The Case For Joy

The Case for Joy

John Paul Derrybery

There was a moment, years ago in my career, when a couple of co-workers and I sat at a desk at 11:00 pm, exhausted from a long day of enforcing our program's mundane rules. Our clients fought tooth and nail, from after school on Friday around 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., on everything we tried to do. We faced the awful task of doing this again for 14 hours on our Saturday shift. Out of that moment, a moment dripping with desperation, we decided to do something that changed my career forever.

We sat there and said, we can't do this again; and I forget who said it, but somebody muttered, I get that this is work, but it should also be fun, almost joyful. These kids deserve fun, joy, to smile, to laugh. And we made a pact that tomorrow, even if someone was struggling, we would have fun and try to get anyone around us to join in on the joy occurring during the day. The domino effect started on Saturday, about halfway through the day. Through jokes, being happy, and communicating, "You can be angry and break the rules, but I'm still going to have fun and be joyful about working with you," they started to follow the rules and laugh with us. It was like the stress of a car crash being removed from our nervous systems.

It has been my guiding light, as a behavior interventionist and leader, for the last 19 years. Joy, fun, compassion, and passion will take any group of people further than any stressful, rule-filled system. Not that we should throw the rules to the side, they are there for a reason; but if we are constantly asking ourselves, is it a rule to control and input stress; then we should question whether we need it. When did life get so serious, so task-orientated, that it has to feel like work, and so damn angry? We get upset at people who find a way to have fun while doing it.

I had a rather odd argument with another leader a few months back. One staff member had completed their responsibilities and spent two-to-three hours talking with other staff members, getting folks to laugh. The leader complained nothing was getting done. My response was, who cares if they get all their stuff done in 35 hours and use five hours to improve morale. It was poorly received and suggested I was not serious about being a leader.

I'm deadly serious about being a good leader; which means allowing for fun, joy, and even creative thinking. To create the freedom to come up with wild solutions to workplace problems, means allowing the brain to wander, not being focused on solving the problem, but improving the mood, so others want to solve it. Anger, hatred, and rigidity make us nitpick, poke, and be downright mean to others. I am curious to know how that makes anything better.

I have never once had anyone be super mean to me and then I said, “You know what now I want to get my act together.”  I have always wanted to improve for people who introduce fun, joy, compassion, and passion into my life. I'm repaying the favor, or perhaps I'm on to something. But there is no going back for me- I've seen it work too many times with too many people, and with people I was told don't fit in society. Yet when those who were unwanted where given the space to feel joy, compassion, passion, and happiness, they did fit in. And that’s the case for Joy, it is contagious and has lasting impact. It sticks with us so long, we can forget what we were so angry about.