associate

1. A person who is connected with others in a business; co-worker. "Jim and Mary are my associates at the company."

2. A worker in a particular department. "Bill is a sales associate, while Jane is a marketing associate."

3. To spend time with a person or on an activity. "In order to bond as co-workers, we wanted to make sure that we associate outside of the workplace as well, so we make sure to schedule team outings and parties."

Have fun at what you do. It will be reflected in your work. No one likes a grump except another grump! We all spend plenty of hours at work. It's much more pleasant to spend those hours with people who have a bounce in their step and a smile on their face than with those who mistakenly associate professionalism with a dour disposition. I don't like being around depressing people because they make me depressed. The best managers give of themselves by having fun at what they do -- and I look for that in those around me. Swanson's imperative to have fun at what you do is a useful way to highlight the fact that the brain's mirror neurons condition us to respond to smiles and laughs. "Research shows that when people are in a good mood at work, it builds emotional capital and enhances productivity," Goleman says. "The art of leadership is getting work done well through other people, and laughing together is one of the best ways to do that."

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