Customer Reviews

Managing to Have Fun: How Fun at Work Can Motivate Your Employees, Inspire Your Coworkers, and Boost Your Bottom Line

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was delighted when I found this book. I have been thinking about how much better work would be if fun was deliberately emphasized. Wow! Then I found a book that not only subscribes to that idea, but is full of practical advice for how to pursue that liberating concept.

Weinstein is the self-described emperor of a company called Playfair. He and his colleagues give a lot of speeches, and only charge if they fail to get a standing ovation. So far, they've always gotten paid. So here are some people who know how to generate enthusiasm.

In the beginning of the book, Weinstein uses an example of Marshall Hall, a CEO who came to one of his speeches, to show how the ideas can be pursued. At first, Hall could not imagine how he could take any of the pressure off his people. With coaching, he began to make steady progress in adding fun in ways that are consistent with the trust he has established in his enterprise. Skeptical people on the subject of fun will find these examples helpful.

In the middle of the book are 52 examples (one for each week of the year) of ideas for adding fun. You don't have to follow them blindly, but they can stimulate your thinking. One of my favorites was paying the toll for the person behind you at the toll booth, and lingering behind to see the expression on the person's face when they catch up to you on the road. I've done that, and it can be a lot of fun.

In the end, Weinstein tells a story from his own organization about someone who was having trouble dealing with a lot of fears about flying in small planes. Playfair evolved some fun ways to help him that made all of the difference.

Beyond the fact that we would all like to have some fun at work, the book makes a decent case for the role of fun in team building, better customer service, morale, generating loyalty, and in reducing stress. For example, in one study, those who found coins in a pay telephone were 4 times as likely to help someone who dropped packages in front of them as they finished their call as those who did not find any coins.

One of my very favorite examples in the book was of a boss who put little candies and rewards into his memos to encourage his assistant to have fun typing them up. Then, he surprised her one day by inviting her into the office, closing the door, and dancing with her for one minute. He knew she liked dancing, and they do this once a month or so. Basically, it is an affirmation of his respect for her. It was this story that led to Marshall Hall feeling that he could never add fun to his company. He was sure his assistant would sue him for sexual harrassment!

Be sure to read the story about Aunt Jemima. It'll give you a good laugh as well.

I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in making work more meaningful and satisfying for themselves and others. It is the essence of the fun part of the book, Nuts!, about Southwest Airlines.

These ideas are fantastic and transferrable to any work environment

This book is highly valuable in a work culture that seems to uptight for its own good. This book gives wonderful ideas on how to make that stiff upperlip quiver into a smile.

Enjoyed the book immensely. Highly spirited book with many creative ideas to create excitement, energy and bonding in the workplace. Seemed to spur on creative thoughts within those who read it to come up with new ideas themselves or twists on suggested ideas.

Weinstein provides numerous examples of ways to improve the office environment. More importantly, he stimulates the reader to create their own fun and creative ways of rewarding and motivating their subordinates and peers. This is a must read for anyone who truly cares about their subordinates.

Sorry, but this does not meet expectations, especially after you read all these good reviews. The book is not very well written, a lot of ideas are just not funny, many should not be implemented unless you want to get fired and the few good ideas can only be followed by company owners. I don't know if its cultural differences that count here (I'm in Greece), but I think this book is not good even for US residents.

I would give more stars if many ideas were taken out, the rest were better written and the price was lower.

One more thing: several real-life examples do not seem so real-life to me. I have a strong feeling that these are "engineered" to fit in the book...

The two stars are for the first part of the book, not the specific ideas.

This book was wonderful and easy-to-read! It gave me some great ideas and addresses issues of "I can't do that in my organization". It gives you understanding of how to change, step by step.

yea, i hate to give not so great reviews, but unfortunately i guess i was expecting some REALLY innovative ideas in this book. don't get me wrong, if you're starting from square 1, there's some concepts in here you can probably implement, but overall, i just wasn't blown away by this book. (perhaps i just had set too high of expectations based on the title. i tend to find that with many books: the title looks so great, but the content is just so-so)

also, keep in mind, the book was written over 10 years ago (not saying that old ideas can't still work), but some ideas just seem outdated (maybe a revised version with updates is needed?)

i just ordered another book along these lines. i'll post its review after reading.

if anyone has read any other 'how to have fun at work' type books, let me know

If work is too consuming and life too earnest, read Managing to Have Fun by Weinstein. Introducing some lightheartedness at work may be a lifesaver. The books give 52 unexpected activities to motivate employees or inspire coworkers. If you feel stressed and overworked, chances are those around you feel it too.
I must admit that I was one of those overly earnest bosses and I wish I'd discovered this book earlier in my career. My staff would have appreciated some stress relieving activities.

good book with lots of creative ideas that are easy to implement and build moral.