Mike and I spent the weekend cleaning out the remaining boxes from our move that were still in the garage. It was painful and yet also heartwarming. Not only did we have to make decisions about what Not to keep, we faced some wonderful memories. One of those was a note Mike wrote of remarks he made at his boss’s funeral many years ago.

Rob Hawkins was Mike’s boss when he was in college and worked at a local restaurant, The Flying Cloud. Mike started out there as a busboy and advanced to Beverage Manager. Most likely Mike’s advancement had something to do with him and even more with his boss, Rob Hawkins. Mike left that job when he graduated from North Carolina State University in 1975. He maintained contact with Rob Hawkins and his wife Barbara even after they moved to Richmond. When Mike and I married I had the privilege of getting to know the Hawkins. Mike was so honored when Barbara asked him to speak at Rob’s funeral.

Mike’s comments included lessons he learned from Rob that he carried with him to his other jobs. Lessons that included:

1. Work Hard and Play Hard
2. Enjoy What You Do and Have Fun While You Work
3. Serve Your Customer
4. Take Time to Laugh at Yourself
5. Treat All People Fairly
6. Be Willing To Do What You Ask Others To Do
7. Love Those Tables, Love Those Chairs

Six of those points are most likely familiar to you; the seventh might not be. “Love Those Tables, Love Those Chairs” expressed the importance of turning over the tables and chairs, which could be a menial task, unless one remembers the importance to the customer, and ultimately to the business. That is also an example of having fun while you work.  

Is it really important to have fun at work? Isn’t work supposed to be work? Well, yes, work is work, and yes, it should be fun. Someone famous (whose name I can’t recall) once said, “If work isn’t more fun than work, you’re doing it wrong!” I am reminded of our oldest daughter, Tara, who says her favorite and best job ever was when she was in high school and worked at Classic Coffees, a coffee shop in North Raleigh. Tara has had several other jobs, most as an attorney. The reason she gives for Classic Coffees being her favorite job is that her boss, Jeff, made it FUN. That was thirty years ago, and I still buy coffee from Jeff, who now has a wholesale coffee business based in Raleigh. I have no doubt that Jeff is still creating a fun work environment.   

Rob and Jeff both knew that having Fun at work made for a happier workplace. They both knew that productivity did not suffer when people had fun at work; quite the contrary. When people have fun at work, they do not waste time, they work more effectively as a team to serve the customers.

Among the papers Mike and I uncovered in our cleaning out were cards and notes from people who had worked with Mike through the years. Comments in those are evidence that Mike learned the lessons Rob was a living example of.

How about your workplace, is it a fun place to work?  If you are a manager, take heed. It is your responsibility to lead, not control, people. Part of this happens by creating a healthy and fun workplace. So, people who worked with you (note, “worked with you, not for you) will tell others thirty years later how much fun working with you was.