Play More and Argue Less [Leadership]

In this post recession economy, you might be feeling a little victimized by circumstances outside of your control. Maybe you feel like your capacity is being sorely tested. Or maybe you feel that your people are not up to the challenge. I would like to link you to two resources that will get you thinking about 2 areas where you do have control: your style of communication and the way you structure work in your organization. They are short, engaging and probably just about all you have time for right about now:


The first resource:

Jonathan Fields, a self-declared career renegade offers 7 Tips to Lose an Argument. What he really does for us is provide clear and digestible suggestions for having conversations that not only yield results but build relationships. His tongue in cheek article helps us see what there is to lose when our only focus is on “winning” an argument.


The second resource:



In this half hour talk, Tim Brown, the CEO of IDEO talks about why play and playfulness matters in organizations. I strongly urge you to watch the presentation. You will want to share it with your staff and talk about it at home! I know you are skeptical (You are, aren’t you?) so I am also going to share a slimmed down summary provided by Garr Reynolds. And since you asked, Garr Reynolds, formerly of Apple, is an associate professor of management at Kansai University in Japan. He is also the author of a blog entitled, Presentation Zen.

Fear inhibits us and often prevents us from taking chances or sharing our ideas with others. It leads us to be overly conservative and to keep our “wild ideas” inside.

Playfulness can be pragmatic as well. It helps us find better solutions, more creative answers to complex problems.

Construction play is a powerful way to learn (classic “learning by doing”) for kids. Adults can do this too (called “thinking with your hands”). This behavior is about prototyping and quickly getting something in the real world “...and having your thinking advanced as a result.”

Role play can be used to experiment with non-physical designs such as health-care services, educational settings, etc. We should take role-playing more seriously (as children do). Role play is important for putting ourselves in the shoes of the end users, looking at the world and experiences from their point of view. Role play is an empathizing tool.

Play is not anarchy. There are rules, especially for group play. Play also involves negotiation. One does not play all the time — we need to learn to transition in and out of play. You can be a serious professional (or student) and be playful.