{"id":8651,"date":"2023-08-09T03:49:24","date_gmt":"2023-08-09T03:49:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/leadership\/playfulness-and-productivity-a-match-made-in-workplace-heaven\/"},"modified":"2023-08-09T03:49:26","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T03:49:26","slug":"playfulness-and-productivity-a-match-made-in-workplace-heaven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=8651","title":{"rendered":"Playfulness And Productivity \u2013 A Match Made In Workplace Heaven"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

My philosophy \u2013 one I work hard to prove to my clients \u2013 is that work can, and should, be both joyful and productive. Productive is obviously an easy sell, but joyful? Not so much.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why I\u2019ve become so captivated by the work of thought leader and kindred spirit Kelsey Kates, an expert in the neuroscience of how we work best. She advocates that bringing a bit of playfulness to your work can go a long way in cultivating psychological safety, inclusion and belonging, and creativity in your team. And she has the science to back it up.<\/p>\n

Here’s the idea: we, as professional mammals, are still beholden to our \u201cfight or flight\u201d instincts. And while we\u2019re unlikely to encounter a lion in the breakroom, it is likely that we\u2019ll be challenged by situations and people at work who activate those instincts. This makes us feel unsafe, in a professional, psychological sense. When we don\u2019t feel safe, we\u2019re less able to be creative, offer up an innovative idea, and generally perform at our best.<\/p>\n

Playfulness and lightness are essential to safety. Imagine scenario 1: the leader joins the meeting with a stern, all-business expression and says \u201cThis quarter is a mess. We need to fix it \u2013 now.\u201d Or scenario 2: The leader joins the meeting and says \u201cWell friends, it looks like we have some problem-solving to do because this quarter is a mess. I hope you\u2019ve had your coffee. Let\u2019s get to it.\u201d The same message, but with a different tone, is likely to generate very different outcomes in terms of the team\u2019s ability to generate creative, effective solutions.<\/p>\n

The key to playfulness at work is that a little goes a long way. As you can tell from the second scenario, it can just be about lowering the temperature in the room \u2013 conveying a relaxed demeanor. Smiling. Extolling the merits of caffeine. Being clear that you\u2019re all in it together. It doesn\u2019t mean you suddenly need to become a stand-up comedian or take serious situations too lightly.<\/p>\n

<\/fbs-ad><\/p>\n

Ready to give it a try? Here are three easy ways to inject a little playfulness into your next meeting:<\/p>\n

Start by sharing: kick off your next internal meeting, strategy session, etc. with a fun and useful check-in. Pose a prompt like \u201cWhat\u2019s your favorite travel hack?\u201d or \u201cWhat\u2019s you go-to 3:00 PM snack?\u201d and ask everyone to contribute an answer. You\u2019ve immediately invited each voice into the meeting, likely improved the general mood, and \u2013 bonus \u2013 gained some helpful tips.<\/p>\n

Stay in your comfort zone: think about what already brings a little levity to your day \u2013 maybe an animated GIF, a work meme, or a cartoon from The New Yorker<\/em> \u2013 and add one to the agenda slide of a low-stakes internal meeting.<\/p>\n

Just add music: Ask each team member to add a song that inspires them or pumps them up to a team playlist. Then play one before or after your regular team meetings to increase the collective energy.<\/p>\n

If the word \u201cplayful\u201d still feels like a bridge too far, think of it this way: having a sense of humor, wearing a smile, being a bit vulnerable and encouraging others to do the same \u2013 these are things that make us human. And bringing a bit more humanity to our work lives is never a bad thing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read the full article here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My philosophy \u2013 one I work hard to prove to my clients \u2013 is that work can, and should, be both joyful and productive. Productive is obviously an easy sell, but joyful? Not so much. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve become so captivated by the work of thought leader and kindred spirit Kelsey Kates, an expert in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8651","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leadership"},"yoast_head":"\nPlayfulness And Productivity \u2013 A Match Made In Workplace Heaven | Brandiary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"My philosophy \u2013 one I work hard to prove to my clients \u2013 is that work can, and should, be both joyful and productive. 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