February 2025 - Peripheral Perspective - PLAY

Hello, Peripheral Thinkers?!

Can you come out and play?

I should have first asked: Are you playful?

In this edition of the Peripheral Thinkers? newsletter “Break All The Rules,” we discuss play. Play is the universal language of children. It is natural and intuitive. Yet, most adults are not considered playful… in the childlike sense.

Why is that, and what does that have to do with growing innovative businesses?

Well… You’ll need to ‘play along’ for a few minutes to see.

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On your mark.

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Get set.

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Play!

Peripheral Perspectives – Play

Think about a time when you played with friends, toys, and your imagination. Do you remember the free-flowing creativity? Your play made imagination a reality. You easily moved from one plot line to another—seamlessly including new thoughts, participants, and environments.

Perhaps best of all, the play didn’t require special permission. You didn’t ask if using a doll as a spaceship or a stick as a guitar was okay. Your cognitive agility reimagined tangible or invisible objects to fit the scenario.

Nowadays, unless your work involves playing with young children, you are unlikely to play?as?a child—at least not regularly.

That’s why we’re discussing play this month. Businesses introduce play into their work, so there must be something to this “childlike play.”

PLAY’S PLACE IN HUMANITY

Play is natural for children and expands their cognitive abilities.

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The prefrontal cortex actively grows throughout childhood. Clinically, it develops one’s abilities for decision-making, reasoning, personality expression, and more. For children,?“Play actively stimulates the development of neural connections within the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which is crucial for children's cognitive growth”—Spark & Stitch Institute.

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For working-age adults, “The PFC is known to be the higher-order association center of the brain as it is responsible for?decision-making, reasoning, personality expression, maintaining social appropriateness, and other complex cognitive behaviors.” – National Institutes of Health.

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Play stimulates the development of the PFC in children, but as adults, we use it for decision-making, reasoning, and complex cognitive behaviors.

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That doesn’t sound like play to me.

So, when does the switch from play to reasoning happen?

Pretend Play: Children typically start pretending with objects around 12–18 months old and peak at around 3–5 years old.?On average, children stop “pretend play” around age 11, but some [very few] continue into adulthood.?

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Youth Sports: Research suggests many children stop playing youth sports by age 11–13. Note that this says many, not all.

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Toys: Children may stop playing with toys around 9–11, but some may continue until adolescence.?

Now we know when play stops.

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Why it stops is because children stop playing:

• Pretend to spend more time on screens instead of playing outside.?
• With toys as they become more aware of how others perceive them.?
• Sports due to burnout, injuries, or growing interest in other social activities.?

I get it. There’s a time when we have to grow up, right?

Fortunately, some businesses use versions of play in their environment/culture.

HOW BUSINESSES APPLY ‘PLAY’ - BEST PRACTICES

You are likely familiar with strategies and tactics for introducing play into the work environment. Businesses have attempted to add play to their culture, from happy hours to friendly competition.

According to INTEGRIS Health, “Play can help activate adults' PFC.?Play can improve brain function, increase creativity, and help with problem-solving.”?

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How play activates the PFC:

• Role play requires the PFC to make predictions.?
• Social play increases neural activity in the PFC.?
• Make-believe play strengthens executive functions controlled by the PFC.?
• Learning new activities, like juggling, dancing, or music, can strengthen executive functions.?

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At face value, play for adults makes sense. It can even spark excitement at the prospect of tapping into the joy of childlike play.

Cue the Experts’ Advice…

CEO Magazine's July 2024 article, "How to incorporate a sense of playfulness in your workplace," references several studies to support its recommendations.

1. Designate play spaces

Designate areas within the workspace for games, puzzles, or relaxation. This will signal to employees that play is not only allowed but encouraged.

2. Integrate play into meetings

Start or end meetings with a quick team-building game or an icebreaker. This will lighten the atmosphere and set a positive tone for collaboration.

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3. Organize playful workshops

Host workshops centered around playful activities like improvisation. These activities promote creativity and team bonding.

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4. Implement gamified learning

Incorporate gamified elements into training programs. This will make learning more engaging and tap into employees' competitive and playful spirit.

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5. Encourage diverse hobbies

Support employees’ diverse interests and hobbies. Whether it’s a board game night or a lunchtime yoga session, creating space for personal passions fosters a more vibrant and playful workplace.

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Okay. Reality check.

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Raise your hand if you look forward to each day's work with the excitement of a child about to begin playtime.

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I suspect Peripheral Thinkers? have a higher-than-average percentage of raised hands.

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Which leaves many more hands dangling than shooting toward the sky.

WHY THE EXPERTS’ ADVICE DOESN’T WORK CONSISTENTLY

One primary reason these play tactics do not work consistently is that they are encouraged inconsistently.

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Play spaces are used only periodically. Could it be that the playful employees become more aware of how others perceive them? “They are over there playing while work piles up on my desk. (Harumph)”

Integrating play into meetings is excellent in theory. With time at a premium, deadlines shrinking, the speed of change, and an increasing need to produce more in a shorter time, playful meetings are being replaced with 10-minute standups.

Playful workshops fall into the “play spaces” and “playful meetings” categories. They are inconsistent, unsupported over time, and often seen as unproductive.

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Gamified learning is a hot topic. However, if the company does not prioritize daily learning, the neuropathways created from play begin to atrophy and die.

Encouraging employees to pursue diverse hobbies is by far my favorite. It supports the exploration of the periphery, learning new skills, and gaining new insights from unique sources. As much as I love this approach, very few companies allow employees to do it regularly during work hours. After a 10 or 12-hour day, who has the energy to pursue diverse hobbies? And of those who do pursue hobbies outside of work, how many bring hobby skills and insights to their work each day?

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It’s not surprising that a Gallup poll indicated that only 18% of employees surveyed believed they could take risks to be creative at work, and just 30% felt that they had time each day to think creatively or discuss new ideas in their workplace.

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Clinical explanation:

The National Institutes of Health explains that neurons in the prefrontal cortex disconnect and stop firing after being exposed to a flood of neurotransmitters or stress hormones. In contrast, areas deep within the brain take a stronger hold over our behavior. … blah blah blah blah blah… the amygdala alerts the rest of the nervous system to prepare for danger. It strengthens memories related to fear and other emotions.

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The non-clinical explanation:

When you feel stressed at work, the creative problem-solving part of your brain routes all calls through the early warning switchboard, which broadcasts “DANGER” throughout your nervous system.

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In those moments, ‘play’ is the last thing your brain and body engage in.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

We can rewire our brains to see play as the perfect response to stress and fear.

A PERIPHERAL THINKER’S? USE OF PLAY

Imagine what it would be like to face some of your biggest challenges with the unencumbered enthusiasm of a child at play…

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You have all the experiences and competence of an adult and a playful child's fearless enthusiasm and curiosity.

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In a recent interview with Cynthia Erivo (star of the movie Wicked), Seth Doane asked what it was like to sing live while flying around the sound stage. You see, Cynthia Erivo insisted on singing while in a harness, with cables and motors flying her around a large sound stage. She did not use a voice soundtrack. What you hear in the movie is what you would have heard during filming.

Why did she insist? Watch the 50-second video clip.

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Did you catch what she said about being able to “play?” If not, watch it again!

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She didn’t ask for permission. She freely played while delivering the lyrics.

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10 common words. 2 lines of the lyrics.

Something has changed within me

Something is not the same

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She played with the lyrics until they transformed into something intensely captivating.

What better way to interpret the lyrics than in motion while her body moves around the set?

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Compare the clinical explanation for adults disengaging from play at work with Cynthia Erivo’s use of ‘play.’

A SIDE NOTE: You may have noticed she said, “acting on impulse.” “Acting on impulse” does NOT mean being uninformed or irrationally impulsive. Quite the opposite. Her impulse comes from playing, trying, removing, and refining everything from tone, rhythm, breath, and physical position.

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PERIPHERAL THINKING? SKILLS THAT HELP YOU PLAY

Let’s assume your inner child whispers, “Come on. Let’s play a little.” Let’s also assume your responsible adult self replies, “Sounds fun, but we have work to do.” Here are five Peripheral Thinking? skills that satisfy both.

1)??? The ‘Investigating’ (aka drilling) skill examines things and situations to ensure the most is learned and discovered. You take nothing at face value. You continue drilling to get to the core. What makes a local restaurant successful for generations? What drives Amazon’s consistent growth? Why do people prefer one airline over another? What other uses are there for this stick or doll? The more ‘Investigating’ you do, the more content you uncover—ideas, principles, processes, approaches, solutions.

2)??? The ‘Studying’ skill embraces curiosity to discover new things and learn new skills. We all have some level of curiosity. Note that this is different than a distraction. ‘Studying’ is a purposeful skill to expand your resources and grow other Peripheral Thinking? skills. To strengthen your ‘Studying’ skill, seek new experiences to learn something you don’t know. Most anything will do. You don’t need to become an expert but must invest time, energy, and focus to capture new lessons. These lessons become unique options to add to your Peripheral Resource Library?. Oh yeah… ‘Studying’ should be fun. You're doing it wrong if it feels like cramming for an exam.

VS.

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3)??? Go figure… There’s a Peripheral Thinking? skill called ‘Playing.’ It is just what it sounds like. It is the physical interpretation of ideas and principles. Yep. I said, “physical.” Get on your feet and move through a problem. Draw images on the whiteboard or window and connect them with colored markers. Move Post-it? notes around a board.

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If the problem you are solving was a character in a movie, what would it walk and talk like? Try it. How would your movie’s hero walk and talk? Try it.

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Now… act out different ways your hero could overcome the obstacles and achieve their goals. You aren’t looking for the correct answer. You are looking for all the possible answers. Remember how Cynthia Erivo played with the lyrics.

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4)??? The ‘Applying’ Peripheral Thinking? skill uses new experiential knowledge to pursue innovative results. ‘Applying’ involves combining multiple lessons and skills. It is the messy and nonlinear next step after ‘Playing.’ Like ‘Playing,’ ‘Applying’ involves cognitive movement to combine different insights.

Think of it like the connecting of puzzle pieces from different puzzles. You look for what fits together. Groups of connected pieces combine with other groups. Some combinations won’t work together. Keep going. The lessons and insights you uncovered during ‘Investigating,’ ‘Studying,’ and ‘Playing’ contain potent combinations. These options fuel your innovation. ?

For the overachievers, one more skill boosts your ‘Play!’

5)??? ‘Creating.’ Oxford’s Dictionary definition of ‘create’ is “causing (something) to happen as a result of one’s actions.” However, Peripheral Thinking’s? ‘Creating’ skill is less linear. Less proper. Less stuffy, adult-like.

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‘Creating’ is one of Peripheral Thinking’s? secret sauces. (See the February 2024 newsletter edition). It is the culmination of exploring possibilities, uncovering, and ‘applying’ options to invent a new _______. Manipulate your options into different shapes, images, and configurations. A new approach. A new product. A new way to use your existing product or approach.

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Your ‘Creating’ success is limited only by your willingness to go bigger and make bolder choices. You play with a doll and stick in unique ways. The doll (spaceship) and stick (guitar) meld together. You combine a rocket's thrust with a guitar's sound wave pattern to CREATE a time travel machine.

Are you picking up what I’m putting down?

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If so, this is what’s happening in your brain right now.

The video depicts neurons connecting.

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Imagine boisterous cheering throughout your brain with each neuro-connection.

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Play accelerates the connections in your prefrontal cortex. It creates neuropathways to other parts of your brain. Stronger connections improve ‘synaptic pruning’ (removing connects of unhelpful connections like the “Danger” broadcasts) that disrupt your nervous system.

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I am pretty amped watching neurons connect.

Why? Because it represents new beginnings.

It connects previously unconnected thoughts, ideas, and lessons.

It is the creation of new thoughts and actions.

It is the beginning of repeatable innovation.

WHAT NOW...

If you are wondering what your next step is…

It’s pretty simple…

PLAY!

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How?

Here are a few suggestions you can complete this week, or at a minimum, in the next 30 days:

Investigate: Round up a few friends/colleagues for a scavenger hunt. Who can find the most unusual use of a material? A tire as a door stop. A lightbulb as a vase. An Excel spreadsheet as a paint-by-numbers image… Set the start and end date, and schedule a show and tell.

Study: This is all about trying new things. To make it easy, here are a few activities you can try in 90 minutes or less:

• Meet the Author (Virtual or at Barnes & Noble)
• Group Painting Class (bring your own wine)
• Indoor Climbing (do not bring wine ??)
• FlowRider? Surf Simulator
• Poetry Readings
• Karaoke Night
• Axe Throwing
• ….

Play: Come on. You know you want to. What’s stopping you? Childlike play may feel awkward at first, but that is just your inner child waiting for permission from the adult you. Place your adult self in time-out and encourage your inner child to come out to play. I know you can remember something you loved playing as a child. Legos. Dress Up. Hide and seek. Tag. … Whatever it was, this week is the week to do it again. Think out loud while playing. Use the words and expressions you would have as a child. Here’s the key… DO NOT STOP until you feel the joy, surprise, freedom, or imagination you did as a child.

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Apply: Okay. You can let the adult out of time-out… BUT with strict instructions to limit using rules. List at least one lesson, principle, observation, or insight from each of your first three activities—investigate, study, and play. String them together. Mix and match. Arrange them front to back, side to side, back to front. What options did you come up with? Remember how Cynthia Erivo applied varied tones, rhythms, and breaths to discover deeper meaning in the lyrics.

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Create: This is an optional step unless you are serious about creating an innovative business that consistently thrives in every market environment. The first four activities have led you to this—Creating. When you have multiple options from your ‘Applying’ activity, it’s time to bring one or more of them to life. Select one of your options and create a new product, process, marketing message, financial strategy, business, or _____. You can start small, but you must start. Remember to remain ‘playful’ as you create. You should not revert entirely to your linear, black-and-white adult logic. Keep those creative, unencumbered, anything-is-possible neuropathways open and flowing.

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I’m excited for those brave enough to use these five playful skills this month. I know what's in store, and by mid-March, you will not be the person you are today. Your work will be different, your business will change, and you will begin to believe there are no limits or rules except the ones you allow.

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If you learned anything from this month’s newsletter, I hope it is this:

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“You can access everything you need to achieve anything you can imagine!” - The Peripheral Thinkers? Motto.

When I deliver speeches to school-age audiences, they quickly accept the motto. Adult audiences require a little more convincing.

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PLAY is a powerful and fun way to start collecting your ‘everything’ to achieve your ‘anything.’

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On your mark.

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Get set.

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PLAY!

One more insight…

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The two lines I referenced from Wicked’s Defying Gravity are:

Something has changed within me

Something is not the same

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These two lines are followed by:

I'm through with playing by

The rules of someone else's game

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Let these be your mantra for the next 30 days!

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Until the March newsletter, you can find me in the periphery… PLAYING!

LET’S PLAY!

If the newsletters and LinkedIn posts are helpful, will you share them with others?

Rest assured that I play well with others ??!

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Image Credits: Image Creators? ? 2025 Paul Daniels, Jr. & Peripheral Thinkers?

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