I had a fun experience recently when I rented a car. This might sound like an oxymoron as we don’t usually associate play with rental car paperwork.
The employee at the counter told me that if I sang a song I would get a complimentary upgrade. After assuring me this was true, I was in.
After singing a line from Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (fresh on my mind from a recent trip to the Motown Museum), I drove off in my upgraded car and with a smile on my face.
How often are you bringing play into your daily life? Often we are so focused and want to be seen as serious professionals, that we forget this word. You can still do important work and not take yourself too seriously. In fact, the more intense your work, the more fun is needed.
It requires creativity, a willingness to lighten up and be spontaneous. Generating joy in our tasks and projects increases positivity. This is a key component to getting results.
What can you do? At meetings:
- Have play doh to spark creativity. People can still listen and play with the doh in their hands.
- Let each person share one positive thing that happened to them in the last 24 hours.
- Throw a ball around at the end and upon catching, have each person share their takeaway or next step.
While you don’t have to set up a Silicon Valley playroom, I encourage you to bring more play into your daily routine and customer experiences.
You may even sing with delight when you see how it can drive business!