Confessions of a Fun Killer

I have a confession to make.

I’m not fun.

There. I said it. I'm the ‘fun killer.’

Some years ago, I was responsible for a two-day ‘roadshow’ training event. We’d travel from city to city with a small crew of colleagues, including one of the two company founders who love fun and play (and conversely, do not like rules and being told what to do.)

During the planning and preparation process, I was maniacal about every detail of the training event—room layout, slide decks, handouts, and name badges. I even went as far as choreographing where each presenter would stand at different points in their presentations.

I was over the top.

Think Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games–so focused on doing her job that she is blind to what is happening around her.

I became even more ‘fun’ once we started traveling. One night before an event kick-off, we finished dinner and were about to head back to the hotel (because, of course, I was also micro-managing everyone's sleep). The company founder stopped us in the parking lot and said: Wait! We’re not going somewhere after this?? These trips used to be fun before Jess was running the show.

Ouch. That’s me—the fun killer.

At the time, I was consumed by the pressure to perform. I was so focused on the vision of how I wanted the events to be that I lost sight of the people who would bring that vision to life. And I worked with exceptionally fun and talented people! (You know who you are and thank you for not disowning me.) Yes, those who attended the events appreciated the quality learning designed to help them grow their businesses, but they loved and would remember the laughs, the silly moments, the unplanned moments, the human moments that made the events fun.

The pressure to succeed can be overwhelming, but leaders cannot succeed alone. Don’t lose sight of the people. Don’t miss out on the connections. When you kill the fun, you suffocate the energy, passion, and fulfillment of those working with you.

For my fellow recovering perfectionists, worry less about perfection and allow yourself to have more fun.