Why Is LEGO Encouraging All Leaders To Play More?

So why then are we talking about play? Over the last year, when working with leaders who need to find different ways to approach challenges, I have found one word emerging consistently; curiosity. New, complex problems, the big wicked ones we have been navigating since March 2020, demand entirely different thinking. The leaders handling the crisis more effectively recognize the need to rethink processes and ways of working. New thinking doesn’t emerge overnight. Even though we understand the value of curiosity as a leadership trait, this behavior is difficult to nurture when a leader is used to be the person to whom colleagues defer when seeking solutions. Over time, as leadership builds their expertise and skill, they work at a deeper level of cognition, which helps spot patterns and trends and quickly and efficiently identifies solutions. But when dealing with complex, wicked problems, applying pre-existing solutions are not always the best way forward and can be more damaging to the organization. For leaders to admit that they don’t have the answers is also incredibly difficult and even more so in organizations and cultures where colleagues look to the leader for strong direction. Integrating curiosity can be difficult for leaders who have adopted a well-defined and robust leadership style. At the same time, as we increasingly acknowledge leaders need to be even more open to different ideas, there is a leap from knowing the importance of curiosity to leading with more inquisitiveness and openness, where playing becomes the bridge to curiosity.

Dr.Kathy Sullivan, whose achievements range from the brightest stars to the ocean’s deepest depths, shared her views with Forbes. Sullivan was a crew member on three Space Shuttle missions and the first American woman to walk in space on October 11, 1984. Her first-hand experience on the STS-31 mission launched the Hubble Telescope. Thirty-six years later, she also achieved the accolade for the first woman to reach the ocean’s deepest point, Mariana Trench, through a 35 thousand foot dive to the Challenger Deep, achieving a world record in the process. Sullivan is working with LEGO to encourage more play among adults. Speaking to Sullivan, a geologist by training, she explained what drives her to continue to push boundaries; “I think the complete answer is curiosity, I’m not driving by titles or awards. I’m curious, and I’ve always been intensely curious about everything and especially this planet. Curiosity has always propelled me.” Sullivan’s insatiable curiosity allowed her to challenge boundaries, assumptions and learn more. Sullivan explains the importance of play as a core to her leadership and career; her background as a geologist and working with scientists and engineers creates the bedrock to have fun and the satisfaction of creating and achieving new outcomes.

“Scientists and engineers solve problems, but you have to let your creativity and your lateral thinking release.” It can seem counter-intuitive to encourage leaders to consider playing, particularly during the global pandemic and economic crises, the relationship between play and higher cognitive function. Today, more than ever, leaders need to offset the impact of prolonged stress with the need for even higher cognitive thinking to address complex problems. Research by the LEGO Foundation identified the benefits of play across five main areas. Play associated with learning allows individuals to regulate emotions, defined by researchers Mary Helen Immordino-Yang and Antonio Damasio as the ’emotional rudder.’ Playfulness creates joyful experiences stimulating dopamine, the hormone helping us to make sense of new information and strengthen memories. Dopamine helps to enhance neural activity that correlates with creative thinking. If we understand the activities in our brain and what helps to build stronger cognitive function, then we realize that play is not just limited to children. Sullivan and Lego have joined forces in their quest to encourage more opportunities for adults to play using familiar models such as the LEGO® NASA Space Shuttle Discovery.

Esben Staerk, President of Lego Education, explains the importance of this approach; “Research shows the benefits of learning by doing and real-world application, like building the space shuttle of the future out of LEGO bricks or simulating a spacewalk. These meaningful, playful, hands-on learning experiences nurture and stimulate the confidence, curiosity, and creativity needed to take on the challenges of today and tomorrow.” Sullivan explains the importance of play for adults; “We tend to denigrate the word, and forget that play is intrinsic for development as every human infant turns into a capable functioning adult. I love that fun is, is right central to the core values of LEGO as a company. They design every product to spark the spirit all of is need to solve any problem from a small household or new family problems to bigger, more challenging ones. We need that creativity. We need that imagination, that’s, that’s what drives us forward.” Genevieve Capa Cruz, Head of Adult Business, explains why Lego is paying more attention to adults; “We’ve seen that more adults are rediscovering LEGO building as a means to switch off and relax from the stresses of every day. This became even more apparent when the pandemic hit, with a lot of our adults saying they turned to play as a way to relax, get creative and enjoy time with their family as they build together.

We designed our portfolio to cater to what adults look for in a model – challenging and immersive build, great display value, and in line with the themes they’re passionate about, such as space, movies, sports, art, and design or supercars. Everything from the model design and building instructions to the packaging of this set is designed to reflect the interests of adults and help them relax and switch off with an immersive building experience. Sullivan sees our renewed interest in space and moon exploration as a perfect opportunity to fuel our curiosity to create “a shared journey of discovery and creativity.” As the first woman to walk on the Moon and then dive to the depths of the Ocean, Sullivan is the living embodiment of the power of curiosity and how it can propel us to achieve goals we hadn’t considered. Strong commitment to curiosity leads to inspirational and powerful leadership, far more effective than leadership for leadership’s sake.