JOY is fuel The Joy deficit at work ... and how to fix it This is me, Michael Meinhardt , meeting a full size FISH! - and I still don't know who's inside. There’s a quiet epidemic spreading through workplaces — and it’s not burnout or turnover. It’s something deeper: a joy deficit . We’ve traded connection for efficiency, and play for productivity. We’ve optimized every process but lost the spark that makes work worth doing. You can feel it in the tone of meetings, the heaviness of Monday mornings, and the sense that even good people are running on empty. But joy isn’t a luxury. It’s fuel. And when joy disappears, so does energy, creativity, and collaboration. The Data Behind the Deficit Gallup reports that fewer than 1 in 4 employees feel engaged at work. That means 75 % are just showing up — not fully alive, not connected. The cost of disengagement? Lost productivity, missed ideas, and team friction . But joy is more than engagement. It’s emotional oxygen — the feeling tha...

What is a Joy Monger? This is an article describing what a Joy Monger is. In the article a workshop of approx. 60 minutes  is also included , a workshop which anyone can present and carry out. The workshop is serious as well as full of fun. You can also do a 5 minute self study course - read a few lines and accept 4 small challenges. First the article, which could be a self study course: How to become a Joy Monger who lightens up other peoples day You can show up for work. This does not make you a Joy Monger. You can meet on time and leave on time. This does not make you a Joy Monger either. You can be a valued employee. This does not make you a Joy Monger either. You can achieve high grades and distinctions. This does not make you a Joy Monger either. You can understand a system, a language, a machine, a new way of doing things. Surprise. This does not make you a Joy Monger either. So how do you become a Joy Monger?  Well, you and only you can make you a Joy Monger. But...

The team T: My job, your job, our job This exercise is a great way to agree values and responsibilities in a group. No cost. No props. Only a few minutes. I would say: Go for it. Draw a big T and write the words MY JOB over the left column and YOUR JOB over the right column. Now go through MY JOB and the things you have to do: preparing, planning, leading, involving, negotiating, being friendly and curious, say what you do and do what you say etc. Write these in the left column. Now go through their job and write them in the right column: teaming, enjoying, preparing, keeping time, counting, being friendly and curious etc. Go through the two lists and look for similarities. There must be a number of overlaps. Now cross out the two words at the top: MY JOB and YOUR JOB and exchange them with the word OUR JOB . Now you have a list of responsibilities for all of you. Ask everybody what they see. Ask several times: What do you also see? Involve everybody in how you all commit and stick to...

The Time to Return to People is Now Article written by John Christensen , Founder & CEO of FISH!, Advocate for Joy, Publisher, Film maker and Servant Leader. The time to return to people is now. After four years of adapting to new norms and reshaping the way we live and work, one thing has become undeniably clear: what we miss most—and what we need most—is each other. The Great Shutdown turned our world inside out, pulling us away from familiar rhythms and forcing us into a world of remote everything—work, school, even weddings. In the midst of the upheaval, many of us clung to the hope of a return to “normal.” But as the dust has settled, it’s clear that things didn’t go back to the way they were. And maybe that’s for the best. Instead of looking backward, we’ve streamlined, adapted, and carried on. We’ve questioned old routines, discarded the unnecessary, and found new ways to reclaim our time. Yet one challenge remains: how will we choose to re-engage with one another as we ...