Let’s get one thing straight: enjoying your work isn’t the same as slacking off. It’s not about long lunches, table football, or someone bringing in cupcakes (though, let’s be fair, cupcakes never hurt). It’s about creating an environment where effort feels meaningful and progress feels good—even when the work is tough.
Clive Woodward understood this better than most. He didn’t make training easier for the England rugby team. He made it engaging. Challenging. Rewarding. His players pushed themselves to the limit and still came back wanting more. Why? Because they were growing. They were connected. They were having fun—even while sweating buckets.
That’s leadership. Not cracking the whip or handing out motivational quotes, but building a space where hard work becomes its own kind of reward.
Now let’s bring that down from the rugby pitch to your world.
Are your people enjoying the game—or just playing to survive?
Ask yourself: does your team look forward to work, or do they arrive like contestants on a bad reality show—wondering who’s getting eliminated next? If people are dragging themselves through the day, energy drops, creativity dries up, and you start hearing phrases like “just get it done” or “it’s not my job.”
People don’t burn out from working hard. They burn out when the work feels meaningless.
So how do you change that? How do you make the journey one they actually want to take?
Here’s how Woodward’s ideas—and a few from Winning The Game—can help you build a team that thrives, not just survives.
1. Build a Community, Not Just a Staff List
People want to feel like they belong. If they don’t, they’ll check out. Not always visibly—but in the “doing the bare minimum and logging off early” kind of way.
So start small. Get to know your team. Ask about their weekend. Celebrate their wins. Create little rituals—Friday shout-outs, monthly “legend of the week,” (I know you thought I would say legend of the month, but it doesn’t have to be every week), or even a shared playlist. These things sound simple, and they are—but they shift the tone. They say, “You matter here.”
In Winning The Game, we talk about how leadership isn’t a job title—it’s the ability to create momentum. You can’t do that with people who feel invisible.
2. Set Clear, Challenging Goals (That Actually Mean Something)
No one’s motivated by vague objectives like “increase efficiency” or “optimise workflow.” Give people a goal they can feel. One they can chase.
Woodward broke training into clear, bite-sized targets. He made progress visible. Every player knew what success looked like—this week, this session, this drill. They didn’t just turn up; they turned up with purpose.
In your team, what’s the version of that? Is it hitting a customer service target? Finishing a project by Friday? Be specific. Let people feel the win.
Bonus points if they help shape the goal. Ownership is a shortcut to engagement.
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3. Turn Progress Into Play
Work doesn’t have to feel like a spreadsheet on legs. Play doesn’t mean clown noses or karaoke (though no judgement if that’s your style). It means building moments of creativity, curiosity, and even competition into the day.
Google’s famous “20% time” gave employees space to explore ideas outside their normal job—and that’s where Gmail and Google Maps were born. You don’t need that kind of scale. You just need moments where people get to solve problems, pitch ideas, or take a different approach.
In Winning The Game, we suggest ways leaders can gamify challenges—weekly creative pitches, fastest inbox zero, most helpful team player. People love a bit of fun, especially when it comes with a sense of progress and recognition.
4. Recognise the Grind—Not Just the Glory
Waiting until the end of the year to recognise good work is like only celebrating your birthday every five years. People need feedback. Not just when they’ve smashed a big target, but when they’ve done something well today.
Woodward gave out “Player of the Session” after every training. Sometimes it went to the star. Sometimes to the guy who kept morale high. That’s the key—it wasn’t just about results. It was about showing up and making a difference.
Try it. Call someone out for spotting a mistake, for helping a colleague, for staying calm under pressure. Let people know they’re seen.
5. Let People Shape the Process
Micromanagement kills joy faster than a printer jam on deadline day.
When people have no say in how they work, motivation dips. Woodward gave his players ownership of their development. They weren’t just following instructions—they were thinking, adapting, taking charge.
You can do the same. Ask your team how they’d like to run meetings. Let them take the lead on projects. Give space to try, fail, and learn. Ownership brings pride—and pride fuels effort.
6. Make Enjoyment a Leadership Priority
Here’s the twist: you don’t need to make work easier to make it more enjoyable. You just need to make it more human.
That means clarity, connection, and creativity. It means laughing sometimes. It means people knowing what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and how it fits into the bigger picture.
It’s not fluffy. It’s how high-performing teams operate.
People who enjoy their work don’t need constant pushing. They push themselves. Because they’re in the game, not just on the clock.
If you want a practical guide to making this happen—without turning into a motivational robot or hosting trust falls in the car park—Winning The Game is your next read. It’s packed with examples, strategies, and a few painfully honest truths from someone who’s made more than a few mistakes along the way.
Because the best leaders don’t just hit targets. They make the journey one people want to be on.
And once that happens? You won’t need to chase results. They’ll show up on their own.