There’s plenty of research highlighting the benefits of play for children, but why does this have to stop as we get older?
Let that child run wild!
For a while now I've been fascinated by the concept of play and creative thinking at work.
On the face of it, it seems somewhat odd – inefficient and unproductive even. It's certainly not the way things are done at most workplaces I've ever been part of... and that's exactly why it fascinates me.
A bit of background – I love work, always have
I'm one of those people who, as a child, loved school.
I loved learning because it expanded my world and allowed me to dream even bigger. I was the classic daydreamer: thinking about tomorrow, new ideas, wondering “Why? How? What if?”.
I wasn't great at art, but I did love creating things. I loved a Meccano* set. I wanted to become an architect and until I went to an all-girls boarding school for Years 11 and 12, I consistently topped my technical drawing class (which was made up of 30 boys and me, the only girl). Going into my all-girls boarding school I was told I could be anything I wanted to be, yet I was not offered learning opportunities in tech drawing or metalwork.
My report card always said I was a great student, but that I could be disruptive when bored… and that I should talk less. No surprises there. When you're a kid who loves learning and looking at things differently, being told to shut up, slow down or do things the way everyone else does them is really limiting.
I've asked those “Why? How? What if?” questions regularly.
Some have called it contrarian, I call it curious and inquisitive.
In any event, it's safe to say I have always loved looking at things in different ways.
Unsurprisingly, I've carried this trait into my career – fascinated by what could be achieved; how what I did could be 'better'; how I could 'disrupt' (improve) my work, the work of those around and the outcomes we created.
What may not surprise you is that as 'successful' as I was, I continually found myself in roles and organisations where I became depleted, exhausted, and emotionally spent. I was doing well, but a massive part of me wasn't turning up to work every day.
As I reflect on this disconnect the source has become obvious, and I see it regularly in those I work with.
Nourish your creative spark
We spend so much time in the office that we don't enjoy life – we have minimal time for exercise, people, hobbies, and even joy.
It's so linear, so ‘Industrial Revolution’. We turn up to operate like a machine.
The truth is that work should be aligned with our life goals, not just financially and in 'progression', but also in the way we work, in doing what we love to do (and are good at) and building relationships and opportunities that excite us.
Here's where the child bit comes in.
The reality is that we are creative beings.
René Descartes said, "I think, therefore I am."
My riff on Descartes is "I think, therefore I create."
As children we imagined, we created, we invented, we learned, we challenged. We were encouraged to play.
In my day (yes, I'm that old!), we were sent outside all day to keep ourselves entertained and called in for dinner. We made games up. We collaborated, and we competed. We made the rules up as we went. It was fun.
All work and no play
Then... we were told to colour between the lines.
We were taught the 'right way' to do things, one way to learn things, to do what everyone else does.
“Why, How, and What if?” were good questions, as long as they were asked in the right situation, of the right person.
Play was for little kids – unless it was competitive sports.
Fun could be had, but outside of school or study hours.
The focus of our days shifted from fun, creativity, curiosity, and experience to sitting in the same spot (still can't do it), being told what to learn, how to learn and to do it quietly and without disrupting others. (Okay, remember how I said I loved school – still holds true, but it's becoming abundantly clear as to why I thrived with certain teachers and found others tedious).
We're told to 'knuckle down'** because the rest of our life depends on our results.
And the cycle, unknowingly, starts.
We sacrifice ourselves, our creativity, our fun, for grades, opportunity, and to become just like everyone else around us.
What a paradox.
We’re told, "You’re special, you are unique, you can do anything you want, you can stand out ... as long as you’re doing it like everyone else."
And it continues into our working lives.
Fit in, do what everyone else does, follow the pathway, don't rock the boat, that's a stupid question, don't dress like that, this is the way we've always done things … and it goes on.
As adults, we spend the majority of our waking moments in environments that, through habit (and design from the middle of the last century), not only ask us to turn up as a vanilla version of ourselves but also tell us that we can think… just as long as it’s inside of certain lines.
Those environments that demand we are 'complex problem solvers' yet anchor those solutions to aging frameworks and structures. Those environments are wary and outright critical of doing things differently. Those environments that churn out one transformation program after the other, never seeming to get it right or get it finished***.
I think this, at least in part, is why we love holidays and getting away from our everyday lives. We crave a different experience, the opportunity to see things through a different lens, ask different questions, inhabit a ‘different skin’, and imagine different lives. It’s why that holiday glow is so hard to hold on to.
Yet...
Work should be fun. Work should be creative. Work should encourage you to bring an inquisitive, challenging, and diverse perspective to the table.
More playtime makes us more productive
I don’t care what job you have, creativity will transform your work – from the way you work to the way to approach work.
At its essence creativity is the ability to think differently, play with ideas and concepts, to move an object (or challenge) to see it from different angles.
The value that a creative lens can bring to work – what we do, how we do it, the relationships we build, and the value for our people & customers alike – is enormous.
Here’s my perspective: disruption has a seat at every table. I question the value of any table that doesn’t ask everyone gathered to be creative, use a different lens or challenge the status quo.
“Disruption has a seat at every table”
Creative problem-solving drives innovation and gives us, and our business, a competitive edge.
Creativity drives personal and team engagement and facilitates collaboration.
As we move into the AI Revolution, where our words will be imitated, reconfigured, and reengineered, it’s creativity and the way that we think that will set us apart.
It’s creativity and the way we think – differently – that will be the currency of the future.
So it’s time to put creativity, difference, and fun at the centre of our work.
Now is the time to play. Start the Creative Revolution.
Let your child run wild!
*Meccano: Better than LEGO because you had to actually construct structures with spanners, teeny weeny nuts and bolts, had moving parts including a crane. Great way to spend time as a kid!
**The trouble with knuckle down is that it’s often devoid of fun, and devoid of ourselves. Then you start to resent the study and the sacrifice of ‘joy and life’ for grades.
*** Recent studies suggest that less than 30% of corporate transformations are successful from both a financial and operational perspective.