Lead with a dash of Play

Shifting our notion of “failure” to “learning moments” gives us the opportunity to be more human. Garry Ridge led the global company WD40 for 25 years, with a playful streak that is still apparent in the stories he shares and the way he talks about the company. Can you be CEO and play? “Businesses and leaders have not only the opportunity but a real responsibility to create cultures that are engag...

In her Tedx Talk, Van Lai-DuMone shares the story of how fueling curiosity gave birth to an $8.3 billion industry. We talk about the intersection of creativity and curiosity, as well as the power of building simultaneously and together to hear all voices and create something collaboratively. From art supplies to LEGO® bricks, Van engages corporate leaders to think with their hands. GUEST: Van Lai-...

What if we didn’t call it “play”? Jay Guilford has been guiding the growth of leadership and teams for over 20 years. And yet, like so many before me, I was first curious about his roots in the circus. Does “play” have a branding problem? We talk about play in the DEI space as well as the legacy of the circus. GUEST: Jay Guilford Jay Guilford once worked with a bunch of clowns. Literally. Long ago...

Is there a place for playfulness within the very serious issues of our day? Michelle Li identifies it as critical. When creating Clever Carbon, Michelle deliberately developed a cheeky, hip, playful tone to the teaching of climate footprint. Creating joyful spaces of learning may be a different approach than many in the climate industry, but it just may help us adopt new habits. GUEST: Michelle Li...

Can play help us collectively build an innovative economy? Neville Billimoria , SVP for Mission Federal Credit Union, shares the ways play supports his creativity and well-being. In the process, we see how play can be a pattern interrupt, a useful intentional disruption when something is not working - whether that is a meeting at work or a bigger initiative. GUEST: Neville Billimoria Neville Billi...

In the research and the book he co-authored ( Primed to Perform ), Neel Doshi identifies play as the number one motivating factor for performance. He argues that we need to change how we motivate performance. We discuss how forward-looking CEOs are restructuring, the not-so-distant future of our jobs, and ways to make team leadership at any level fun. “Curiosity and experimentation are at the hear...

What can happen when we remember that creativity is a process? Amy Climer studies and teaches creativity, including how to lead in a way that explicitly supports creativity and the creative process. Hear what Sir Ernest Shackleton understood about leadership, how imagery can unlock better connections, and what nobel prize winners do that the rest of us can emulate. GUEST: Amy Climer Dr. Amy Climer...

Ruksana Hussain brings together the play personalities of explorer and storyteller in her work as a travel journalist, publisher, and speaker. Seeing the world with a mindset of “wow,” keeping open to learning something new even in her home town and from people she meets with regularly, starting the day with a crossword puzzle - Ruksana has a lot to teach us all about the place of play in “work.”...

Want to foster a creative, innovative environment? Jeff Harry describes the essential nature of play in order to create psychological safety. In the process he argues that the world needs to stop the model of leadership which stemmed from toxic masculinity, instead embracing the divine feminine and a healthy blend of masculine and feminine leadership. “You’ll find the future where people are havin...

As a rare woman leader in tech, Kathy Klotz-Guest had to deliberately choose joy. Told many times to be more serious, to change the way she dressed, to lead differently, Kathy chose instead to forge her own path in leadership, and now she teaches others how to grow in owning their identity and joy in order to bring more authenticity into their leadership. GUEST: Kathy Klotz-Guest From Silicon Vall...

The Lead with a dash of Play is back for season 2! More CEOs, Executive Leaders, Researchers, Authors and Coaches on the vital role of play in the workplace. Guest clips from: Neville Billimoria, Neel Doshi, Kathy Klotz-Guest, Jeff Harry, Ruksana Hussain, and Michelle Li.

Curiosity, compassion, innovation, and community - why is play not considered essential leadership development? Mary Hendra , Executive Leader and Founder of Move with Grace , shares thoughts on the connection between leadership and play, as well as the impetus for this podcast series. Was the podcast series “too long, didn’t listen”? This is your summary of a great season of guests exploring the...

What would it mean to shift from “I need to be heard” to “I know I will be seen”? Wendy Horng Brawer incorporates play in the work she does with CEOs and teams, and describes that shift in sharing the impact of play. Team alignment, DEI initiatives, navigating through failure… Wendy shows us how vital play really is in the workplace. “The opposite of play is not work - the opposite of play is depr...

When did you last build with bricks? Paul Sanbar found a way to make playing with LEGO® his job when he became a LEGO® Serious Play® facilitator, but his roots in psychotherapy are equally foundational. Building and breaking things apart - externally and internally - that’s serious play! “Play has the power to change lives.” LEGO® An Ingenuity + Executive Coach, coaching supervisor, and hands-on v...

Opt in. Mark Collard created an entire database of games for Playmeo, but key to all is the invitation to choose to participate. Once we make that choice, we enter in to a different type of connection with others. Mark Twain is said to have observed “work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.”   Mark Collard is an experie...

What are the stories you tell yourself? Do they serve you? Jocelyn Brady , Brain Coach, shares the importance of play in breaking you out of your own resistance. It doesn’t have to include a penguin suit, but it could. We talk about giving yourself permission for “Vitamin Play.”  ”Play is the highest form of research.” Albert Einstein, nobel-prize winning Physicist. Jocelyn Brady is a writer,...

Dave Mastronardi doesn’t consider himself a “playful” person, but he runs games for a living. We talk about the power of structure in play and why the term “play” itself is problematic.  “ Serious games help organizations solve complex problems through collaborative play .” Luke Hohmann, Founder and CEO of The Innovation Games Company, in the Foreword to Gamestorming, The Playbook for Innovat...

Could play be as simple as solving puzzles? Bridget Quigg brings her experience with tech, marketing, and improv to support each of us recognizing our own creative genius. She shares stories of construction workers, military, tech industry and nurses engaging with play, and I make a connection to the “temporary alternative universe” identified by Priya Parker in The Art of Gathering. “When we play...

Could play be the most underrated leadership skill?  A new podcast exploring the power of play in professional spaces, and redefining “play” in the process.