Podcast Summary
In Lesson 9 of the 52 Life Lessons series, Working Well Podcast host Tim Borys explores one of the most underestimated performance tools available to every leader: joy.
This episode challenges the belief that joy is frivolous or unprofessional. Backed by neuroscience, leadership research, and human performance science, Tim explains why smiling, laughter, and playfulness are strategic tools that improve decision-making, creativity, resilience, trust, and team performance.
Operating under chronic stress narrows thinking, reduces empathy, and drains leaders mentally and emotionally. Joy doesn’t eliminate pressure — it gives the brain the resources to handle it better. From immune function and longevity to productivity and trust, Tim walks through the research that proves joy isn’t optional for sustainable leadership.
Through personal stories and simple, practical strategies, listeners learn how to intentionally design joy into their workday — without adding time, complexity, or pressure.
✅ Key Takeaways
Joy is not frivolous — it’s a high-performance tool.
Stress narrows thinking; joy expands perspective and creativity.
Smiling is a biological signal that helps regulate your nervous system.
Positive emotions improve longevity, immunity, productivity, and trust.
Leaders with positive affect are rated as more competent and trustworthy.
Joy can be engineered through how you approach tasks — not by changing the task itself.
Small “micro-joy” moments compound into better leadership, culture, and performance.
You don’t need permission, time, or perfect conditions to choose joy.
Episode Links & Resources
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Tim: https://timborys.com/book-tim/
Buy Tim’s Book: The Fitness Curveball (Amazon Link)
Podcast Highlights
Please Note: This transcript is generated by computer and may contain minor errors. Section headings added for clarity.
Introduction — Joy Is a Leadership Skill
The episode opens with Tim reframing joy as one of the simplest yet most underrated performance tools available to every human being. Lesson 9 focuses on a simple principle: smile, laugh often, and find joy in everyday life.
Before leaders dismiss the idea as unrealistic or naive, Tim emphasizes that this lesson is grounded in neuroscience, leadership effectiveness, and sustainable human performance not wishful thinking.
Why Leaders Default to Stress
Modern leaders operate under constant pressure: decision fatigue, talent shortages, digital overload, and increasing complexity. Over time, stress becomes the default operating mode.
When leaders operate from tension:
Focus narrows
Creativity drops
Empathy declines
Strategic thinking suffers
Joy doesn’t remove pressure it gives the brain more capacity to handle it effectively.
Joy as a High-Performance Lubricant
Tim describes joy as a “high-performance lubricant” for the human operating system. Without it, everything grinds. With it, things flow more smoothly — mentally, emotionally, and socially.
Joy isn’t passive. It’s something leaders actively curate.
The Research Every Leader Should Know
Tim highlights six research-backed reasons joy matters:
Joy increases longevity — joyful people live up to a decade longer.
Happiness boosts immune function, reducing illness.
Positive emotion expands cognitive capacity, improving problem-solving and creativity.
Joy improves team performance, increasing productivity and accuracy.
Laughter reduces cortisol and increases feel-good neurotransmitters.
Leaders with positive affect are seen as more competent and trustworthy.
Joy is not about being bubbly — it’s about approachability and psychological availability.
The Neuroscience of Smiling
You don’t need a reason to smile to benefit from smiling.
Research on the facial feedback hypothesis shows that the physical act of smiling activates brain regions associated with happiness. Even a forced smile can lower heart rate and improve stress recovery.
Your brain believes your face.
How Tim Learned to Engineer Joy
Tim shares two formative stories:
Turning a boring junior-high history assignment into a creative adventure
Gamifying a repetitive grocery store job by introducing competition, humor, and play
The lesson: tasks aren’t joyful or unjoyful — they become joyful based on how we engage with them.
Practical Strategies for Leaders
Tim offers simple, low-risk strategies leaders can use immediately:
Smile intentionally between tasks
Turn mundane work into micro-challenges
Use movement to reset stress physiology
Choose curiosity over irritation
Laugh genuinely with your team
Design one joyful task into every day
These small actions shift meetings, presence, decision-making, culture, and leadership impact.
Final Reflection
The world doesn’t need more stressed-out leaders who take themselves too seriously. It needs leaders who are grounded, energized, and joyful enough to see possibility where others see pressure.
Joy is available instantly — if you choose it.
