelines. Top management setsthe tone for the whole company, so issuing a mandate to `Havefun!' won't [work] if you don't lead."
Fun Facts
Weinstein, who has worked with businesses from IBM to Texaco,says rule one for bringing more fun into the workday is "makefun a priority. You cannot say `I'll get to it after theserious work is done.' That will never happen."
Where to start? First, don't just pick a model and copy it.It makes sense for Shillman--a big Three Stooges fan--to use aStooge salute at Cognex. But if you don't know Curly fromLarry, don't even think about it. "Find your ownstyle," says Weinstein. "And start with small steps. Youcannot make radical cultural shifts; gradually ease into havingmore fun. Begin by budgeting about 15 minutes for fun. On Fridayafternoon, for instance, bring in a bottle of champagne to toastthe week's successes."
Need more examples? Weinstein's book is packed with 52 waysto have fun on the job--one for every week of the year.Consider:
- In times of high tension (waiting to hear the verdict on a bigsales pitch, for instance), instead of biting your nails, haveeveryone play childhood games like marbles. Hold a companywidechampionship, and don't worry if nobody remembers the rules andeverybody fumbles--"that makes it more fun. You don't wantgames to get too competitive. When they do, they stop beingfun," says Weinstein.
- Ask senior managers to bring in their own baby pictures; postthem on a bulletin board for employees to giggle and guess at."This is a powerful way to have fun and build community,"says Weinstein. "It says that we may be a vice presidenttoday, but we all started out as somebody's baby."
- Another case: "One retail store manager routinely hidesstate lottery tickets in the store's back room for employees tofind," relates Weinstein.
- Shillman at Cognex offers his full-time employees a yearlybonus. This year, about 330 employees got a "night on thetown"--a limo for five hours plus dinner for two at a swankrestaurant. "I want my employees to feel rich," Shillmanexplains. "This is a tangible way for them to enjoy theprofits of their efforts."
Fun And Function
Get the idea? Coming up with ways to have more fun on the job issimple. But making the fun happen still takes some effort on yourpart. "The key is to see the ideas then adapt them to fit yourbusiness," says Weinstein.
Friday afternoon beer busts, for example, are a Silicon Valleystaple, but that fits the collegiate atmosphere of many computercompanies. Before rushing out to buy a keg, make sure this partyatmosphere fits your company culture. "Don't just dumpideas on your people. Really work at finding good fits with yourteam," says Weinstein.
Keep working to make fun happen in your business, and, saysWein-stein, you'll find a secret payoff: You benefit as much asyour employees. "Entrepreneurs need to celebrate the littlesuccesses as much as their staff does," he says. Otherwise,it's too easy to start seeing work as, well, work, not fun. Andwork as fun is the attitude successful entrepreneurs likeCognex's Shillman bring to the office every day.
"The biggest fun of all is success," says Shillman."At the end of every day, every week, every quarter, it'sfun to know you've done well. That's how we have fun--andwhy we'll keep having it."
Contact Source
Robert McGarvey writes on business psychology and managementtopics for several national publications. To reach him online withyour questions or ideas, e-mail rjmcgarvey@aol.com.
