The Power Of Play In Business Culture

Marketing Podcast with Kristi Herold

In this episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast, I interview Kristi Herold. She is the founder and CEO of JAM a multi-million dollar global business that has connected millions of people through play since its inception as one of the largest adult recreational sports leagues in the world.   

The JAM team has produced and delivered over 3500 playful corporate events, in over 30 countries since the summer of 2020. It has been awarded “Canada’s Most Admired Culture Award “ in 2022,  certified as “Great Places to Work – Canada” and named the “Best Remote Startups to work for”.     

Kristi is the author of the best-selling book It Pays to PLAY – How Play Improves Business Culture, a resource to implement play at work and improve the productivity and culture of companies. 

Key Takeaway:

Finding a way to integrate fun and play at work is a powerful asset that benefits the employees and the company itself. Laughs and playfulness will connect your team and help strengthen bonds and relationships amongst them, which then will help solve issues that can be found in unhappy employees such as retention, engagement, physical and mental health problems, or lack of innovation and creativity. Implementing this strategy and activities in the workplace could increase the productivity of your employees and work together as a team towards the common goal for the company.

Questions I ask Kristi Herold:

• [02:09] How does somebody get a job playing?
• [03:44] As you’re pitching this idea maybe to some sort of corporate program to an executive, what do you talk about as the top-line benefits of bringing this into a culture?
• [06:24] Some people in leadership roles may think this is a really ridiculous idea, to mix work and play to be a serious company. Do you still get that pushback?
• [07:43] Do you think there’s some resistance to the idea of play at work because it can be considered socially wrong?
• [08:53] Talking about mental health and even working at home because of COVID, how big a crisis do you think we’re dealing with in the workplace?
• [13:28] Technology is really running our lives now, how do you sort of insert play into that conversation?
• [15:59] Give us some examples of how you’ve incorporated play in platforms like Meetings or Teams.
• [18:39] What are some structured things that you’ve brought into somebody who wanted to make a significant change in their company’s culture and has been received well?

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This episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast is brought to you by the HubSpot Podcast Network.

HubSpot Podcast Network is the audio destination for business professionals who seek the best education and inspiration on how to grow a business.