Bringing Playfulness and Laughter to Agile Teams

Written By Allison Pollard

Photo by leodelrosa

One of my peers is great at making people laugh--it's something that I am learning to do more.  My style of playfulness is different from his, but it's an important metaskill for coaches to develop.  Laughter eases stress and opens possibilities.  When assessing an agile team, one of the key elements I look for is team laughter.  A group that laughs together regularly has formed bonds.  People are comfortable when they joke around, and inside jokes are a sign of shared history.

And according to research, laughter "boosts engagement and well-being, and spurs not only creativity and collaboration but also analytic precision and productivity."  What else could bring so many benefits for companies?  Many workplaces are seriously lacking laughter; adults over the age of 35 laugh an average a 15 times per day, and in the US, we laugh less on weekdays than we do on weekends.  Yikes.  There is a BIG opportunity for the power of humor to do some good.

How can you increase laughter in your teams?

Allison Pollard

Allison Pollard is a coach, consultant, and trainer who brings the power of relationship systems intelligence to go beyond tasks, roles, and frameworks to create energy for change. She engages with people and teams in a down-to-earth way to build trust and listen for signals to help them learn more and improve. Allison focuses on creating alignment and connection for people to solve business problems together. Her experience includes working with teams and leaders in energy, retail, financial, real estate, and transportation industries to help improve their project/product delivery and culture. Allison currently volunteers as program director for Women in Agile’s mentorship program. Her agile community focus is championing new voices and amplifying women as mentors and sponsors for the next generation of leaders. Allison earned her bachelor’s degrees in computer science, mathematics, and English from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. She is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), a foodie, and proud glasses wearer. Allison is a prolific speaker at professional groups and international conferences, including Scrum Gatherings and the Agile Alliance Agile20xx conferences. Allison is co-owner of Helping Improve LLC.

http://www.allisonpollard.com
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