Play: What Humans Can Do

"Without play, peak performance is impossible.  By play, I mean any activity that engages the imagination."

These words of advice come from Edward Hallowell in his book, Shine: Using Brain Science to Get the Best from Your People (Boston, Harvard Business Review, 2011), which is rated among the top 10 "Books that Can Shape our Profession" in this week's Exchange Insta Poll. Hallowell continues...

"Play is what humans can do and computers can't.  Play is the activity of the mind that allows you to dream up novel approaches, fresh plans.  Columbus was at play when it dawned on him that the world was round.  Newton was at play in his mind when he saw the apple tree and suddenly conceived of the force of gravity.  Watson and Crick were playing with the possible shapes of the DNA molecule when they stumbled on the double helix.  Shakespeare played with the iambic pentameter his whole life.  Mozart barely lived a waking moment when he was not at play.  Einstein's thought experiments are brilliant examples of the mind invited to play...

"Play, as I define it, is not restricted to the 'creatives' in your organization...  If you're reading this page, you can play!  Everyone has it in them to imagine and to question.  The best organizations create a culture that fosters play in everyone, especially those to whom it does not come naturally, because in play those people will discover talents and ideas they didn't know they had.  An expectation of rigid conformity, of political correctness and robotic obedience to procedure and rules, may prevent lawsuits, but it deadens people and sooner or later kills organizations.  No one ever got great by doing only what they were told."

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