VR and theatre and playgrounds, oh my!

Playgrounds are where we stretch our limits, face our fears in a safe environment, and have a go at something new in the name of having fun and learning about ourselves and those around us.

They’re where time flies, the bell rings too soon, and we find ourselves asking, “Aw, can’t I have just one more go?!”

And they’re not just for the children. They’re for everyone. This issue looks at how my company, PotentialSquared, is recreating the playground environment for clients around the globe, facilitating free play, immersive learning, and company-altering conversations and connection.

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Welcome back to the Leader’s Playground!

What I'm Reading This Week

Where does great culture come from? How do you build and sustain it in your group, or strengthen a culture that needs fixing?

In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle goes inside some of the world’s most successful organizations—including the US Navy’s SEAL Team Six, IDEO, and the San Antonio Spurs—and reveals what makes them tick.

He demystifies the culture-building process by identifying three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation, and explains how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind.

I can’t recommend it enough—it’s on my list to read again!

Leadership Lessons

In the last issue, we explored the benefit of play—specifically, a playground approach—at work. Because in order to lead, connect, and work better, we must learn to play better. But how do we facilitate that play in our adult organizations?

PotentialSquared have become expert at this, and it’s what we share with our clients around the globe. We have two methods in particular that have proven to yield transformational results for leaders and their organizations at all levels:

Virtual reality, and live-action role playing with trained business role players (professional actors).

What makes these approaches to coaching leaders so impactful is that they are deeply immersive experiences, and they provide a safe container for exploration, experimentation, and learning. Kind of like… a playground. 😉

The VR Playground

The VR leadership training we do is really fun. Typically a multi-player setup, leaders are immersed in a virtual world where they are expected to collaborate and successfully complete a series of tasks. (Trust me, they’re not that easy!)

An effective VR experience enables facilitators to test and observe a range of soft skills, including empathy, communication, collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement, agility, and much more. It’s incredible what comes up in these immersive experiences that’s never been voiced in the day-to-day of the team environment before. I’ll tell on myself here…

In one of my own experiences with the VR program, I tried—and failed—to pick up a tool with my remote control six times. How did I fail that many times in a row without learning, or trying something different?! I couldn’t tell you.

But what I learned was that in that moment, I wasn’t in an experimental or curious mindset. I was stubbornly doing what I had done before. My desire to succeed had taken over—and it prevented me from asking questions, seeking support, and learning from my mistake.

We see clients have breakthroughs like that every time we share our program, and I believe that is because of the fun, lighthearted, safe environment created by an immersive experience like this.

It’s like getting back on the playground, with endless opportunities to have a go at something, fail, try again, and learn—all surrounded by peers and friends cheering you on.

Rewinding Mistakes with Live Actor Role Play

How often have you had a conversation with a colleague or someone you mentor or lead and left thinking, “Gosh, I wish I’d said ____ instead of _____!” or wondering why you didn’t get the reaction you expected or hoped for?

What if you could rewind that very moment, go back to the critical point in time, and do it differently? What if you could try and try again, experiencing different reactions to your own attempts in understanding, coaching, challenging, or questioning?

What would you learn, and how would that impact your growth as a leader?

That ability to “rewind” the moment—like a replay of a critical play in a football game—is what we provide through the use of live actors and role play immersive experiences.

With brilliantly scripted scenarios that provide opportunities for leaders and their teams to explore tough conversations, pivotal moments in relationship-building, or crisis management, all facilitated by actors trained in our approach, we give you the remote with the ability to hit “play,” “pause,” and “rewind.”

And the results have been phenomenal.

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What it all comes down to, really, is purposeful practice, with the feeling of play. By building a playground environment, where chances can be taken risk-free and the only goal is to discover and grow, immersive experiences like these allow leaders and their teams the chance to think, speak, and act naturally—revealing strengths and opportunities they’ve possibly never encountered.

All very much like a playground, isn’t it?

What breakthroughs would we see if we could go to work every day as children flock to the playground, with no fear of failure—only excitement at what could be?

The Leadership Tales Podcast

Less than one week until Series 5 of The Leadership Tales podcast launches! If you missed the teaser trailer on my LinkedIn or Instagram yesterday, check that out—and be sure to tune in Tuesday, April 25th for the series launch.

You can check it out and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts—and if you can, please leave a review. Each review helps put our show in front of more listeners, which means more opportunities for those who need them.

And if you know of someone you think would be a great guest on the show, reply and let me know about them. I want to share stories from leaders making a positive difference in the world—and the more tales we tell, the better.

Until next time...

I hope you’ve enjoyed the April focus on bringing playgrounds to work—this has been core to my development as a leader and I know to the paths of so many others we’ve worked with through P2.

I really do believe we’re all just children at heart, and when we can find ways to honor that—and invite the imagination and creativity we have as children to the table—we thrive in unimaginable ways.

We’ll be back in May with more on building healthy teams and maintaining a culture of psychological safety.

Thanks again for joining me, and please do forward this on to a friend who may enjoy it—the best way to gain wisdom is in community. The more, the merrier!

See you in two weeks!

Cheers,Colin

To learn more about my book, Be More Wrong: How Failure Makes You an Outstanding Leader, click here. I’d be so grateful for a review on Amazon if you’ve read it and have feedback.

If we’re not connected on LinkedIn yet, give me a shout!