Five years ago I hired my first “Director of Fun” at Sheetz. 

What’s a Director of Fun? 

Put simply, it’s my team engagement strategy. 

I consider team culture, engagement, and employee experience to be the magical unlock to high performing teams, so I doubled down on creating a formal way of making it happen.

So, what exactly does a “Director of Fun” do? 

Well, a “DOF” (as we call it) is a role on the team responsible for remembrance, recognition, team bonding, and…FUN. 

While it’s not a real headcount in my org structure, it does have a mini job description, a little selection process, and some perks. 

Below, I’ll break down all the important things a DOF does for my team and why I think every leader should have one: 

REMEMBRANCE

DOFs are responsible for finding creative ways to acknowledge team birthdays, anniversaries, babies, weddings, special achievements, and (unfortunately) sad events too — like when a pet or family member passes away. 

It could be a card, an email, or something mailed to their home. Just something that lets the employee know “We see you”.

ENGAGEMENT

DOFs focus their efforts on creating at least one meaningful monthly team touch point. A touch point is something that connects the team on a personal level. 

For example, at Halloween we have a virtual pumpkin carving contest. Team members carve pumpkins with their families and submit pictures of the event. Pictures are shared and winners receive a gift card or some fun Sheetz shwag. 

DOFs also put out a request for pictures during other parts of the year. Past photo dumps have included summer vacations, graduations, first day of school, and holiday gatherings just to name a few.

The DOFs typically turn these into a fun video slide show or present them during a team meeting.  

RECOGNITION

A great way to keep employees engaged is by recognizing their efforts. We do this formally through performance management, of course, but DOFs also do superlative awards each year that align with our team values. 

For example, last year we rolled out a new set of High Performing Team behaviors. To drive awareness and understanding of “what good looks like”, the DOFs created superlatives to honor employees who exemplified each behavior. 

There was a  “Best Teammate” award, a “Selfless” award, a “Communication” award, etc. The team voted and the winners were announced and recognized at our “Year in Review” meeting. 

HYPE PERSON!

DOFs tend to have high energy and they’re capable of getting the team fired up or full of laughter. One of the ways they do this is on our team meetings. If you’ve ever been on a talent acquisition team meeting at Sheetz, it’s a fast moving, informational, and fun 90 minutes. 

I try to speak as little as possible at the beginning of the meeting but then allow lots of team members at all levels to present their accomplishments from the month prior.  When we’ve finished our updates, the DOFs prepare and run some sort of fun contest or interactive event. Usually it’s trivia, a picture slide show, or our famous “prize wheel”. 

The DOF segment is probably everyone’s favorite part of the meeting but I don’t care. If it gets people excited to show up to a 90 minute meeting and stay engaged until the end, that’s a win in my book!

PLANNING COMMITTEE

Most of my team is remote and scattered throughout the east coast. So, whenever we bring the team together in person or have a multi-day off- site meeting, the DOFs get to flex their planning skills by helping to coordinate logistics, dinners, and nighttime activities. 

Some of the pictures you see in this post, are fruits of the DOFs labor. They do the research and ensure the team “plays hard” – while I worry about the “work hard” part. 

SHWAG ORDERS

About once per year, usually around the Christmas holiday, the DOFs decide on a team gift or put together an order form for team merch. 

Sometimes it’s a “summer fun” kit with a Sheetz-branded towel, sunglasses, beverage tote, and a bottle opener. Other times it’s a simple order form for a Sheetz hoody, a polo, or a jacket. 

This might be a team favorite because, of course, everyone loves a little free Sheetz shwag!

TEAM PULSE

Lastly (and probably not something you might consider “fun”) an important DOF role is to be my eyes and ears on the ground. While I have regular touch points at all levels with my team, I’m not stupid. I know that I don’t pick up on all the team dynamics and I know that people don’t always share everything with “the boss”. 

So my DOFs help me understand when the team is tired, when they’re angry, when they need something, and when they have some feedback for me. 

They help ensure the team feels heard and I’m meeting their needs. They’re not my little spies per se, but they have their finger on the pulse of the macro sentiment on the team and they’re not afraid to tell me when I need to take action.

WHY YOU NEED A DOF

While the DOF role can’t solve every team engagement and culture scenario, I simply could not live without the aerial coverage they provide to the entire team. They help me enable a differentiated employee experience for all of my people regardless of their level. 

And the results are measurable. 

I can see the impact of their efforts in two ways. One is very clear to see in my team retention metrics. They’re very high. And the other is on our annual engagement survey which is also off the charts.

So while you might think this role sounds a little gimmicky…it’s actually a proven talent management strategy. 

WHAT TO DO NEXT

If you’re NOT the boss – but you think your team needs a DOF, forward this post to a coworker and approach your leader with a proposal to have one!  

If you ARE the boss – share this post with your team and ask for a volunteer to be the DOF or simply appoint one yourself.  

Since it doesn’t require headcount, putting a DOF in place should be super easy. 

And the sooner you start, the sooner your team will show measurable signs of engagement!

// Supporting Resources

Here is a curated list of high-value, creative assets based on the article's theme of fun, engagement, and team unity.

Books to Read…

• Joy, Inc.: How We Built a Workplace People Love by Richard Sheridan: A powerful story from the CEO of Menlo Innovations about how he intentionally designed a workplace built on joy. This book offers a blueprint for creating a company culture focused on fun, collaboration, and human-centered principles. Link Here
  

• The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle: Coyle’s book breaks down the science of team chemistry and offers practical ideas for how to build a culture of belonging and trust—the key ingredients that make work fun and engaging. Link Here

Podcast Episodes to Listen to…

• Episode 341: How to Get Your Team to Do What You Ask with Steven Blue: This episode delves into why employees sometimes fail to follow through on their responsibilities and how managers can create a workplace culture that empowers employees. It specifically touches on building a values-driven organizational culture and includes a discussion about how intentional culture-building can transform organizations. Listen Here
  

• Episode 369: Make Work More Fun Without Losing Your Professional Edge with Bree Groff: This episode focuses on the idea of functional vs. performative professionalism and how bringing more fun into the workplace can be strategic for building team trust and psychological safety. It provides practical tips for creating a more positive and engaging work environment. Listen Here
  

• "A Case for Play" on The WorkLife Podcast with Adam Grant: This episode goes behind the scenes of The Daily Show writers' room to explore how they foster creativity. Grant discusses the concept of "burstiness" in conversation and how psychological safety allows for the free exchange of ideas, which are essential elements of playful and productive collaboration. Listen Here

Actionable Blog Posts…

• "The Secrets of Great Teamwork" (The Harvard Business Review): This article outlines the core components of great teamwork, emphasizing the importance of shared purpose, clear roles, and mutual trust. It moves beyond the idea of "team-building activities" and focuses on the fundamental principles that make a team cohesive and productive. Read Here
  

• "Team-Building Activities That Don't Feel Forced" (The New Stand): This blog post provides a list of low-pressure, high-impact team activities—like a book swap or a "mystery choices" game—that are specifically designed to be engaging and enjoyable, not "cringey". Read Here

Key Videos/Talks…

• "What makes us feel good about our work?" by Dan Ariely (TED Talk): Dan Ariely, a behavioral economist, explores the surprising results of experiments that reveal what truly motivates us at work. He shows that while money is important, the key drivers of engagement and productivity are often things like a sense of meaning, acknowledgment, and a feeling of making progress. Watch Here
  

• "The Happy Secret to Better Work" (TED Talk) by Shawn Achor: This talk shares how a positive mindset and intentional happiness can dramatically increase productivity. It’s an inspiring video for leaders who want to understand the psychological power of a positive workplace. Watch Here