Play is something we all knew how to do really well as kids and somehow forgot. The reason we played so hard as children is because we are primed to learn and explore—and we do both at an incredible pace during those years.
But there’s no reason we need to stop. In fact, we shouldn’t if we intend to do our best work.
10 ways to play:
- Play a board game. With a die. And plastic pieces. And an actual cardboard board.
- Start your next meeting with a trivial pursuit card. Whoever gets the most correct answers is royalty for the rest of the meeting. e.g. “Excellent point, Queen Judy.”
- Go outside and run. Not in a straight line. Run in circles.
- At the next party you attend, convince someone that you used to have a job you’ve never had. (The more outlandish, the better.)
- If you live in a cold place, invite the neighbors over. Turn the thermostat to 78 degrees. Turn on steel drum music and serve margaritas and anything mixed with coconut rum.
- Drive home from work a different route than usual.
- Pick something from the menu simply because it has the funniest name.
- Order a root beer.
- Throw snow balls.
- Anytime a kid asks you, “Guess what?”, respond with “Chicken butt.”
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Andy Zimney is a Senior Advisor and Team Performance Coach at Employee Strategies, Inc., a boutique firm that partners with leaders to develop highly effective cultures that drive outstanding results. Contact ESInc to learn more about how they can assess your current culture and design customized and effective development experiences for your team. Or reach out to Andy directly.