Resolution 2000: Let's have more fun at work

Here's my Y2K story.

My two sisters and I are the officers of a family corporation which directs the financial affairs of the estate left by our parents. At our most recent meeting in Springfield in the late fall, we hammered out a new mission statement. After some discussion, we honed it down to two words: Have fun.

Understand that this is a family with a strong German and Dutch heritage and work ethic. Our sense of humor is not highly developed, and we don't know how to tell jokes very well. In fact, I can't ever remember a joke well enough to tell it. Sometimes and I hate to admit this I don't even get jokes, although I often pretend that I do.

You understand now why our new mission, have fun, is a real breakthrough a triumph of spirit over genetic predisposition.

The only sticking point is how to get started. I can see my sisters and myself stumbling already. What we need now is an action plan.

How does this relate to the year 2000 outlook for business at the Springfield Business Journal?

I have always maintained that the time we spend at our work has to be absolutely congruent with the rest of our lives. If we are unhappy at work bored, frustrated, abused or misunderstood the negativity will carry over into the rest of our lives. After all, we spend more time at work than we do with our families, more time within the confines of our offices than in our homes. We can't afford not to have fun at work.

Here at the Springfield Business Journal, our fun will be in the form of some new adventures.

As in any true adventure, there will be we're fairly certain some scary parts; a few real cliffhangers. We pray there will be no fatalities, however, and we are also certain that we will laugh and celebrate when we reach the end of the Y2K trail in December.

We plan to look back over this year and say it was fun. I can't say that about all of the other years building this business. We are truly fortunate to be in Springfield at this time in history with the great group of people we have at SBJ and Springfield Parent & Family.

The first chapter of our latest adventure begins today, Jan. 3, 2000, with the launch of SBJ Daily Update, a daily fax newsletter with breaking business news, market information and items the top people in the area will want to add to their calendars.

SBJ Daily Update is being broadcast every business day to my personal list of the 500 most influential people in the Ozarks. I had fun making the list. I hope you will enjoy reading it every business day and will phone, fax or e-mail news we can use in this new product.

In July, we'll celebrate 20 years in the publishing business, a milestone we will mark with special events and publications designed for enjoyment, participation and information. I'll be there, having fun.

Over the years, I've made and broken hundreds of New Year's resolutions because they have been, frankly, so unenjoyable. To have fun will be a departure from a lifetime belief system based on living to work rather than working to live. Nevertheless, it is a resolution that I will keep.

Attracting and retaining the best people for our company is the most urgent problem we have in our office. You, our readers, have told us again and again that you are experiencing the same difficulty in your own businesses.

What better way to attract and retain excellent staff members than to make your company a fun place to work? "Fun" is a word that can enhance the value of the work we do whatever it is. In my new lexicon, it does not connote lack of importance.

This year, the year 2000, is a year to remember ... and to have fun.