The Necessity of Play
Let me guess...you don’t have time for play, right?
With all the responsibilities, obligations, pressures, and deadlines, there’s simply not enough time in the day for something as silly and trivial as play, am I right? If both of these hold true for you, then it would be pointless to attempt to shift your perspective from “all work and no play” to viewing play as a necessity, but I am going to give it the ol’ college try anyway!
As adults, we have lost the ability to ‘let go and enjoy the moment’. Much of our time is spent ruminating over what went wrong and the opportunities we missed or what might go wrong, while creating structures to be sure we seize future opportunities. This leads us to take both our work and ourselves too seriously. Yet, the opposite is true about the value of play. Here are some findings psychologists and researchers discovered about the benefits of play:
Individuals: increased job satisfaction, creativity and innovation, and more time on task
Teams: increased trust and bonding, sense of solidarity, and decreased feelings of hierarchy
Organizational: increased agility, friendlier work atmosphere, employee commitment, and flexibility in decision making (APS, 2017)
So, leader...curious about where should you start? Bringing laughter into your day is a great launchpoint. According to the Conscious Leadership Group (2014), find ways to incorporate “the lighthearted, playful laughter that refreshes the soul and is contagious and infectious in its impact. It is a laughter that invites others in and doesn’t exclude or cause division...and always comes from love. It is not only good for the soul, but also good for the body and really good for the mind.”
You need to play! The authors of the book, Helping People Change suggests that “playfulness works because it reminds us of our humility and vulnerabilities.” So, if you are looking for that ever-elusive ‘work/life balance’; if you want your teams/director reports to see you as a imperfect human being; if you seek more authentic connections; if you want to be effective as a leader, mentor, sponsor, coach or role model - all of these desires are possible through play. Allow yourself time to release the burdens of life and enjoy the precious moments available to you with family, friends, and your teams. Play is not a luxury, it is a necessity!
Quote for Growth
“Play is the only way the highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.”