Richard Sheridan – Chief Joy Officer
Summary: „Chief Joy Officer“ by Richard Sheridan chronicles his journey creating Menlo Innovations, a software development company built around the radical concept of bringing joy to the workplace. Sheridan argues that joy isn’t just a nice-to-have but a fundamental business strategy that drives innovation, productivity, and customer satisfaction. The book outlines practical methods for creating a joyful work environment, including open communication, collaborative workspaces, eliminating fear-based management, and fostering a culture where people genuinely care about each other’s success. Sheridan demonstrates how traditional corporate hierarchies and processes often drain joy from work, while his alternative approach – featuring practices like pair programming, daily stand-ups, and transparent communication – creates an environment where employees thrive. Ultimately, he makes the case that leaders should prioritize joy as measurable business outcome, showing how happy employees naturally deliver better results and create more value for customers and stakeholders.
Why we like it: We could not agree more: Working and establishing a business without joy, fun and fulfillment is somehow not target-oriented. Richard Sheridan is simply proving how to build a sustainable company culture around joy in your working space.