Joy as a Leadership Strategy: Why Play Fuels Performance
What happens when you lead through levity, connection, and creativity?
When you hear the word “play,” what comes to mind? A carefree childhood game? A pickup basketball match? A round of laughter at work that feels a little too good to be “productive”?
Too often, I have heard leaders label play as a distraction or, worse, a waste of time. But research and lived experiences show the opposite: joy and play are powerful leadership strategies that directly fuel productivity, innovation, and retention. Joy and play create rewarding connections and impactful collaboration improving overall company reputation. In fact, the absence of play and joy at work can quietly drain engagement and block the very creativity organizations say they want most.
🗣️ So, let’s talk about why play matters then I’ll give you some tips.
Play sparks curiosity, creativity, and resilience. When people feel safe to bring lightness, humor, or experimentation into their work, they’re more open to risk-taking and that’s where breakthrough ideas are born. This doesn’t mean it’s a free-for-all. There have to be some guidelines in order to build the safety needed for people to take healthy and appropriate risks.
🔬 Here’s what the research says:
A survey by Microsoft found that 70% of U.S. employees feel more energized and productive when they have time to play at work, yet only about 31% say their organization actually encourages this.
In healthcare, a study of 321 nurses revealed that fun wasn’t just a “nice to have”. It directly increased innovative behavior when staff felt emotionally connected to their workplace.
And Great Place to Work, after surveying 1.3 million U.S. employees, found that people were 1.7x more likely to stay long-term if they said their workplace was fun.
Joy and play don’t just lift moods, they build cultures where people want to stay, contribute, and thrive. “How do we do this?” you ask. Let’s dive in.
➽ The Leadership Edge
As leaders, bringing play into your culture isn’t about forcing “mandatory fun” or creating gimmicks. It’s about modeling curiosity, inviting levity, and building conditions where joy feels safe. A leader who laughs, plays, or admits a mistake sets a powerful tone: this is a place where humans, not robots, do the work.
Did that catch you off guard? Admitting mistakes, and sharing how you’ve grown from them, is actually part of joy and play. These strategies help shift teams away from perfectionism and toward a growth mindset. And just as important, it means receiving others’ mistakes with grace.
When mistakes are met with curiosity instead of condemnation, people relax, experiment, and bring their full selves forward. That is the soil where innovation grows and where play naturally fuels performance. When employees feel safe, supported, and like they truly belong, they deliver their best.
💜 Quick Tips (and Why They Matter) :
Model lightness. Share a laugh, show your playful side. You’ll signal that joy has a place here.
Build in playful breaks. Short games, energizers, or creative brainstorming sessions unlock fresh thinking and resilience. It could even just be an inhale breath together with an exhale full of hearty laughter (laughter yoga). Similar to yawning, laughter is contagious. Which would you rather do?
Link play to purpose. Remind your team that joy isn’t “extra”. It’s what keeps us engaged, innovative, and connected.
🤔 Reflection Questions :
How often do I intentionally make space for joy or play in my leadership?
What’s one playful ritual I could introduce to spark creativity on my team?
When was the last time laughter broke tension in a meeting and what did it make possible?
🙆🏽♀️ Stretch Challenge :
For one week, add a short “play moment” to your meetings; anything from a silly icebreaker to a moment of gratitude. Track how it shifts engagement, creativity, or even body language in the room. [You can buy the Joy & Play ConnectionCatalyst™ Conversation Card Deck to help your ideas flow as a leader and as a team.]
🎶 A Final Note (for now) :
Play is not the opposite of productivity. It’s the fuel for it.
The question isn’t whether we can afford to make time for joy in leadership; it’s whether we can afford not to.
If your organization is ready to infuse more joy into leadership while boosting innovation and retention, let’s talk. I teach leaders to use joy as a strategic advantage.
🌶️ Here is your Call to Action: Take care of YOU!
Being who YOU are is an ASSET. And, when you deplete yourself, everything falls apart. Cultivate YOUR Success through Joy and Rest. Learn to thrive being your AUTHENTIC SELF. Stop forcing yourself into someone else’s box and instead redefine success on your terms, with joy and rest at the center. LEARN MORE and APPLY to JOIN the Joy Group Coaching Cohort Starting October 27th; A monthly group coaching cohort which meets for 2-hours each month to explore emotional well-being, emotional intelligence, empathy, communication skills, confidence-building, joy and play, and self-connection, helping you reset from the inside out.
With Empathy and Joy,
Misha Safran, MA, PCC
Keynote Speaker & Leadership Trainer and Coach
Land Acknowledgement: Born on the land of the Anacostans, Piscataway, and Pamunkey peoples. Currently living on Karkin Ohlone land.
All are valued in my practice: BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, humans of all backgrounds and ages. I hope to support a safer and braver space for all professionals to do peopling better.
