Play.

09.09.10

Play.

Days at the office can have a tendency to be long and tedious.  Client "fire drills," bickering co-workers, and TPS reports that have a new cover letter every time Rosemary gets a new idea from one of her issues of "Organization 101" magazine.  

Change happens.  People get frustrated... and the workplace environment can become your 40 hours per week prison...

... unless, PLAY enters the picture.

What is Play?  

It's what you make it.  Nobody can wrap this concept up in a universal definition, because PLAY is unique to all of us.

But what do know is that PLAY has some common characteristics to it (According to author Stuart Brown.)

PLAY involves:

1.  Anticipation:  waiting with expectation, wondering what will happen with curiosity and a little anxiety... but it's exciting!

2.  Surprise:  the unexpected discovery!  Maybe a sense gets stimulated that you didn't expect... 

3.  Pleasure:  the good stuff.  Just like when you finally get to the punch line of a good joke, it's the euphoric "ahhh..." after the crescendoing anticipation.

4.  Understanding:  the "a ha!" or connection of points and ideas.

5.  Strength:  Mastery.  Comes from going through the gauntlet and becoming more confident in your ability to engage the next time!

6.  Poise:  grace, contentment, and a sense of balance.  You got it!  You own it.

So here's the question: how do you integrate PLAY into your workplaces? 

Perhaps consider lunch time olympics, watermelon seed spitting contests, or any other weird activity that is disconnected from the actual work, but UBER connected to unifying the team through laughter and fun.

Contrary to popular business belief, PLAYing in the workplace does not destroy profitability... No No No!  On the contrary... a staff that laughs together, stays together, works together, and desires to help each other.  

... I'm no genius, but could this type of a team generate efficiency and unity... NATURALLY?

Corporations pay $thousands$ of dollars for consultants, programs, and curriculums intending to help their teams gel. What if just integrating some PLAY from time to time is actually the medicine that everyone wants and needs?  

I just bought my staff a hot dog rotisserie and a popcorn maker.  We are not in the restaurant business... in fact, we are manufacturers of tools for printing.  Hot dogs and popcorn have NOTHING to do with our industry... which is why it was a perfect investment on my part.

Since it's maiden voyage last week, this $130 investment has sparked unlimited belly laughs, smiles, generosity, servanthood, and satisfaction among out team here.  People gather around (at break time of course) to get their perfectly cooked hot dogs, share a few stories about their kids/weekends/life, develop deeper friendships with each other, then go back to work.

The return on my $130 investment has proven far more valuable than my expectations.

Be weird.  Be willing.  Be PLAYful.  

R