“Chief Joy Officer” discusses why storytelling makes for a happier workplace

Richard Sheridan, co-founder, CEO, and “chief storyteller” of Menlo Innovations in Ann Arbor, MI will be the featured speaker at the Legatus
2021 Summit West September 16-18, 2021, in Scottsdale, AZ. Sheridan is a sought- after public speaker and author of two business leadership books, Joy, Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love, and Chief Joy Officer: How Great Leaders Elevate Human Energy and Eliminate Fear. 

Why do several thousand people travel to your headquarters annually to observe how you work?

Joy is the center of our culture. People come to learn what it takes to build an intentionally joyful culture.

One of the most notable features of our firm is “constant collaboration,” employees working in pairs in close proximity to one another. The pair share a computer, working on the same task at one time; the following week, each employee switches to work with a different employee. The result is a happier, smoother-functioning company, which ties back into our firm’s overall theme of joy.

Working in pairs gives employees the chance to get to know one another, build trust, and create teamwork. Pairing and switching also allows for the sharing of knowledge; no individual is a single depositary of information.
The pandemic lockdowns did pose some challenges as we had
to send our employees home to work, but they quickly adapted to working remotely in ways that I didn’t think were possible.

How does a lack of joy affect the workplace environment?

Statistics show that 60-70 percent of employees are disengaged and unhappy in their jobs, but I believe an infusion of joy can significantly reduce these numbers. Imagine how much more can be accomplished when people bring both their brains and hearts to work every day — caring about the outcome, creating joy, and unleashing human energy.

Can you give some examples of organizations you’ve been able to help?

One case I plan to talk about at the Legatus conference is that of a 180-year-old life insurance company where I promoted employee pairing as well as the overcoming of instinctive hostility to innovation. Within six months, the firm’s leadership was able to significantly increase employee engagement. One 19-year employee told me, “I used to hate working here, as every idea I offered was immediately shot down.

Now I’m listened to, and I’ve found I can really experience joy on the job.”
I also like to convey that we must also create joy among all those with whom our business comes in contact, such as our customers. At Menlo Innovations, for example, when people use our software, we want them to love it.

What else do you plan to share at the Legatus conference?

I like to use the example of how an airplane flies to answer the question: what does it take to build a culture of joyful leadership? Components of flight include lift, weight, thrust, and drag. Lift is human energy, weight is an organization’s bureaucracy, thrust is its purpose, and drag is its employees’ fear of failure.

As I’ll be speaking to other CEOs that head organizations, I plan to stress my belief that effective leaders must be good storytellers. Some leaders make use of charts and graphs and relate data, but the effective leader best conveys information through personal stories. That’s why my business card describes me as “chief storyteller,” my most important role.

I plan on delivering a message of hope, based
on my personal experiences working in the business world. I hope to demonstrate on how corporate leaders can go from a place of discouragement to being their firm’s chief joy officer.