OUR BOOKS:

​AN APPROACH: OUR PLAYGROUND RULES

We ask the reader to take a step back and imagine themselves where they may have first interacted with girls and boys. Whether it was a playground or a yard at school, the reader was likely required to obey rules of conduct or behavior while at play - playground rules. Following these rules likely made play in the sandbox safer and promoted a healthier and more successful playground. Many of these rules apply today and should be revisited in their simplest form for a more clear understanding. In Play Nice, we use these rules to help address bad behavior in the workplace. In my new book Play Smart, I use these rules to promote objectives for success. 

In our books, we call the close quarters where women and men work together the “sandbox” and the working environment of the company or business where you work, the “playground.” The “sandbox” in this playground is where we imagine men and women work, collaborate, receive mentorship, develop ideas and products, create and complete projects, and where the success of any business is ultimately measured - and where the “work culture” of the company is born. The “sandbox” should be a key focus: a positive and healthy environment, populated by both men and women who are a complement of strengths and weaknesses and varied in culture of diversity. The sandbox should have leadership that commands mutual respect, promotes healthy mentorship, and demands an environment free of bigotry, gender bias and sexual harassment. If the sandbox fails in any of those respects, the health and success of the business of the playground are likely to suffer adverse consequences and most importantly, negatively impact the financial bottom-line.

​It's time we took a trip back to the sandbox and review the rules of the playground — to modify our behavior for a more healthy and successful career experience.