Adult Games vs Kid Games

In my blog post, “How Can Goals Enhance Creativity” I said…

“…As long as everyone in the organization believes they are playing a game which is designed to get them energized today, and it is not specifically about hitting the target, I can assure you that people will be more motivated.”

Games can be a useful tool for enhancing creativity.  They make work more fun, they reduce stress, and they get people in action.

HOWEVER…

Not all games are created equally.  There are adult games and kid games.

With adult games, there tend to be rigid rules, the games have an ending, and there are winners and losers.

Think about nearly every game we play: Monopoly, poker, or basketball.

They typically have a complex set of rules that all of the players need to adhere to.  If you break the rules you “go to jail,” are disqualified, or get penalized.

Adult games end.  The game is over when all of the other players are out of money, when the “clock” says there is not more time, or when everyone has had their turn.

And nearly every adult game has a winner and one or more losers.  They are competitions.

Contrast this with kid games.

Kids play games with very loose rules, the game continues until they say it ends, and there is no concept of winner/loser.

If you watch kids play.  They tend to have very few rules in their games.  And if there are rules, they make them up as they go along. They improvise. Even universal rules don’t apply to kids.  They can don a cape and fly through the air, defying the laws of gravity.

Rarely is a stopwatch involved when kids play.  They play the game until they get tired of playing that game.  And then they invent a new game.  The only clocks involved with kid games are the watches on the wrists of their parents.  The adults end the game when it’s dinner time or bedtime.

And there are no winners or losers.  They don’t even have that concept. Yes, they might have battles with imaginary swords or super powers.  And there are victims who get hurt or die in the heat of battle.  But they come back reinvented as a new character.  The play does not end at death.

Kids play for the sake of play and no other reason.

Adult games can limit creativity. The rules, deadlines, and pressure prevent the flow of new ideas.  They create stress.

If you want to enhance creativity, passion, and productivity, I encourage you to play kid games. These timeless, unbounded, and rule-free games can create an environment of free-flowing-thinking.  As mentioned in previous blog entries, studies show that 98% of 5 year olds test as highly creative, yet only 2% of adults do. We don’t lose our creativity; we learn habits which stop it from emerging.

I contend that the types of games we play reflects our level of creativity.  When people are most creative, they play kid games.  When they are least creative, they play adult games.

Maybe it is time to recapture our creative youth and start playing more kid games.

In future blog entries, I will discuss HOW kid games can be used to enhance creativity, productivity, and success.

One Simple Action Can Change Your Life and Your Business

Recently, a number of people have asked me how I became an author and professional speaker.  I reflected upon it and realized that it all started with one simple action.  And maybe, to make major change happen, that’s all you need: one small move.

The year was 1993.  I was a relatively junior person at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture).  I was 7 years out of college and was working on projects like everyone else.  I blended into the woodwork and was not distinguished from any of the other 40,000 consultants.

And then one day I had an idea:  I realized that I was interested in “cultural transformation” work and felt that Andersen’s culture could use a little transforming.  Therefore I decided to call the CEO, George Shaheen, and ask for a meeting to discuss this, um, idea.  Yes, I admit, it sounds a little crazy.

I moved into action.  I found a company directory, looked up the direct dial number for George, and placed the call.  I remember the call well.  His executive assistant answered the phone and asked what I wanted.  I said, “I want to speak with George Shaheen about transforming Andersen Consulting.”

I am certain she must have looked at the phone and thought, “Who is this crazy person?” She responded, “Excuse me.  What do you want?”  I repeated myself.  She was polite and said, “Ok, let me see what I can do.”  She hung up and I assumed that would be the end of things.

The next day, the partner leading the project I was working on came to my desk.  Although he was many levels down the totem pole, word got to him quickly. He asked me, “Did you call George Shaheen?”  I confirmed that I had.  I’m sure HE thought I was crazy.  He said, “Maybe I can help you.”  I proceeded to tell him my idea about transforming the company’s culture.  His response – “I know someone, Bill Stoddard, who is involved with an effort called ‘Enterprise Transformation.’  Maybe you want to meet him instead.”  I said, “I would love to meet with Bill.  And I still want to meet with George.”

Long story short, I did eventually meet with George, and it was an interesting meeting.  But the person who changed my career forever was Bill Stoddard.  Meeting him put my career on a totally different trajectory.  For some reason he liked me and asked me to work with him on a new initiative he was leading called Value Driven Re-Engineering (he was only an adviser to the Enterprise Transformation initiative). I stopped doing full-time client work and started working with Bill.  Our re-engineering work turned out to be big.  VERY big.  At one point, over one-third of the company’s revenues could be tied back to re-engineering.  I was busy leading training sessions and giving speeches around the world.

This started me on the path towards the career I have now.  A career I absolutely love.

And none of this might have happened if it weren’t for that one phone call to George.

Sometimes one action can forever change the course of your life, or your business.

Of course, I did not realize that this call would lead me down a totally new path.  But sometimes, we can predict possible futures based on actions.

What action can you take TODAY that could change the course of events for you or your business. If the action doesn’t seem outrageous or crazy, keep on thinking.

• Who can you call that you would never typically have the guts to call?
• What can you do that is out of your comfort zone, but could have life changing implications?
• Where could you go that you would never go, but might open up new opportunities?

Sometimes, just taking the first step on a new path can change the course of future events.

Pictures of My Baby, Delivered Today

No, I did not give birth to a boy or a girl.  I gave birth to a book.  I’ll be handing out cigars later.

But in the meantime, I wanted to share the photos of my new baby.  Here is the first copy of the Personality Poker book, hot off the press.  Previous photos were “glamor shots.”  These are the real deal. You have to see it to appreciate how cool it is.

Looking for Reviewers of the Personality Poker Book

Today marks 10 weeks before the release of the Personality Poker book.

And just a few hours ago I received 100 copies of the “galleys” (the uncorrected paperback proofs).

Over the next few weeks, we will be compiling a list of those in the media, including bloggers, who we think would be interested in receiving the book, along with a deck of the specially designed cards.

Unfortunately, I don’t know everyone out there who might be want to read this “masterpiece.”  Therefore, I am reaching out to see if YOU want to receive a copy.

If you are in the media (TV, print, radio, internet, etc) and would like a copy, please email us at info (at) personalitypokerbook (dot) com.

P.S. Be sure to read my article, Is Your Organizations Playing with a Full Deck?, published on the Pearson Learning Solutions website.

Everything Has a Personality

While developing Personality Poker, one thing I discovered is that lots of things have personalities: People, Political Parties, Products, Places, and Organizations (I could not find a “p” for this last one).

When you look at everything through the lens of a personality, you begin to see why individuals gravitate towards (or away from) certain people, companies, political affiliations, products, and geographies.

Contrary to convention wisdom, opposites do not attract.  Human beings prefer to be surrounded by people who are “like” them.

Therefore, the desire for “sameness” creates homogeneous personalities in everything we see.

Saying that people have personalities is nothing new.  Personality typing has been around for over 2,000 years, since the days of Hippocrates.

But organizations also have personalities.  In some circles, this might be referred to as a company’s “culture.”   The personality of a company impacts the people they hire and the methods they use to motivate and retain employees.  People who don’t fit the mold, never join or eventually leave.  The result? More of the same.  Although highly creative individuals may thrive in a company with an innovation-driven personality, they will most likely whiter in one which is overly bottom-line, short-term focused.  If you want to change your company culture, a good first step is to distinguish its personality.

The same is true with political parties, which are basically organizations with common points of view.  The Republican party has a very different personality than the Democratic Party.  Because like attracts like, the beliefs associated with each party get cemented. It also makes it difficult to understand and appreciate the perspectives of opposing party beliefs.

Even products have personalities.  The personality of an Apple MacBook is quite different than that of a Window’s based PC.  And the people who buy each product is a reflection of the individual’s personality.  A person who drives a BMW is making a statement about their personality.  Someone driving a Ford F150 is saying something quite different.  Yes, sometimes we buy  a product for its features and functions.  But more often, we buy things because they are a reflection of our personality.  [Or maybe we buy a product based on what personality we want others to think we are, such as buying a Ferrari during a midlife crisis].

Places (cities, states, and countries) have personalities too.  Although both are in Texas, Austin has a very different personality than Dallas.  Austin is weird (proudly so) while Dallas is more conservative.  Due to the perceived differences in personality, the influx of new residents into each city helps cement their personality over time.  What’s the personality of your hometown?  Does it reflect who you are?  Are there cities where you would not live because the personality clashes?

Maybe everything has a personality.  In a class I am taking, I am supposed to ask people a number of questions about me.  One of them is, “If I were on the cover of a magazine, which one would it be? And what would be the title of the article?” Nearly everyone I spoke with gravitated towards business magazines, saying that Fast Company, Wired, or Entrepreneur were the right choices for me.  Most felt that Forbes or Fortune were too serious.  Clearly that says something about my personality, and the personalities of the magazine.

It is fun to look at everything through the lens of personality.  And when you remember that we naturally gravitate towards those (people, places, products, etc) with similar personalities, you will begin to see why we make the decisions we make.

From an organizational perspective, there is a greater opportunity.  If you are struggling to innovate, it might be because you do not have a wide range of personalities in your organizations.  Your company’s personality might be repelling potential and current employees.  As a result, you attract and retain only those who fit the personality.  This is the enemy of innovation.  But more on this in future blog entries…

Next Page »