In today’s episode, CEO Brian Crichton makes the business case for joy and play in the workplace, arguing that having fun is a strategic advantage that builds psychological safety and boosts retention. Brian shares how CMBA creates memorable traditions, from lunch rituals to cross-office challenges, and helps leaders show their personality while maintaining professionalism. He discusses strategies for fostering "fun" in hybrid and distributed teams, and why celebrating personal milestones and life events, not just project productivity, is essential for building true, lasting connection and resilience across the firm.

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Episode Transcript

(Skyler): Welcome back, everybody, to another episode of the Laying the Foundation podcast. My name is Skyler, and joining me for another wonderful "Building Culture with Brian" episode is the Brian from the title.

(Brian): Skyler, how are you doing today?

(Skyler): Doing great!

(Brian): Absolutely awesome.

(Skyler): I'm really excited because today we are going to be talking about the importance of having fun.

(Brian): That is what we all have to try to do every day, right? That is what we are going for, so yes, for sure.

(Skyler): Awesome. As CEO, you oversee many elements of CMBA and everything that goes on here. You have talked a lot about building a positive culture within the company, and part of that involves having fun. What benefits or advantages do we gain when we don't focus entirely on "work, work, work" and instead bring fun into the picture?

(Brian): Well, we could slave away every day with our heads down, typing and clicking all the time. But we need breaks in our day. We need time to talk to others, enjoy each other's company, and have those casual conversations like, "Hey, what did you do this weekend?" That builds commonality among people. I know you participate in tabletop gaming outside of work, and there are a few others in this office who enjoy that as well.

Having the opportunity to talk about those things brings your outside personality and what you enjoy into the office, which livens up the work environment. We are humans, we have interests, and while serving our clients is our core job, introducing a little bit of fun and levity is essential. Laughing on occasion—not making fun of one another, but having fun together—helps create shared experiences. I think that is a major advantage in a business environment.

(Skyler): Absolutely. You mentioned that we are not trying to make fun of anyone or force anything. Psychological safety obviously comes into play whenever you try to implement these initiatives. How do we ensure we are having fun while making sure everyone still feels safe and comfortable in the environment?

(Brian): It comes down to knowing people and investing the time to understand who they are. If I find something funny, you might not see it the same way. I should know you well enough to say, "Okay, I'm not going to tease him about that because it might make him uncomfortable." Spending that time getting to know the people you work with, work for, and collaborate with is invaluable.

It helps you understand how to navigate those relationships playfully without crossing a line. We are never here to make someone feel bad or pick on their attire—unless, of course, it's a themed dress-up day!

(Skyler): Right, like wearing a polka-dot bowtie or something.

(Brian): Or the elf costume I wore that one time.

(Skyler): Or the outfit you wear when you call bingo. Exactly.

(Brian): Exactly. If I choose to dress in a way where I invite a bit of good-natured teasing, that's fine.

(Skyler): Exactly.

(Brian): But it should never be demeaning.

(Skyler): Absolutely. That is the essence of having fun. When we talk about fun in the workplace, it isn't just about poking fun at each other. There is a much bigger picture with many other elements involved, which we will dive into as we go.

(Brian): For those in leadership roles across our firm, it is important to show authenticity by being willing to laugh at yourself on occasion. Playing along and truly not taking offense sets a great example. To me, an authentic leader is someone who is willing to engage in that kind of lighthearted give-and-take.

(Skyler): That is very fair. It's just a natural part of the human bonding experience. CMBA has been around for a while, meaning you've witnessed things that I haven't. When we look back at our history of having fun, what are some traditions, events, or activities that really stood out? I know some things may have evolved over time, but what memories stick with you?

(Brian): Everything changes over time as people come and go and as society evolves. When I joined CMBA back in 2000, we had monthly events, a tradition we still maintain across our various locations today. These events have changed dramatically over the years depending on who organizes them. You and Adam have done a fantastic job putting them together recently. There are two specific traditions that people always bring up. The first one is turkey bowling.

(Skyler): I was hoping you would bring that up!

(Brian): It always comes up! Back in the day, we bowled with an actual frozen turkey.

(Skyler): It's such a wild concept to explain to someone.

(Brian): Exactly. We were in a different office location at the time. This was actually right before my time with CMBA, but the story goes that someone threw the frozen turkey down the lane toward two-liter bottles filled with water acting as pins. Unfortunately, the wall behind them was drywall, so the turkey crashed right through it. We had to relocate the game to an area with a concrete block wall so we wouldn't cause further damage to the Mid-American building where we were located. Over the course of an hour or two, that frozen turkey would thaw out, becoming spongy and rather gross as the packaging gave way.

The second tradition that comes to mind is our office mini-golf, which we still do to some extent. Back then, individuals designed and built their own holes. One legendary story involves Jim Ruble, one of our firm's patriarchs. Apparently, at his home, his garage door was closing while the family cat was on top of it, and the cat unfortunately got caught and wedged in the door.

(Skyler): Oh, gosh.

(Brian): This was before my time, but I remember the legendary aftermath.

(Skyler): Clearly, we needed to enforce some safety standards back then.

(Brian): Right! Todd Moss, our former CEO, actually built a custom mini-golf hole featuring a miniature garage door with a fake cat's head sticking out, and you had to putt the ball underneath the door. Looking back at those pieces of firm history shows how our current traditions hearken back to those early days. These monthly events can get highly competitive because we have some very competitive people on our team.

(Skyler): Absolutely.

(Brian): But it’s just another opportunity to laugh together, whether it's laughing at a terrible drawing during Pictionary or missing a target during a game. It's all in good fun.

(Skyler): I love that history. We actually tried to bring back turkey bowling not too long ago for Steve's retirement party.

(Brian): Oh, that's right.

(Skyler): To be completely honest, because our office is on the second floor now, the moment the first person rolled it down the aisle and it hit the floor, the entire room reverberated. I quickly realized it might not be the best indoor activity for our current space.

(Brian): It was incredibly loud.

(Skyler): Definitely an outdoor activity! The logistics are tricky, but hey, if you ever need to thaw a turkey in a hurry on Thanksgiving, maybe that's the secret. It might end up a little bruised, but it gets the job done.

(Brian): It might be a little bruised, but it would work!

(Skyler): Exactly. You mentioned these monthly activities and firm initiatives. How do you structure them to offer engaging events without making people feel like fun is forced? We know there are always individuals who prefer not to participate as heavily.

(Brian): The key is that nothing is mandatory. We provide opportunities to gather for camaraderie, fun, and a chance to blow off steam, but participation is completely optional. If someone prefers to eat lunch elsewhere and return afterward, that is entirely up to them. We typically provide lunch and organize great events, but we completely respect and understand that some people simply value their downtime and personal space.

(Skyler): They just need a quiet moment to clear their mind.

(Brian): Exactly. These events can get loud, boisterous, and intensely competitive, which isn't everyone's cup of tea. We fully understand and accommodate that.

(Skyler): For those business leaders out there who might think, "I just don't see the value in investing resources into putting together these fun activities," what would you tell them?

(Brian): There is certainly a financial expense and a time commitment involved, but the memories made are well worth the investment. Before COVID-19, we held regular monthly events here in the office. When the pandemic hit and kept us apart, we established our Culture Club. Because CMBA operates across multiple regional offices, we needed a consistent way to keep our spread-out team connected and prevent isolation.

The Culture Club brought people together face-to-face via Microsoft Teams for casual conversations. I distinctly remember sitting in my basement—in what was then my daughters' craft room, surrounded by art supplies—just catching up with everyone.

(Skyler): Was that for a Cinco de Mayo event?

(Brian): I think it was.

(Skyler): That makes sense based on the timing.

(Brian): Yes, we transitioned to remote work in mid-March and didn't return until late May or early June, so it likely was a Cinco de Mayo celebration. It provided a great opportunity to just relax during a very stressful period.

(Skyler): That's great. You actually anticipated my next question. We are based in the Sioux City office, but CMBA has offices stretching out to Grand Island and recently Cedar Falls. How do we ensure that everyone across these various regional locations has similar opportunities for fun, while also uniting the firm as a whole?

(Brian): We design specific firm-wide events to achieve that. For instance, we host an all-staff meeting, alternating between a full in-person gathering every two years and a virtual meeting in the off-years. Even virtually, it provides crucial face-to-face contact that isn't tied to specific projects. It's about coming together as people, learning about one another, and having fun.

When we meet in person, we'll do activities like bowling, but the real value is the conversation around the table. You might collaborate with someone over Teams for months, but you don't truly know them until you sit down together. For our younger professionals especially, that connection time is invaluable. While it represents a significant business expense, the trust and respect it builds pay off immediately because you truly get to know your colleagues.

(Skyler): Exactly. I love that these events step everyone outside of their daily project scope. We attend all-staff meetings primarily to team-build and understand who our colleagues are as individuals. While there might be some brief project shop-talk, that isn't the primary focus. Keeping the emphasis on the human element is incredibly beneficial.

(Brian): Exactly, we are all human beings working toward shared goals.

(Skyler): Playing off that idea, how do we expand our celebrations beyond purely professional milestones—like completing a major project—to focusing on what is happening in our teammates' personal lives?

(Brian): As leaders, it is vital that we remain aware of what is happening in our teammates' lives. This includes celebrating major personal milestones like births or marriages, as well as offering support during difficult times, such as the loss of a family member. We have to care about what matters to our people outside of their output.

While we entirely respect personal privacy and recognize that not everyone wants to share their personal life, we love to highlight and celebrate our team members whenever appropriate, including sharing those milestones within our professional network.

(Skyler): It definitely helps us feel more connected. Sometimes an event will happen in the Grand Island office that I wouldn't know about unless we shared an internal post celebrating a marriage or a new baby.

(Brian): Exactly, or recognizing their volunteer work. To use you as an example, you dedicate a lot of time to organizing the local geek convention. That is an incredibly cool event for our community, but our colleagues wouldn't know about it unless we take the time to ask, observe, and invest in learning about each other's passions.

(Skyler): Yes, absolutely.

(Brian): It comes full circle. Highlighting those endeavors benefits the individual and helps the rest of the team see the diverse talents we have within the firm.

(Skyler): Absolutely. It really helps bring everything full circle. One final topic: competition. If our monthly Office Olympics have taught me anything, it's that competition breeds participation. Creating a competitive element naturally boosts engagement. However, we want to avoid creating firm division. It's easy for the Sioux City office to bond and view it as a battle against the other branches, but we are all one company at the end of the day. How do you balance healthy competition with firm-wide unity?

(Brian): I think the answer lies in centering that competition around camaraderie. Healthy competition is excellent. I was in Grand Island recently for their open house, and Jim still has our old firm golf trophy displayed in his office. We haven't hosted a golf tournament in a few years, so we should probably look into organizing one again for our golfers to team up and compete.

However, the overarching goal must always be highlighting camaraderie and celebrating every single member of the team, not just the loudest or most naturally skilled participants. Teams succeed because of collective effort; while one or two people might carry specific technical knowledge, the supporting members are just as vital. Our focus should always be on recognizing the entire team's contribution to the effort.

(Skyler): That is definitely a central challenge when designing the Office Olympics. We try to vary the games and activities so they don't favor just one specific skill set month after month. Balancing the events across different categories keeps the playing field fair and keeps everyone engaged.

(Brian): Exactly, varying the events highlights the diverse skill sets within our staff. For example, you hosted a trivia event recently centered on Star Wars, which completely stumped me.

(Skyler): That was definitely the sci-fi trivia night.

(Brian): I didn't recognize half the terms! I think I've only ever seen about ten minutes of the original movie.

(Skyler): We joke about that all the time around the office. If there's one person who doesn't know their Star Wars lore, it's you.

(Brian): That would definitely be me. But that's the point—we all have different interests.

(Skyler): To a sci-fi fan, that's almost a sin! But it's completely fine because it showcases our varied backgrounds.

(Brian): When keeping competition playful yet unified under the CMBA banner, my mind often goes back to my military background.

(Skyler): Absolutely, that makes sense.

(Brian): There are six branches of service, each with its own distinct characteristics, roles, and skill sets. Naturally, the branches rib each other constantly.

(Skyler): I see that dynamic all the time.

(Brian): However, the moment an outside entity criticizes or targets one of those branches, the other five stand shoulder-to-shoulder to defend them. That is the exact culture I want to foster at CMBA. We can engage in friendly internal rivalry or give each other a little bit of guff, but at the end of the day, we are brothers and sisters who support one another unconditionally. That solidarity defines our company and the culture we build.

(Skyler): That is a fantastic analogy. We are all working toward the same mission, regardless of which regional office we sit in. Well, Brian, that covers all the questions I have for today. Thank you for diving into the importance of having fun and how it truly shapes our workspace.

(Brian): We want to foster a workplace culture that people genuinely look forward to returning to every day. When coming to work is a choice you want to make rather than just an obligation, it ceases to feel like a grind and becomes fun. Loving what you do and who you do it with sets the entire tone.

(Skyler): Beautifully said. Thank you so much for taking the time to share these insights with us, Brian. Sometimes we all need a quick reminder or a lesson on the importance of incorporating levity into our routines.

(Brian): Anytime, Skyler. Absolutely.

(Skyler): For our listeners, if you would like to discover more episodes of the Laying the Foundation podcast, you can find us on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify and iTunes. To learn more about CMBA Architects and follow our team's updates, connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, and Instagram, or visit our website at cmbaarchitects.com.

If you are an architecture or design professional—or a student looking for an internship opportunity—head over to our careers tab to see our open positions. This has been another episode of the Laying the Foundation podcast. We will see you next time.