People seem to like challenges, small or big. Things that they have not done before. It is like going on an adventure trip. Visiting a new country.

This is similar to the first one but `Mission Impossible' seems to have a fatal attraction.

Such people raise the bar on standards. It does not do very much for egos that get bruised but once you know how to handle them, it could be very rewarding. Such people with tough standards may also become mentors later on.

While it is obvious that this is important for many people, I did not realise the `fun' component in it. But it is there. Visualising how their work makes a difference and impacts on results seems like `fun.' Interestingly, it could be day-to-day, routine work!

People problems. Accounting problems. IT problems. Whatever. Tackling problems and seeing solutions in action is great fun for many people.

Think of things nobody thought of before. Trying little experiments and seeing what happens. Taking risks is part of the fun. So are surprises. Giving something extra, when it is not expected.

Some people thrive on it. They learn things from training programmes. Friends from other industries. New business books. Articles in business publications. There seems to be a joy in putting ideas to work.

Competitive spirit turns on people. Working on things that will beat competition (external or internal) is highly enjoyable for people.

`This is not something we can do or our company does not think like this': such things spur some people into heightened activity. They enjoy breaking myths and challenging conventions.

Working for a cause much bigger than commercial purposes excites people. It could be any cause that affects the lives of millions of people. Sure, profits are important but the cause is more satisfying

These are ten things that came up often in people's answers when I asked about the concept of having fun at work. There were a few more too. They are: growing faster than others in your job, the power of taking important decisions, larger responsibilities as a recognition of your abilities, making a distinct mark not only in your own company but the whole industry, and so on.

Celebrations, impromptu parties, playing little pranks at work, spreading harmless rumours were also considered part of `fun at work.'

As I was going about talking to people, I chanced upon an excellent article in the January-February 1999 issue of the Harvard Business Review. `Organising for Empowerment: An Interview with AES's Roger Sant & Dennis Bakke.' AES Corporation, founded by Chairman Sant & CEO Bakke in 1981, is a global electricity company based in the US. It operates 90 electricity plants in 13 countries, employing 40,000 people. AES Corporation is one of the most successful companies in the world.

According to both of them, having fun at work is very important. In the interview, they say their main goal is to build a company that they themselves would want to work in. They never set out to be the most efficient or the most powerful or the richest company in the world. They only set out to build a company having the most fun! They apparently ask people this while recruiting them: `What does fun on the job mean to you?'

According to them, an AES person must know how to have fun on the job.

Just take a look around you. Check out people who are successful. Not just the ones who are making money and climbing the corporate ladder. But the ones who are smiling and making a difference to others. Very often I find that these are the people who are lucky, as Clint Eastwood said. The people who get paid to do what they enjoy doing most. The people who know how to have `fun at work.'

(The author is creative consultant and Partner, IDEAS-RS.)

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