Lead with a dash of Play

What would it look like to have conversations without titles, experts, or even pre-defined goals? Joacim "Jay" Mattisson brings his Swedish background and perspective to American business and political landscapes, and in the process shows us how a playful approach can make every day life more fun and essential threads of democracy more connected. For more on Joacim’s collaboration to bring Almadel...

Brandi Mitchell invites us to challenge our conceptions of who plays, and what that looks like. As founder of San Diego Soccer Women, she creates the space for women in their 39s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s to play competitive games, build community, and disrupt the perception of what older women look like. She shows us, play is a life long experience. Video: The Most Inspiring Soccer Team You’ve Neve...

The core of work success is how your people feel, which means how YOU feel is vital. Hiba Tanvir brings a practice rooted in emotional intelligence to leaders, encouraging all of us to pause and play, play and pause. In a world focused on AI, Hiba reminds us to bring humans back to center both through the leader’s emotional regulation, and the way we gift that calm to others. Guest: Hiba Tanvir Cr...

Play can bring an incredible sense of freedom - no constraints, a degree of purposelessness, a space without shoulds. That freedom is something Maricella Herrera comes back to again and again, for herself, for her students, and for her professional journey. It doesn't mean you can't accomplish serious things, but how we do them - how we engage with others in community while we do them - matters. G...

What happens when play just seeps out of you? Storytelling, curiosity, connection, even bringing a different mindset to working out at the gym, let alone the playful approach to a job in marketing. That’s what we learn with today’s guest, Dan Moyle. Guest: Dan Moyle Dan Moyle is a customer education trainer, consultant, storyteller, podcaster, speaker, writer, and blended family dad. Dan lives to...

For John Grindle, the google search “How do you have fun at work?” led ultimately to founding his own company - a company focused on bringing people together to have fun. It’s not just for initial team-building, John believes that the connection that deepens with regularly playing together is critical for teams to grow and achieve. Guest: John Grindle From a young age, John loved to play games. He...

“I like games for the social aspect.” Games often raise thoughts of competition, strategy, and down time. Alex challenges all of that - sharing the integration of games to build more enjoyable workplaces. But, it isn’t just about fun. All games have some sort of problem solving …and a goal. It’s almost like she’s describing “work.”  We would all do well with a work environment that brings joy...

What does play have to do with finding your soul’s mission? For Deb Valentina, they are absolutely connected, and result in the joy of being in the place you are meant to be. Hear her thoughts on deep soul work, intuition or knowingness, and its connection to play and joy. But first, Debra and I spoke of the power of names. Deb? Debra? She is both and has been both in a journey of leadership and c...

Do you play at work? Jacqueline Lloyd Smith does. As Founder of Strategic Play® Global and a Master Trainer in LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Methods, play is critical to achieving the serious outcomes she gets for companies. But it’s more than that. Given the high disengagement rates of workers these days, play could well be what humanity needs. Hear her stories about facilitating with bricks, the oppressio...

Jackie Stavros and Cheri Torres , authors of “Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement,” draw connections between the practice of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), and approaching work - and conversations - with a sense of play. This type of AI invites curiosity, storytelling, imagination, and a tuning in to those around us. That’s a lot of play!...

How do you know who is ready to play? With Lee Kim, we discuss the creation of playgrounds for adults - within corporate and civic spaces. Blending design thinking and “a space of yes,” playgrounds invite meaningful co-creation.  Explore more about the ideas and playgrounds Lee mentions: Inyeon meaning: https://www.kinfolk.com/stories/word-inyeon/   Wearable Tracy - Short Documentary on...

Is there space for playfulness in the most serious of moments? Liz Vogel is a leader in the preservation of American democracy - and in intentional gathering. It’s easy to challenge whether play has a space with the stakes are high and the content serious, but Liz embodies a playful spirit even when confronting the toughest of issues. We discuss democracy, end-of-life, vintage clothes, and more. R...

Retired Colonel Jason M. Trew -"TOGA" - studied at the Air Force school for strategists (earning a PhD) and came out with some fascinating insights on play. Introducing the concept of “warped play,” TOGA shares insights on the power of play for strategy development - providing opportunity to practice before we are in the highest pressure situations. GUEST: Col Jason “TOGA” Trew, PhD (USAF Retired)...

In a world filled with uncertainty, urgency, and division, what happens when leaders show up with a playful mindset? Lead with a Dash of Play returns to explore how play can help us navigate serious challenges with connection, imagination, creativity and courage. Maybe play is exactly what is needed in this moment.

The final bash of summer should give inspiration and release - and in the case of play, we find that with curiosity and one of its most passionate advocates, Scott Shigeoka. Even beyond play in professional spaces, Scott seeks to make the curiosity that transforms political structures more accessible, more playful, more joyful. Scott Shigeoka is an internationally recognized curiosity expert, spea...

How do you keep play accessible? It can be through physically keeping something close, through the questions we ask ourselves, or through verbal and visual cues we notice during the work day. Featuring Past Guests: Garry Ridge Kathy Klotz-Guest Ruksana Hussain Neville Billimoria

Meetings are such a ubiquitous part of work - and often one of the spaces that can feel energy-draining. What if that wasn’t the case? The clips in this episode of “Summer Session” specifically highlight ways to make meetings better. After all, there is so much potential when people gather. Why waste that time and space? Featuring past guests (along with the offerings they share):  Natalie Ni...

A recurring theme on Lead with a dash of Play is how play can build connections. In the second episode of this summer session on how to play, hear highlights from guests’ suggestions on how to build connection with play in small ways that can be incorporated every day.  Featuring past guests:  Paul Sanbar Jay Guilford Annette Mason Michelle Li    Bridget Quigg Check out their f...

Play helps us be authentic - to actually be seen more truly by others. That’s one of the reasons why it’s so important to play. In the first of this summer session on play, we listen to some entry ways to start to play for yourself - storytelling, physically moving, giving yourself a challenge or creating the space for others to problem-solve.  Featuring past guests (in this order):  Jef...

A second bonus episode for season two. I’ve had the pleasure of being a guest on several podcasts myself during this season, sharing in part what I’ve learned doing the Lead with a dash of Play podcast. This bonus episode shares some clips from the Ways We Learn podcast in which I was interviewed by Sean Dagony-Clark and Joe Burgess Listen to the full conversation on the Ways We Learn podcast, epi...

We rarely have as much time as we want these days, so for leaders who want a taste of my brilliant guests this season - or listeners who want a quick reminder of some of the ideas - here it is. Some of the themes that emerged in our discussions this season include: identity, creativity, agency, joy, and getting rid of our outdated notion of work being “serious.” Whether you're looking for individu...

It’s easy to forget that kids play to sort things out, to discover boundaries, to problem-solve. So why do we think adult play is wholly different? Mike Ganino shares ways narrative play helps us identify what is possible and inspire change - individually and systemically. And it all starts with learning to see. GUEST: Mike Ganino Mike Ganino is a storytelling + communication expert who hosts The...

Play can both build a sense of awe - a practice of wonder - and the flow of committed, rigorous thought. And that combination contributes to audacity. Natalie Nixon invites us to design our space and time for wonder, give ourselves permission to daydream, and lead our teams to play and productivity. GUEST: Natalie Nixon Natalie Nixon, PhD is the creativity whisperer for the C-Suite. She is a creat...

In pursuit of the best structure and mindset for leadership development, Annette Mason co-constructs sabbaticals. These aren’t just for those in academia. To the contrary, individuals can use sabbaticals to learn and recover; businesses can use them to create space for transition and growth. What could you do with an intentionally constructed space for curiosity, play, and learning? "Travel is nev...

How do you cultivate a playground of possibilities? Gary Ware found improv, and it changed the way he worked. Now he helps others incorporate play, building to a “playful rebellion” that can reshape organizational culture. “Play is the cheat code to business success, and leaders who are serious about leading need to cultivate play for themselves and their employees.” (Gary Ware, from The Playful R...