LeadWorkPlay

Stuart Brown, M.D. is a medical doctor, psychiatrist, clinical researcher and the founder of the National Institute for Play.  He has spent his career conducting more than six thousand “play histories” of human beings across the spectrum – from serial murderers to Nobel Prize winners.

(As any overworked parent can attest to, no surprise that murderers don’t get enough personal play time!)

Seriously, Brown’s research has landed him on PBS, the cover of The New York Times Magazine, and the pages of O: The Oprah Magazine.  The man knows his stuff.  And his mission is to shift our perspective of play as only a guilty pleasure that distracts from our real work and responsibilities.

As a result, most of us have a “play deficit” that is seriously holding us back. In my coming posts, I’ll tell you more about what Brown has to say in his book Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul. Including diagnosing your play personality type and what that means for bringing more play into your work and life.

But in the meantime, take a look at Stuart’s TED talk on why play is vital – including how play that uses the hands is critical to problem solving skills. (And don’t miss the husky and the polar bear!)

http://www.ted.com/talks/stuart_brown_says_play_is_more_than_fun_it_s_vital.html

Sir Ken Robinson, a leading thinker in the field of education, poses the following question: How do we educate our children for a world that we increasingly cannot plan for? Take a moment and really think about that question.   How DO you deal with a world you can neither anticipate nor control?  What worked in the past can no longer be counted on.  The old rules may no longer apply.  And key factors are no longer fixed, but variable and shift faster than expected.

Sir Ken makes an eloquent case that, in a world driven by technology and constant change, creativity is now as important as literacy. His dry British humor delivers his message in a hilariously funny way at times (if you’re a fan of dry, British wit, which I happen to be). Check out his short video: http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

Sir Ken’s ISN’T kidding when he says that schools kill creativity.  And that as a society, we must rethink our definition of intelligence. This includes how that drives our primary and secondary education strategy – because education is meant to take us into a future that we cannot hope to grasp.

This creativity imperative isn’t just driving change at the grade and high school levels.  The value of higher education in America (college/university-based learning) is also in serious question. Not only for our teenage sons and daughters in search of bachelor’s degree, but for adults with established careers who: a) need to stay current and cutting edge in their field; or b) need to reinvent themselves after losing a job.

In the old model, an education is a “product” with standardized content that we “purchased” at specific times in our life – and once paid for, degree in hand, you’re done.   If Sir Ken is right, then it is time to change our paradigm.  Education must become a service that teaches the skills of creativity, analytical thinking, and continuous learning throughout one’s working life-time.

Give yourself a quick break right now from your (probably non-creative) work day and watch his video.  It will make you laugh and make you think totally differently about the value of your own creativity.

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

In my last newsletter I introduced the topic of creativity and play:

If you need a little more help in justifying some time away from work, here you go: play is serious business. Medical researchers, education experts and leading business thinkers are increasingly making the bottom line case for the power of play. Because play is the play-ground for creativity. And bottom line, our ability as a species — to adapt to constant change and to innovate new products, services and markets — is literally impossible without it.

In a new survey of 1,500 chief executives, IBM’s Institute for Business Value discovered a surprising and significant shift in the No. 1 ability CEOs now look for in hiring talent. Not operational effectiveness. Not intelligence, influence or work ethic — but creativity.

BusinessWeek. “What Chief Executives Really Want.” May 19, 2010. (http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/109596/what-chief-executives-really-want?mod=career-leadership)

Creativity and innovation are vital to our future – as individuals (at work/in our careers) and as a global economic power. Yet in our 24/7, technology-saturated world we are LOSING the fundamental abilities required to innovate – focus and play.

In my next several postings, I’ll make the case for increasing play in your life and tell you what the experts have to say. If you are serious about a successful career…or if you ever find yourself living a life of all work and no play… believe me this is something you’ll want to know more about.