Unlock creative profits: the business case for play
Greetings from a busy office here at Sirise Coaching…
…where some days there’s hardly a break in between meetings and I’m balancing coaching and facilitation projects with several different clients. I suspect that you too, are probably in back-to-back meetings with little time for a tea break, let alone some ‘organised fun’. Yet we all know what happens when it’s all work and no play…
Well done for reading past the phrase ‘organised fun’ – it’s one which can strike fear into the hearts of many busy leaders (including myself). However, lately, I’ve been discovering a lot about the importance of creating space for more playful activities; boosting creativity which ultimately can also increase the company’s bottom line.
Improv in business
A few months ago, I signed up for an Improvisation Skills Course for Coaches. It not only meant a trip to London, but also taking a large step outside of my comfort zone. As I tell my clients, it’s important to get comfortable with the uncomfortable, so this was a time to step up and role model that approach.
I learned that improvisation-based training is not only an efficient way of developing core business skills, such as communication, listening, leadership and trust but can also help to unlock our creative thinking and develop innovative solutions to some complex business problems.
It strikes me that we encourage children to engage in improvised play to expand their thinking, but this suddenly disappears when we deem ourselves to be ‘too old’ or perhaps our inhibitions, or fear of what others might think of us, starts to get in the way.
Develop a playful mindset
When we have a more playful mindset, we are less rigid in our thinking. We become more imaginative and flexible, approaching things from unconventional angles that we may not have considered before. While in a fun mood, our brains release dopamine which promotes a relaxed, positive state of mind, without fear of getting things wrong. This reduces stress, enables our brains to make new connections and helps us to think differently. We can also be quite curious when we are having fun and receptive to new experiences and innovative ways of thinking.
Fun means different things to different people. However, in business it can be as simple as some new group exercises that help us put our preconceptions aside and remove barriers to new approaches. Perhaps a bit of movement in the room to give us some different perspectives. Definitely incorporating us to tap into our imaginations and explore the art of the possible.
So, despite my fear, the improvisation course was excellent (notwithstanding the one point in the day when I flatly refused to play the part of a banana…) I’ve learnt several helpful new exercises to facilitate creative thinking amongst teams and would love to share these with you and your team, if you’re game for it.
As Jeff Bezos says: “Work hard, have fun, make history.” (note that he says nothing about bananas!) Good advice from a business titan who knows a thing or two about profitability.
P.S. For more about my work with teams please visit my blog.