“I Hear You’re Having Fun. Stop It.”

There’s a story from the making of the 1945 film The Big Sleep that I’ve always loved.

Apparently, Jack Warner, head of Warner Brothers, heard that the cast and crew were enjoying themselves while making the film.

So he sent a memo down to the set:

“Word has reached me that you’re having fun. This has got to stop.”

It’s funny now.

I’m not sure it was quite as funny to the people receiving the memo.

But I think the story captures something that still happens in organizations today.

What Counts as “Real Work”?

There were problems on the set of The Big Sleep. People were reportedly confused about parts of the story. The production had its challenges.

But I’m pretty sure people having fun wasn’t the problem.

And yet, somehow, enjoyment became something that needed to be stopped.

I see versions of this in organizations all the time.

There’s the “real work” — deadlines, budgets, systems, processes, deliverables.

And then there’s the human side — whether people feel engaged, connected, respected, or even enjoy working together.

Too often, we treat those as separate things.

Worse, we sometimes act as though paying attention to people gets in the way of getting the work done.

I think that’s a mistake.

Maybe Fun Wasn’t the Problem

Imagine if Jack Warner had responded differently.

Maybe he could have said, “I hear you folks are having a good time down there. Keep it up.”

Maybe he could have asked if he could join them.

Or perhaps the best thing he could have done was say nothing at all.

The point isn’t that every workplace needs to be fun.

It’s that the human experience of work isn’t separate from the work itself.

The Human and Technical Sides of Change

This is something I want to explore more in the coming weeks: the places where a small change in how we lead can bring the human and technical sides of the work together.

Sometimes the adjustment is surprisingly small.

A different question.

A little more curiosity.

A decision to listen before acting.

Or simply noticing what’s already working and deciding not to get in its way.

A Question for You

I’d like to hear your stories.

Have you experienced your own version of Jack Warner’s “I hear you’re having fun. Stop it”?

Or have you seen the opposite — a leader who made a small change that helped people feel more engaged while also helping the work succeed?

Share a short example in the comments on my LinkedIn post. It doesn’t need to be a college term paper. A few sentences will do.

I’d like to learn from what you’ve seen.

And in the meantime, please try not to have too much fun this week.