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Looking to build innovation, strengthen organizational culture, and develop greater confidence? Try play. Seriously. Play builds empathy, sparks creativity, and allows deeper reflection and learning. Why would we not integrate it into our workday? Speaking with CEOs, executive coaches, and leaders across a variety of industries, Mary Hendra explores what “play” can look like in professional spaces, its impact on us and our organizations, and how to integrate a little play ourselves to build ...
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Summer Session Bash: Pushing Into Curiosity
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28:24
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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…
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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 BillimoriaBy Mary Hendra
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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 (alon…
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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 Bridge…
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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. Feat…
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Season 2: What have I Learned about Leading with Play?
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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 f…
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Season 2 TL;DL: Play as a Force for Change
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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 be…
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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 …
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Season 2: Toggle Between Wonder and Rigor
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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 cr…
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Season 2: Intentional, Designed Experiences
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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…
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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 an…
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Season 2: The Petri Dish of Organizational Culture
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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 rea…
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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 …
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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 …
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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 jus…
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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 in…
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Season 2: What are Your Levers as a Leader?
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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…
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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 o…
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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 t…
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Season 2: Toxic Masculinity v the Divine Feminine
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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 leadersh…
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Season 2: Humility, Vulnerability, Joy - Play Cannot be Faked
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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 lead…
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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.By Mary Hendra
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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 su…
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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 …
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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 + Ex…
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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…
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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 wi…
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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…
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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 P…
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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.By Mary Hendra
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