Why the Workplace Needs More Fun, with Alexandria Agresta

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Speaker E: Welcome to the HCI family of uh podcasts where your source for personal, professional and organizational growth and development. We share our own original research, explore industry trends and interview executives and thought leaders from across the globe. Join us for practitioner oriented content around all things leadership, hr, Talent Management, Organizational Development and Change management. Maximize your personal and organizational potential with the HCI family of podcasts. Alexandria Agresta when you need to build

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Speaker E: Mhm.

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Speaker E: Welcome to the conversation today.

Speaker F: Yes, thanks for having me. I'm so excited.

Speaker E: It's a real pleasure to be with you. You're joining us from Miami. I'm south of Salt Lake City in Utah. And today we're going to be talking about fun at work and why the workplace needs more of it. Uh, you know, there's a lot of research out there about play at work and flow state and like a lot of those sorts of things. Um, and I think that's kind of the foundation of a lot of this, you know, and I'm not just talking about foosball and ping pong tables and stuff like that. Like, sure, you can have that stuff in your office if you want. Um, you know, but it doesn't have to be the cliched kind of, uh, Silicon Valley tech bros kind of environment. Like, you know, there's lots of ways to have fun and there's lots of ways to infuse that into the work that you do. Uh, so this is what we're going to explore today and Alexandria has a really cool and unique background to help us explore this. As we get started, I wanted to share Alexandra's bio with everybody. Disco balls, DJ decks, dancing queens. Alexandria Agresto brings it all. As the world's first DJing speaker, she fuses the insights of a TED talk with the electricity of a musical festival to deliver the groundbreaking keynote, the business party. Her mission is simple. To spark the new wave of bold leadership and transform the workplace into a wow place where possible possibility, creativity and fun take center stage. So you know, I love that background. I love the way you approach, um, going into organizations and providing, you know, what in some cases can be a really canned, stodgy, you know, maybe interesting but a little bit stale kind of, ah, kind of message. And you, you infuse fun into it. And so I think your, your experience and your background is a really great way for us to explore this topic more broadly. Any before we dive on in anything you would like to share with the audience by way of your back, a

Speaker F: personal context, I think you just set the stage perfectly. I love what you said of when we think fun and workplace. I think we now have this image seared in our brain of the Silicon Valley, um, HBO Max show where it's all, you know, it's colorful walls and whiteboards and kombucha on tap and foosball. You know, that was a good start. I'm um, grateful they paved the way a little bit but Fun at its core really is expression. And how are you expressing yourself? Fun is creativity, fun is connection. These are things that are inherently part of the human makeup. It's what makes us us. So just very excited to present. Ah, a little bit of a different perspective. Like you shared on what fun is and how in grasp and how close it is to us already. So I'll leave it at that. I'll let you guide us. I'm excited to be here. And with fun, I bring the fun, even physically too. So you're looking at the disco balls, the pink, the background. For those watching, get ready for a little fun portal for the next 30 minutes.

Speaker E: I love it, I love it. And I love the DJing aspect of it. Um, so tell us a little bit about that. Like how did you get into, into that kind of a niche? Uh, you know, the DJing keynote speaker.

Speaker F: Yes. So isn't it cool in life? Right? As we get older, as we get wiser, we go through things, we look back and everything starts to align of. Oh, that's why it had to happen that way. So that's really this catalyst moment of. I started to look back about 15 years of my life, and one side of me was fun, creative, expressive, concert goer, music festival goer on the weekends. And a really fun part about music festivals is you get to dress up, you just get to be your fun, sparkly self. All, all of us. It's not just for you know, the little, little girls and little boys to dress up and have fun. It's everyone of all ages, all backgrounds doing that. So I would have this really cool side of me over here. And then on, um, Monday, I'd go back to work and, you know, button up, button up. And the colors would be gone, the sparkles would be gone. And one moment it hit me that the way that I feel and the way that we collectively feel at the music festival and is the missing piece in the workplace. Because it's actually not just fun, it's creativity, it's self expression, it's community, it's connection, it's resourcefulness. All of the things that we need to boost performance. Right. The work world just is incessant of, uh, how do we get better work out of our people? We can't just throw them in cubicles and blind the lights and hope for the best. We have to bring the fun and the magic and ironically. And there's science behind this. That's actually where we get the best performance out of our people, is when we give them the space to Play. So one of those, and how I like to bring that to life is through music. So again, I had this music side of me, I had this professional speaker side of me. And one day I said, what if we blended the two? Why not? What could it look like? And just this magical experience started to come together. And now I use music in the professional setting because it is one of the most underutilized tools in leadership development and culture and change. And I use that as a tool to open people's hearts, expand people's minds, and most importantly, get them moving. Moving energy is another way to get better work out of people. And it's, uh, just become this really epic experience at conferences called the business party.

Speaker E: Oh, I love that. Um, and I love, you know, over time we tend to kind of compartmentalize aspects, aspects of our lives. Um, you know, when we're little kids, we're all play all the time, we're curious, we're asking a gazillion questions, we try things, we can build friendships like that, like all of that. And then over time, like that starts, for a lot of us, that starts to kind of fade, right? And you start to compartmentalize and you get, you're like, I have this side of me here on the weekends, I have this side of me here at work. Um, and I mean, that alone causes some challenge because anytime you're constantly code switching and like, uh, monitoring, like how you show up in a place, uh, you know, I get that you have to be professional and you have to read the room and you have to, you know, deal with stakeholders effectively and whatnot. But you know, if someone has a fun personality or they like to do something fun on the weekends, like, why, why do you have to completely segment it? Why, why do you have to make the week miserable? And then, you know, you get the weekend and you have your good time and then you get the Sunday dreads and then, you know, you go back to work on Monday. Like, why not just like, allow us to integrate? Right? And so I do think, you know, for as cliched as it is, you know, the Silicon Valley, you know, tech startup, you know, um, slide going down the slide in the office or playing ping pong or whatever. Right. Um, you know, I do think that there's an aspect of that that is really cool when organizations can kind of unbutton that top button and realize, hey, you know, we can allow people to really just be themselves at work. Um, I agree with you. Like, I think the best way to have fun at work is to Just like be excited about what you're doing. Like to just be passionate and creative and have an outlet to share and feel heard. You know, that that is like when I have the most fun is like when I'm working on cool projects with cool people. I can share my ideas. Uh, they don't have to take all my ideas, but I have the opportunity to share and work on cool stuff and that becomes play, you know, that, that I could do that all day long. And it's, it's not, it doesn't suck my energy in my soul. It like re. Energizes it. Right. Um, and, and that's, that's just what I love so much about it. And, and you know, it's so common. Like, I'm just thinking about a recent, ah, um, organization I was working with where you know, they, during COVID they went remote and they allowed people to, to be way more flexible. Um, and then like many, they started to kind of ratchet that back and out. We want return to office, we want people back in here. So people start coming, but they're used to being at home in their space. So they come into their space and they start to decorate and they start to have their stuff and then the company starts to kind of crack down on it and say, no, we want a professional setting. You know, we don't want these sorts of things. And you know, the whole time I'm just thinking why? Like, maybe there's a really good reason, but usually not.

Speaker F: Like, there usually isn't a good reason.

Speaker E: Usually it's just kind of someone being uptight, you know, like, why not? Like, I get that if you have like clients coming in and you want to have like professional spaces and whatnot, but like so much of like the office space is not that. And, and investors may like to see personality and they may like to see fun, you know. And so, you know, it was really interesting working with them and trying to help them to recognize uh, the value of uh, of expression. Like you said, like, for some people that's, you know, putting up a picture of their family. For other people it's displaying the Lego thing that they built with their kid. For other people it's like whatever. Like the list goes on. Like there's all these different things that people might choose to, you know, to share and express themselves via, um, that thing. And then you can build relationships off of it and all of that. Right.

Speaker A: So

Speaker E: it's kind of a really buttoned up like corporate 1980s, everyone wear a suit to the office. FaceTime butts and seats. Like, it's that kind of old school mentality that I think the research has shown over and over and over and over and over again. Doesn't really matter. Like, that's not the deciding factor in whether or not a company is going to be successful. People are going to be productive, there's going to be innovation. In fact, it can really stifle it.

Speaker F: Right? Yep, that's exactly it. It's time that we get out of that industrial revolution energy and era and mindset. It was great. I'm grateful it paved the way. But the beautiful thing about us humans, we keep growing, we keep evolving. And I believe this future of work that we are charting right now is calling for our authentic self. I recognize that there are personal boundaries, professional boundaries, absolutely. But to completely button up and hide the true person that you are. Right. I think about, I know this one woman who crochets earrings like so cool. What if she had those on or had them on her desk? And that sparked a conversation and then that led to more connection and camaraderie and then that overflows into a project they're working on together, which then leads them to more revenue for the company. I think it's ultimately at the top leaders letting go. Right. And that's the hardest thing. Right. We're hardwired to control. We want to control everything and everyone and all the outcomes. And unfortunately that is going to stop stifle the very things that we need to operate in this much more creative and innovative work environment. And I also.

Speaker E: Fluid and like constant change, right?

Speaker F: Yes. And I think you said it perfectly. When I say the word fun, let whatever pops into your brain pop in and then put it off to the side. You know, the easiest way to have fun is to be excited about life and about work. When I am excited, when I put my disco ball earrings in, I put my pink shirt on, I got my lights on. I was so excited to come to this podcast and jam out with John. I am excited to talk about what I love. I'm excited to connect with this new person. I'm excited to share with people that are listening. That is the easiest way to get excited and bringing in music. If we need a tool to get excited music, go to YouTube, go to Spotify, play a song. You will see your emotional state shift within seconds. So that's why I love music. It's a tool to shift your state and get excited. And then all of a sudden, an hour later, like, whoa, I'm, uh, having some fun here.

Speaker E: Well, it's like, when people go to work out or run, usually have hype music. Right? Like, and there's a reason people do that, because it works like, it gets going.

Speaker F: Exactly that, yes.

Speaker E: Yeah. And I've always, for forever, like, going back high school and college, you know, and I. I'm like a xennial. I'm like, right in between Gen X and Millennial. Um, and, you know, so I kind of relate to both. And anyways, I. I think it's way more common now for young people to listen to music all the time and to listen at work and whatnot. But I don't think it was so much when I was younger, like. But I've always listened. And I remember one of my first real professional jobs. I think I was like, 20, and I'm in the office and, you know, I was in, like, shared workspace. We had workstations and I would put earbuds in. It's not like I would just blast my music, but I would listen to music while I worked, and it really bothered people. They really didn't like that I did that. And in over time, I found, like, that it's a real mixed bag. Uh, sometimes people are kind of put off by it or put off that I, you know, am kind of closing myself off with earbuds or whatever. Um, if I'm in an office, I can just play my music. Um, but, yeah, I mean, something like that, like, it makes a big difference to me. I'm a musical person. I grew up, um, playing instruments and singing and those sorts of things, and I derive a lot of meaning, um, from music. I definitely, you know, I can tweak my emotions via music, like, all those sorts of things. And it can be my own hype music, right, for, like, what I'm working on. Maybe I have to work on a task that I don't love that, but it has to get done. You know, there are ways you can, like, kind of trick your brain into, like, getting excited about what you're doing, even if it's kind of a mundane task. And. And, um, it's just, again, it's one of those things. Like, sometimes I think companies, depending, uh, on the culture, depending on the leader, you know, they may get a little bit too buttoned up. They want to control things a little bit too much. I'm not saying you need to blast music across the office space. That would probably be pretty darn annoying. But, um. But yeah, there's no reason why you can't have music at events, why you can't have, you know, allow for, certainly, but even encourage people to listen to music while they're working, those, uh, sorts of things. Because it can make a big difference.

Speaker F: It really does make a big difference. And like we're saying, there are. There are boundaries, there are ways to be respectful of everyone in the environment while still charting this path of where we're headed in the workplace with fun, creativity, expression, music. A great idea that I give to, um, HR leaders. I just spoke for a big HR conference. I was like, hey, as a way to introduce music into your environment, create a playlist where your team can all add a song.

Speaker E: Oh, that's fun.

Speaker F: And m. When I say this, you are not only going to have a tool that shifts your emotional state, but everyone's going to be looking at the playlist, adding to the playlist, sparking conversation. Oh, I love that song you added. But again, like you said, some leaders, some, um, work. Work environments are just. That top button is just so tight. I'm like, just unbutton that one button. You're going to be able to breathe a little better, feel a little better. But, you know, it requires, you know, leaders like you, leaders like me going out doing our thing, showing what's possible. And tides have been turning. And I think, uh, the future is really bright, especially this next, you know, five years. I think we're going to be seeing a lot more off the cuff, different edgy, seemingly edgy things in the workplace. And it's all going to come back to more fun and more play. And then we're going. The leaders at the top are going to be shocked. They're going to be looking at their quarterly reports and go, oh, my goodness, we're making five times more than we did last year. You and I are going to be over here with our earbuds and our disco balls and be like, yeah, see,

Speaker E: I literally have a disco ball in my office right now.

Speaker F: I, uh, do too.

Speaker C: Hanging right here.

Speaker F: Look at us. Oh, so happy.

Speaker E: Yeah, it's interesting. Um, I want to spend the rest of our time really talking about that future because things are shifting rapidly, and in some of this is really a generational thing, perhaps. You know, um, I think an older generation of leaders just, uh, grew up in a different time with different norms and different expectations, you know, and so it just, It. Even if they're willing to be more permissive and allow things, it's still just. It's contrary to what they're used to. It's contrary to what they have known, how they found success, you know, Those sorts of things. And so, you know, I get it, I totally get it. Um, but I think there will be a natural evolution in part. Just as, you know, a certain cohort ages out and leaves the workforce, another cohort kind of takes the reins. Um, and so we'll see those shifts plus the nature of work is just shifting rapidly. And the way we work, how our work is designed, how we interact with each other, all of that is just shifting faster than we can almost keep track of it. And so I think for sure, um, this aspect of building fun into the workplace, increasing employee engagement and satisfaction, activating your employees passions, that's going to be, if you can unlock that, if you can crack that nut, you're going to be, you know, the key, the best leader. And it's interesting like you've talked about control and in the old model, the old industrial model, that's how you led, that's how you were a manager. You controlled, right? And you guided and directed and sometimes you would coach, but mostly you controlled. And in the knowledge economy, uh, that's just not how good leaders, um, bring out results. Uh, you're not the expert anymore. When you're a leader, you have a whole team of experts working on different pieces and your job is to unlock their potential.

Speaker F: Right.

Speaker E: And to not stifle them. And yet the old mentality still is very pervasive, even among those who kind of see themselves as more, you know, progressive, um, and maybe they are more so than some of their bosses previously. But still there's a long way to go. And so I think, um, I think as we move forward, we just have to find ways to really embed play in a variety of ways into our workplace, into the workflow, um, and, and really make it something that's part of your culture. Like it's, it's, it's not only allowed, it's encouraged and it's fostered. It's, you know, it's, it's something that you're, you're actively trying to develop a

Speaker F: mental model that I go off, uh, of when we're thinking about bringing play, creativity, fun, expression into the workplace is I want to be a leader that inspires change instead of demanding change. That is the shift.

Speaker E: Demand comes clients versus commitment, right?

Speaker F: Yes, exactly. I want to show up, uh, as my most expressed, loving, compassionate leader self. And when we show up that way something special really happens. You're, you're this type of leader. So you've likely seen it with your own people, with your clients. Everyone steps into their own Level of responsibility, of ownership, of leadership. And we think right from that control mindset. We have been trained, these leaders have been trained well, if I give them an inch, they're going to go the whole way. They're going to quit, they're going to start a business. They're going to start, they're going to create a business that's a competitor with all these crazy things. But the exact opposite happens. When we give them the space, they become, we become magnetic. They want to come back because it's the leader and the environment that makes them feel like anything's possible and it brings out their best potential. We have officially reached the top of Maslow's, of Maslow's hierarchy, baby. We are in the self actualization era. When you, uh, as a leader, help someone become the best version of themselves, I promise you they will want to stay because you make them feel a way that likely and not a lot of other relationships and people in their life make them feel. So, yeah, the workforce only gets younger, right? Really only gets younger because it ages out. So I think we're spot on. It is a generational thing. And that's why I don't judge, I don't blame.

Speaker E: Yeah, no, blame any.

Speaker F: Anyone that came before me because guess what? They did the best as they can and they paved the way for us. And that baby boomer wisdom, the older Gen X, you're your Xennial. The older Gen X wisdom, that has shaped me just as my millennial wisdom has shaped them. So again, I'm excited about it. It's definitely going to take a lot of cracking the coconuts open. There are people that look at fun and they say, alex, you need to be realistic. And I'm like, got it. I am being realistic. Here's the science. And I think, you know, it's just how they see the world. And at the end of the day, we were hardwired for curiosity, joy and fun. We do that for the first, what, 12 years of our life. It's just life that hardens us. It's our conditioning. So us as leaders who believe in what we're talking about today, we need to keep courageously going out there, speaking about this, inviting people into this energy. And there is going to be a turning point. And all of a sudden there's going to be disco balls and a lot of offices.

Speaker E: I love it. Um, and you mentioned how the best way to keep people is to create that environment, to create that magnetic pull, right? Because people like to be in that kind of a space and the Irony is, the more you control, the more like, you think, oh, I can't give them an inch because they're going to take a mile and then they're going to go do this, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And they're going to leave and I'm going to invest in, and they're going to be gone. But whatever, I guarantee you, if you don't invest in them, if you don't create that environment, if you, if you don't create a place where they want to be, yes, they will leave. So there's the door.

Speaker F: They're leaving.

Speaker E: So it's, it's like they're, they're, they're, they're creating, like, the reality of their own worst fears by what they're doing, you know? And there, there, there, I won't say an easy fix because it's complicated and there's a lot of factors. But, but this, this one piece is, uh, an important factor. It's, it's, it's something that can really make a big difference. Everyone wants to feel needed, wanted, valued at work. They want to have a place for authentic expression. They want to be creative. They want to contribute in meaningful ways. Everybody wants to do that. So create opportunities for them to do that. And if you do, more often than not, they're going to stick around. You know, sometimes maybe there's not a place for them to progress, and so they leave to go to a different role. But that's, that's great. That's like you're building your bench strength. It's like, it's like in sports, you talk about, like, the coaching, um, tree, right. Of, like, all the coaches that have sprung from this one master coach, um, it's the same thing. Like, I hope that I can be the leader that 10 years from now I can point to all these different people that worked for me that are now amazing leaders working with their own teams. That means I did my job right, you know?

Speaker F: When we lead from fear, we manifest the thing, the very thing that we're scared of. When we leap from faith, we create a reality that is better than our brain could have ever imagined. And we all flourish in that environment of faith. I believe in my people. I believe that they will stay if I invest in them. I pour into them. They feel my love. That's another word. Fun and love are taboo words in the workforce. Are you kidding me? Those things come with us as a little bundle of joy. We seek love in every single thing we do. Again, personal love, professional love, it's different. But it's still love. It comes from the same thing. So when we show up in that energy and that vibe and that essence, the magnetic pole is stronger than this brain can ever construct and imagine. And this is how we create workplaces and workforces that truly are flourishing. And instead of feeling like, oh, my God, it's Monday, we go, uh, oh my God, it's Monday. The shift that I am working tireless, tirelessly to create.

Speaker E: Yeah. Amen. Amen. Alexandria, this has just been a really great conversation. I know at the time I need to let you go, but before we wrap things up, I just wanted to give you a chance to share with the audience how they can connect with you, find out more about your work, and then give us the final word for today.

Speaker F: Yeah, I just want to pause, see what happens when you're having fun. We could just go on and on and on. This has been such a fun and energizing conversation. So thank you. Um, if you are looking to bring fun, joy, creativity, music into your workspace, you are looking and listening to the DJing speaker. Uh, so I do a lot of fun things for conferences, for corporate. You can just check me out@Alexandria Agresta.com and that's, uh, the same on LinkedIn as well. If you listen to this and you want to connect, please send me a request, let me know that you heard me on the show. I want to hear about your story. I want to know all the cool things that you are wanting to pioneer in your company and, uh, just follow each other's journey. So I'm pretty googleable, you can just pop in my name, you can find me. And again, would love to connect with all of you and thank you again, John, for having me on the show.

Speaker E: Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure. I encourage the audience to reach out, get connected, find out more about what Alexandria can do for you. And as always, I hope everyone can stay healthy and safe. You can find meaning and purpose at work each and every day, and I hope you all have a great week. Thanks for joining us for this episode of the podcast. We hope you stay healthy and safe and please join us again soon.

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Speaker B: I see you.

Speaker E: Avatar, Fire and Ash uh is now streaming on Disney. It's the film critics are calling the best avatar yet.

Speaker F: Go Go Go Go.

Speaker E: A true epic and completely jaw dropping. This is the only pure thing in this world. Return to Pandora on Disney plus. It will be an adventure for the whole family and watch the Oscar winning phenomenon at home.

Speaker F: This is sick.

Speaker E: Avatar, Fire and Ash now streaming on Disney. Rated PG 13. This episode is brought to you by ChatGPT. Hey it's Bill Simmons from the Bill Simmons podcast. Have you guys heard about ChatGPT work? It's the new way to use ChatGPT for bigger multi step projects and when you need more than just answers. Give ChatGPT work access to your apps and files and it can create real work documents like spreadsheets, slides and structured reports. Get started@chatgpt.com by selecting work mode available on plus and Pro plans.