Photo by Rosalind Chang  on Unsplash Somewhere along our timeline, the meaning of ‘play’ changed. Now, it is childish, and maturity comes from being serious, and those things that look joyful probably aren’t important. This ideology weaves through our workplaces, in how we reward behaviour and praise exhaustion while mistrusting ease. What if play was actually fundamental to our wellbeing? What if it isn’t something that distracts us from responsibility but evokes our alivene

Photo by Vlad Hilitanu  on Unsplash What comes to mind when someone says the word ‘play’? Frivolity? Distraction? Is it a childlike quality? In a professional environment, it’s not commonly encouraged, but rather, it’s a reward for when the ‘real work’ has been completed. Between the performance reviews, productivity hacks and ‘get your head down’ attitude, play is often seen as inefficient and generally expendable. The unserious nature of play is exactly why it’s been overlo

Photo by thom masat  on Unsplash There is often a divide between the professional and intangible, especially within leadership. Tangible measures, frameworks and technical competencies and the addition of more is where most leadership development teeters, but it may be the case that in order to effectively lead, we need to sway away from the measurable and move towards that which cannot be quantified; their inner selves. Science and organisational research pokes at the idea o

Photo by Yeshi Kangrang  on Unsplash How are leaders perceived? And which metrics mean the most? Pressure from organisational structures (expectations of speed, optimisation and unbeatable KPIs) quickly becomes corrosive to real human interaction. Meeting slots are full, calendars are packed, and words are exchanged constantly; but genuine connection rarely is. Employees spending their work life in a cycle without acknowledgement is a sure case for disengagement. This begs