Snack 5: Why Playing Pretend Can Save Your Team (No, Seriously, Steal this Hack)

Hey, hey, Workday Playdate peeps! It’s time for your quick bite of leadership wisdom—a little boost of inspiration, energy, and playfulness to brighten your workday. 

Today, we’re talking about the power of play. When was the last time you truly played pretend? Not just faking enthusiasm for Bob’s homemade cookies at the office potluck—but really letting your imagination run wild like you did as a kid.

 

That same playful energy can transform your team. Too many teams are stuck in “work mode” 24/7. They’re afraid of looking silly, stressed, overwhelmed, and holding back ideas. The stats don’t lie:

• Only 32% of employees are engaged at work. (Gallup)
• 76% of employees don’t feel psychologically safe to take risks. (Harvard Business Review)

Your team is playing it safe instead of playing to win. But today, we’re changing that with a simple improv hack: The Superhero Power Exercise.

How it works:

1. At the start of your next meeting, tell your team: “Today, you’re a superhero with a power that makes you unstoppable at work.”
2. Give them 30 seconds to think of their superhero name and work superpower.
   1. Captain Collaboration—uniting teams in a single bound
   2. Deadline Destroyer—crushing timelines before they even start
3. Go around the room (or Zoom) and have each person introduce themselves in character.
4. Bonus points for striking a superhero pose.

Why this works:

• Breaks the ice and makes people comfortable
• Taps into creativity and shifts thinking
• Instantly changes the energy in the room

Try it out and watch your team loosen up and engage. If you liked this, don’t miss our next full episode, where we’ll dive into why leaders at LinkedIn, Amazon, and Uber Freight use improv for team growth.

Journal Prompts:

• When was the last time I allowed myself to play at work?
• How can I bring more creativity to my team this week?
• What work superpower would I give myself, and how can I use it more often?

Until next time, keep playing, keep leading, and remember—the world needs the special IT that only you can bring.

 

If you’re interested in taking one small action right now, you can check out our newest freebie, The Empathy Cheat Sheet here. Break out this 3-part list of helpful phrases before heading into any conversation or meeting, responding to an email, or hosting a one-on-one call.

  

No, You Hang Up First (Let’s Keep Connecting)

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