I’ve led many successful leadership retreats with high-performing, high-achieving executive teams. You know, the usual format–inspirational openings, sticky-note brainstorms, lively strategy sessions, etc. Productive? Yes. Energizing? Sort of. Fully human? Not quite.

So I made a commitment: to inject real, purposeful fun—not the random or performative kind, but immersive and connective experiences that open hearts, build trust, energize teams, drive collaboration, and advance meaningful goals.

Fun Retreats, Better Results

We held one memorable retreat in a ceramics studio. The group started by pounding their frustrations into clay that was later discarded. Then, each team sculpted something that symbolized their collective greatness. The laughter, joy, and storytelling that emerged beat any brainstorming activity I’ve ever seen.

At another retreat, the group played West African djembe drums and cowbells. Getting into rhythm together was the strategic theme. What started as chaos turned into beautiful harmony. Big laughter replaced stiff posture. That’s fun at work. And seriously good leadership.

Fun as a Leadership Necessity

Fun isn’t fluff. It’s a powerful leadership tool—a gateway to connection, creativity, and cultural cohesion.

When done right, fun helps people feel safe enough to be real and energized enough to do great work. It works at all levels: from tiny moments of joy to full-blown hackathons, fun builds the kind of culture where people want to stay, contribute, and maybe even look forward to Mondays. 

UCSF’s Big Joy Project showed that even small acts—like sharing a thank-you, telling a silly story, or busting out a dance move in a Zoom call—can boost well-being by 25% in a single week. That’s not just good vibes. That’s ROI with a smile.

Fun Starts From Within

As an executive coach, I’ve learned that bringing more fun to others begins with cultivating more joy within. That means noticing the little things—a perfectly ripe peach, a meaningful pause, a shared glance—and actually savoring these moments of pleasure.

It’s easy to treat joy like a performance metric, but real fun starts when you let go of doing and sink into being. Sometimes that means laughter. Sometimes it means awe. Often, it means simply allowing yourself to feel good and let that feeling ripple outward.

• When was the last time you truly savored something delightful at work—or let yourself laugh out loud?
• What small moment of joy could you share today to connect more authentically with your team?
• How might you give yourself permission to be playful—and invite others to do the same?

7 Amare Ways to Lead Your Team with More Fun!

1. Make fun part of your culture. Start by naming it. Define fun not as goofiness for its own sake, but as intentional, energizing experiences that connect people and fuel creativity. Bake it into your values, team norms, and strategy—not just your offsite agendas.

2. Commit to finding your own inner joy daily. Make sure your own joy tank isn’t running on fumes. Pause each day to savor something—a moment, a memory, a bite of something delicious.

3. Start meetings with a TMJ round. Ask each person to share a tiny moment of joy—a short story, an image, a funny thing their kid said. One quick round is enough to reset the room.

4. Schedule quarterly “hackplay” sessions. Borrow from innovation leaders and host playfully structured sessions for problem-solving, team creativity, or passion projects—no PowerPoints, just purpose-driven fun.

5. Make room for immersive shared experiences. Drumming together. Sculpting together. Laughing together. These are more than team-building—they’re soul-building. When people play, they drop their armor and show up as humans.

6. Model it from the top. As a leader, your energy sets the tone. Share your own joy. Tell a goofy story. Wear the socks with dinosaurs on them. When you make space for lightness, others exhale and follow.

7. Measure what matters. Track team sentiment, participation in fun-focused rituals, and creative output over time. Yes, you can measure fun—and yes, the ROI includes trust, retention, and better ideas.

Your “Fun” Invitation

Fun isn’t the enemy of productivity. It’s a portal to something deeper: authenticity, connection, and creativity. And it doesn’t take much—just intention, courage, and a little playfulness.

Fun isn’t a luxury for when the “real” work is done. It is the real work of building teams where people feel safe, alive, and motivated to contribute their best. You don’t need a karaoke budget or a surprise llama at your next retreat (although…not a bad idea!). You just need the courage to lead with heart and the humility to play a little.

So here’s your challenge: inject more fun this week. Real, human, “smile-until-your-cheeks-hurt” fun. Sculpt the clay. Beat the drum. Tell the story. Dance on Zoom. Savor the fun. And above all—lead with joy. It is the uplifting way of Amare love-powered leaders.

Your team—and your heart—will thank you. And your culture might just come alive in ways you never expected. Because fun isn’t why people slack off—it’s why they stick around.

You’ve got this.

Moshe

Tap Your Inner Wisdom with our “Strong Start” Coaching Program

Consider my “Strong Start” 3-month coaching program as a low-risk, high-value way to grow and flourish as the leader you are called to be. For more information, contact me here.

   

Today’s Amare Wave Wednesday Quote

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” 

— Unknown, 17th century

   

Click here and read more Amare Wave Wednesday newsletters on related topics:

Beating to One Drum: How Ubuntu Inspires Modern Leadership

Stop Ruminating, Start Savoring: A 5-Step Mindful Shift for Leaders

Finding Your Courage: 5 Steps to Lead with Your Lion’s Roar

Intuition, Instinct, and Fear: A Leader’s Guide to Knowing the Difference and Choosing Wisely

How to Build Happiness and Freedom Into Your Leadership and Organization

   

Original article published on Inc.com.