It has been my honor — and dare I say “joy” — to serve as Wray Ward’s chief joy officer in 2022.

Each year, one adventurous employee inherits this mantle and takes over an office tasked with planning and executing fun, thoughtful and engaging events for the entire company to participate in throughout the year.

As 2022 — and subsequently my term as chief joy officer — comes to a close, I am full of memories and introspection from the past year. If you’ll indulge me, here are five meaningful lessons I learned about the true meaning of company culture while serving in this fun yet critical role.

1. Bonding Builds a Stronger Culture

One of the reasons I took the chief joy officer role is because I love organizing things that bring people together while adding a little excitement to their lives. I’ve seen what previous people in this role have done and wanted to build on it. There are Wray Wardians who still talk about events years later, like the time goats paid our office a visit and people could hang out and pet them for a little stress-relief break. Or, who could forget the “Spring Pawty,” a bring-your-dog-to-work celebration of spring that included lawn games, customized hard seltzers, a balloon artist, pet adoptions and so much more?

During my tenure, I wanted to plan things that would have that kind of positive impact. From holiday gatherings to movie nights to BBQs, I thought I could successfully find fun for everyone at the agency.

Bonding via JOY events helps build a stronger culture because it allows us to step away from our computers and get to know each other better. We get to engage in games, share food, get some exercise and fresh air, help the community and create a bond that we wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to forge. I think enjoying and understanding the people you work with is important not only for mental health, but to also ensure that we all do excellent work for our clients and each other.

2. Teamwork Really Does Make the Dream Work

Creating a fun and dynamic atmosphere around the office is hard to do on your own. It was absolutely crucial that I had a team to help me plan and execute JOY initiatives. I couldn’t have done a quarter of the events we had or executed them at the level of quality we achieved without the support of so many on my team. Any time someone thanks me for organizing an event or activity, I make sure to mention the brilliant JOY team!

Our company has grown significantly since I started, and I quickly realized it was time to scale up the JOY role. Everyone on our team had specific strengths that they could lend to the team, whether it was organization, communications, terrific ideas or just a consistent set of helping hands. The right people in the right spots can accomplish anything.