ROE: Return on Enjoyment

When are you the happiest at work? Is it the end of the day and you are ready to go home? (not good BTW).

When I step back and examine the most enjoyment I have/had at work, I categorized work/project into three sections: Planning, Building, Finishing. Yes, this is simplistic.

With Planning, this is the idea phase, e.g., brainstorming for a solution, where you are working to solve a new problem or creating a new market. This phase has enjoyment, able to think anew and don't have the added pressure to actually build it.

With Finishing, this is the closing phase. This might be finding out that you won an account or that the product is created and now its time to roll it out. This phase has a sign of accomplishment as you are delivering the product/services.

With Building, this is the creation phase. The Idea becomes reality. As you implement/build, you run into challenges that must be addressed. The enjoyment for this phase is the creation of value.

When I review these three, the last one has the highest return on enjoyment for me. It might just be the most difficult phase but this is where teams come together to build value. When I look back on my leadership roles, the times we implemented the vision/goal was most enjoyment. Each time, the results might not have been the best, there were many doubters, but there were a few people who believed and came together to create a foundation of future success. At the time, it might not have seen the happiest, but in hindsight it did have a high sense of enjoyment and accomplishment.

Bob the Builder really rocks!