In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, Elizabeth Cushing, CEO of Playworks, shares valuable insights into the transformative power of play. Beyond its conventional association with children, Elizabeth explains how play can profoundly impact adults, shaping relationships, perspectives, and even business dynamics. Discover what inspired her to champion the cause of play and the significant role it plays in fostering positive change.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Elizabeth Cushing, CEO of Playworks, has been dedicated to the organization for 17 years, rising from president in 2011 to CEO in 2021. With over 25 years of nonprofit management experience in youth development, Elizabeth oversees Playworks’ national initiatives from its Oakland headquarters.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
THE INSPIRATION AND THE MISSION
Playworks is a nonprofit organization on a mission to ensure that kids get the chance to play. Through their partnerships with elementary schools, districts, and community organizations, Playworks creates safe, healthy, and inclusive opportunities for kids to play at school every single day.
Elizabeth Cushing, CEO of Playworks, saw the value of play firsthand when her own children were in elementary school. Witnessing the positive impact it had on them, she couldn’t ignore the nagging thought that maybe not every school was offering its students enough playtime. That realization tugged at her heartstrings, prompting her to ask, “What can I do to contribute to this mission?” Today, she boasts nineteen years at Playworks, with three years as CEO of the nonprofit.
And while it may seem obvious that kids need playtime, have you ever stopped to think about what we, as adults, can learn from play? Elizabeth says that play isn’t just about having fun. It’s about socializing and understanding that “people are more than one dimension” — more than just their titles or roles. There’s a richness that comes from play that transcends the game itself. In her role at Playworks, Elizabeth has witnessed the power of play in the business itself — in the hiring process, in meetings, and in fostering relationships at work. The bottom line? Adults need opportunities to play, too.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Learning from Play
“Play is how we learn to get along with each other, to be curious, to be teammates, and even to resolve conflicts. So there’s all this power packed in this thing that looks very light, and I just love the idea that we can use that power for good, for learning, for development, for team building all the way up through adults. So I have a very deep appreciation for what’s possible when you invest even a little bit in more play happening.”
Getting in the Game
“I was out on the playground observing. […] And in order to really learn it, I figured I needed to jump in the game, right? And so, I jump into this game, and I happen to be dressed in a suit. […] And I get in this game, and the kids are looking at me like, ‘What is wrong with her?’ And I just kind of hike up my skirt and start playing Foursquare. And they were incredulous. And then I get out, right? And when we get out in our games, we give and get high fives. Like no reason to shame me for getting out in Foursquare. I just want to keep playing. So I reach up to give the kids a high five, and they kind of look at me, and they’re like, ‘Okay, lady,’ and they give me the high five, and I get back in line. And as I continued playing with them, they started to be happy I was there. They started to trust me to play the game the way they had learned to play the game. And these people — these young children who I didn’t have a relationship with — I suddenly had a relationship with. […] When we jump in the game, it demonstrates that they matter.”
Walking the Talk
“We play at Playworks. It’s part of how we build relationships with each other. So a tiny example is that we start all of our meetings with a check-in question. The purpose of the check-in question is not like ‘What’s the hardest thing you’re doing at work today?’ The check-in question is ‘What food do you really hate?’ Let’s just all share that. And we find out that we have things in common. We have things that are different. But we’re just humans trying to do this, and building relationships that way really helps. We also play Foursquare or other games, especially when we’re gathering because we want to ground everyone on why we are here.”
Play in the Tech Space
“One of the moments when I came to understand how play can support tech, actually, is that we have a partnership service with companies called Corporate Recess, where we will take a team or a bunch of teams and play with them, whether that’s out of school or not. And then we’ll debrief, like, ‘How did that feel? What did you figure out?’ Well, we got some feedback from a tech company — a big one in San Francisco — that they realized that their engineers had not as much practice with communication with each other and team building — and that they really broke down some barriers by playing some pretty silly games with their colleagues and went back to the office with a different kind of energy and understanding of each other. And that made me realize how important it is for adults to be given permission to play.”
The Choice to Play
“Well, I will first say that we definitely define play as by choice. It’s optional. Even when we do check-in questions, we say there’s a right to pass even though the questions are quite silly and usually not very deep. But we do think it’s important for there to be choice. What’s interesting about play is that, when given an invitation to play, especially when the stakes are low, it doesn’t matter if I get you out in Foursquare, nothing’s going to happen. You’re not going to lose your job. Nobody’s going to laugh at you, right? The stakes are so low that, when given the invitation to play, most people will accept it. And you’ll always have enough people jumping in right away that the folks who are a little more reticent will jump in, too.”
Eliminating the Hierarchy
“One piece of advice for both educators — well actually educators, parents, and leaders — is there’s something about the hierarchy of adults and students, but also the hierarchy of CEOs and other people where that intimidation factor, or that belief that the hierarchy means that you’re a different kind of human, gets in the way of relationships. Playing together, jumping into a game, or inspiring a game means I’m a player and you’re a player. We’re all just players. We’re all amateurs in a low-stakes situation. And so I have found that when our team is playing, the best thing I can do is just jump in the game and remind people that we’re all on the same team. We’re all working toward the same mission. I’m no different than they are. And I think that’s true in teams. I think that’s true with parents and kids.”
LEARN MORE
Find out more about how Playworks helps school districts make the most of recess by checking out their website here.