A Coaching Power Tool Created by Bruno Lucas
(Life Coach, URUGUAY)
The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct. –Carl Jung
Are playing and working intrinsically different?
Why is it that in general we consider play and work two different things? What is it, apart from the fact that work always comes with a salary, that makes those to dynamics so different in the way we conceive them and experience them? Is there an intrinsic difference between them? Or is it that we can actually decide how to approach them?
The way children play
When little children play, they are focused on the present moment, they enjoy the process, they are detached from results. Playing a game is in general a synonym of having fun, feeling relaxed, feeling excited, experiencing a sense of achievement, learning, developing a skill, feeling good. And of course, adults can play games with the same approach.
On the other hand, the way we think about work involves many times ideas like struggling, effort, sacrifice, boredom.
Imagine a person that approaches playing being tense, that focuses too much on the effort and too little on learning developing skills and having fun, that focuses too much on the goals and too little on all the benefits that the process brings now, that focuses too much on fear of losing and doesn´t see all the potential and opportunities. What would you tell that person? You probably would tell him things like “Relax, enjoy the game… you cannot learn, get better, connect and enjoy with other people if you don´t focus on playing and enjoying the process…”, because, it´s obvious that that is the proper way of approaching playing, right?
So, what about telling ourselves the same about the way we approach work and learning in general?
Is it possible to approach learning, work and creative processes in the same way we approach playing?
Suggested paradigm
Let´s take a look at some of the elements present in play:
Now let´s see some of the elements present in work:
After identifying a similarity between both dynamics, we can revise how we interact with each one of those elements that conform the way we work, and ask ourselves how can we do it differently, in a way that feels better, more like when we play, and also to avoid the waste of energy that comes from excessive focus on fear and stress.
Application
Through powerful question, we can invite the client to shift his perspective, in order to use the play approach when working.
Some useful questions:
The space
The rules
The coworkers
The goals
Enjoying the process, having fun
Practicing, learning and developing skills
Modeling
In all this areas, is there anyone´s behavior, style or approach that I could take as an inspiration and model?