Let's Get Carried Away

In today’s episode, I reflect on a question a CEO once asked me after a leadership workshop: “Are you having fun?” It was a casual question, but it stayed with me. Over time, it became less about whether I enjoyed the workshop and more about what I was choosing to carry into every meeting, conversation, and difficult room. The word “sport” once meant pleasure—to be carried away. Long before it became associated with competition, it described something joyful. Yet in business, we have largely kept the competitive half of the word while leaving play, delight, and lightheartedness behind. The highest-performing teams often show us that seriousness and joy are not opposites. Steve Kerr placed joy first among the values that shaped the Golden State Warriors. Research also suggests that play can support originality, engagement, psychological safety, and stronger team performance. Joy at work is not simply something that happens when conditions are perfect. It can be a deliberate choice in how we enter the room. We can decide, before the meeting begins, what we want to bring with us. The results matter, but they are not the only reason to make that choice. Work is where much of life is spent. Choosing to experience more of it with pleasure, presence, and openness may be part of building a better life. Join me as I explore: What a CEO’s simple question revealed about leadership Why joy and competition can strengthen one another The forgotten meaning behind the word “sport” How play supports creativity, trust, and performance What it means to choose what you carry into a room Key Takeaways: Joy is not a distraction from meaningful or demanding work. Play can improve creativity, engagement, and collaboration. Psychological safety allows teams to experiment and improvise. Leaders influence a room through what they carry into it. Enjoying the work can be a deliberate practice rather than a reward. Subscribe & Share Subscribe for more reflections on leadership, culture, creativity, and the human side of meaningful work. Share this episode with a leader or teammate who may need the reminder to carry a little more joy into the room. #Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #JoyAtWork #TeamPerformance #PsychologicalSafety #CreativeLeadership Steven Morris, CEO of Matter Consulting is an ever-curious life-seeker, brand and culture building expert, advisor, author, and speaker. With over 27 years of entrepreneurial experience, he has served as a trusted advisor to over 3,000 business leaders and evolved more than 250 brands and cultures, including Google, Habitat for Humanity, Samsung, and Disney. His best-selling book, "The Beautiful Business," and his widely read Insights blog are a testament to his consulting expertise in creating unignorable, magnetic, and sustainable companies.His diverse interests, including meditation, fine art painting, surfing, and beekeeping, infuse his work with creativity, soul, and a deep understanding of the human experience.You can find more podcasts and join 30,000+ other brilliant and soulful readers of his weekly INSIGHTS blog at MatterCo.