Sooner or later you’re going to find yourself in front of a seemingly unsurmountable mountain and have to find a way to move it. Whether you’re a service manager or a barbershop owner, obstacles are guaranteed to continue to present themselves. Of course, you’re not going to be able to tackle this feat alone. You’re unquestionably going to need the help of your employees. And to fully accomplish that, your business will need to be gamified.

Unfortunately, on average, a majority of employees are dissatisfied with their jobs. This is particularly impactful when your employees are directly interacting with customers. Picture for a second that magical, wonderful place that is the DMV. Picture the lovely, friendly staff. Having trouble? It’s widely accepted truth that most DMV employees are cold, bored, and disinterested. And as a customer, you instinctively mirror this behavior back. It’s a psychological certainty; energy is contagious.

THE CIRCLE OF ENERGY

What this means is that when your team is having fun, and is driven and challenged, your customers will feel it. The circle of energy in your business goes like this: when your employees feel good, your customers feel good. And when your customers feel good, they buy more. Thus growing your income, making you feel good. And then you pass that energy back to the employees. So how do you create a joyful, challenging environment for employees?

You must create and promote a new business culture. You can achieve this with a little system I like to call Gamification. Gamification is using game thinking or strategy in non-game, real world settings to problem solve or increase user contributions. When your business is gamified, you’ll be building teams to foster enthusiastic, driven employees which are essential to a sustainable, healthy business.

GAMIFICATION IS ALL AROUND YOU

Gamification is a hack that will enable you to become the leader to move the inevitable mountains your business will face. It has a proven track record of success because it is founded on common sense. It’s the product of the fundamental human desire for happiness and challenges in life. I see gamified businesses all around me. And once you start playing games with your teams, you will too. You’ll see that energy is higher in business that play games, the employees are more attentive and connected than normal. When you notice these gamified businesses, don’t be afraid to seek out the manager and share ideas. Remember knowledge is power; never stop learning.

I have yet to find a limit to the application of Gamification. A 2012 review of twenty-four scholarly articles concluded that Gamification increases attitude, motivation, and enjoyments in employees across the board. Whether it was kids studying for a spelling bee or adults learning a new computer task that was gamified. It does this by bringing your employees closer together and helping spread new ideas. Mixing competition and the social aspects of playing games is a profitable combination. It’s what strives people to do better while making them feel great simultaneously.

THE SECRET TO GAMIFICATION’S SUCCESS

The key aspect of Gamification is powered by one single factor. Since the dawn of civilization (cue 2001: A Space Odyssey), individuals within teams have been pushed to the highest levels of success by one fundamental, innate human element: desire. From the desire to acquire another city (Greek Mythology Agamemnon’s siege of Troy) to the desire for another breath (Greece’s famous Gladiators). Desire is what moves people. So why not give the people what they desire?

Through competition, social interaction, and achievement, Gamification fulfills the desires of its players within the work environment. Gamified business have improved job security, encouraged teamwork and connection, provided instant and long term validation, and allowed people to reach their full potential. The mission to move mountains will never end, but once the momentum gets rolling and the money starts flowing in, Gamification will be there to see you through it. Get your copy of Amazon’s #1 Best Selling Author in Workplace Culture and Personal Management for Gamification!