Kevin Carroll
The Red Rubber Ball at Work
BizBooks: The Red Rubber Ball at Work
How do you ignite creativity, problem-solving, and risk-taking to score big in business? According to bestselling author Kevin Carroll, it's child's play! In this fun and thoughtful follow-up to 2007's bestselling Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, Kevin switches the playing field to the workplace, where innovation, motivation, engagement, and teamwork are the headline issues. Kevin profiles 31 successful "players"--including ESPN President George Bodenheimer, bestselling authors Seth Grodin and Malcolm Gladwell, FoodNetwork host Duff Goldman, and others--and explains how to bring a sense of play into the workplace to stimulate creativity, encourage risk-taking, achieve goals--and have a great time doing it.
discussion |
BizBooks: Due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, the discusion with Kevin Carroll has been postponed. Please check back for more information on when Kevin will appear (which he still will!).
Kevin Carroll: I look forward to rescheduling.
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BizBooks: We're going to get started with your questions soon.
Kevin Carroll: I'm looking forward to answering all your questions.
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BizBooks: Is the main goal of your theories to have employees competing with their company's rivals, or with each other within their own company? Or both?
Kevin Carroll: the competition is within the individual first. how can you be the BEST YOU at your personal and professional endeavors daily, then you can look toward the competition, it all starts with the individuals willingness to bring their "personal best" each every day.
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BizBox: Who are some sports managers or coaches whom you adminre the most?
Kevin Carroll: tony dungy - recently retired NFL football coach. John Wooden - UCLA legendary basketball coach. Pat Summitt - Tennessee Women's Basketball coach. Cathy Rush - winner of the 1st women's collegiate national basketball championship
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BizBooks: Could you please pick an example of one of the successful "players" you profile in the book and explain how they got there?
Kevin Carroll: Tom Kelley, IDEO design (www.ideo.com). Lived in a home that was permissive in allowing he + his brother to try new things + fail. Tom + his brother David "built" things - tried to anyway. failed a lot. learned a lot. bikes were liverating to him and represented freedom. he always chases that sense of freedom in any of his design efforts. his childhood chase was all about permission, freedom + willingess to fail.
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BizBooks: In sports, there are two types of leaders: the designated coach/manager, but also players who step up and provide a different sort of leadership. Is it wise to cultivate similar types of player/employee-leaders in the office? Or is it best to leave the leading to the designated bosses?
Kevin Carroll: it is always important to cultivate leadership at all levels. you hear all the time in sports about a player behaving/acting like the "coach on the floor or an extension of the coach." that is really an important trait for an organiaation to have top-down + bottom-up leadership happening (unexpected emerging leadership is great too!
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BizBooks: What should a manager who is trying to implement your theories to when confronted with an employee or employees who say they would prefer simply to clock in, do their work quietly and alone, and clock out?
Kevin Carroll: they need to be reminded about why they have been hired to be a part of the organization and how their efforts/commitment contributes to the overall vision. leaders are responsibile for keeping the team motivated + inspired so I would look to the leader to "own" thtat employees attitutde + shift it in a positive way.
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BizBooks: What made you realize that a lot of the skills that are important on the field of play also prove helpful in business arena?
Kevin Carroll: sport metaphors are prevalent in the biz world and sport lessons are also dominant skill building area for leadership and organizations - teamwork, sacrifice, the greater good for the team, selfless behavior, team first - are all things we hear in the conference room and in the locker room and playing fields.
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BizBooks: How does The Red Rubber Ball at Work build on your previous Rubber Ball-themed books?
Kevin Carroll: the premise of the book is based on the idea of identifying the thing that inpsires one to chase a dream, passion or inspirational thought. this one is a proof-of-concept that proves the significant role that play has had in our life's chase.
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BizBooks: Who's your prediction for NCAA champion?
Kevin Carroll: NCAA Men's 2009 Champ - Michigan State University
NCAA Women's 2009 Champ - UCONN
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BizBooks: Now let's open the floor to some of our readers.
Kevin Carroll: fantastic, GO!
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Colorado: What's Sport for Social Change?
Kevin Carroll: it is a movement that involves using sport as a convening tool to affect change in a community that may be facing issues in gender, conflict, health, literacy, homelessness, etc. sport is the lure + the development issue is addressed in conjunction with play + sport.
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Buffalo, New York: What's your creative philosophy and how are you creative?
Kevin Carroll: my creative philosophy is to maintain eyes of a child. always looking at things/each day with a fresh perspective and with freshness. eyes of wonder are a gift that children have because they approach each day anew. so that's the approach i take - always on the lookout to discover something new, unique, unusual,unexpected.
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charlotte: I'm a manager at a business here in charlotte, north carolina. I try to bring a sense of fun into the workplace but I worry that things can sometimes get too unserious. how can I make work fun for the people I manage without distracting them from their jobs?
Kevin Carroll: be certain to have a purpose for the FUN. set the outcome/expectation at the start - such as the activity you are doing is going to increase the team's ability to see things differently after they participate.
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white plains, NY: Are there inexpensive ways to make sure that my employees are having a good time/have good morale that you can recommend?
Kevin Carroll: absolutely. IDEO design has Monday show-n-tell and a few employees share what they did over the weekend. it's a storytelling moment that reminds each of us about the power of story + shares our passions/interests. check out their site for other things they do - www.ideo.com
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Evanston, Illinois: I have streamlined and cut back recently on many employee perks. It's just due to the economy--the alternative would be to start laying people off. Is there a way I can follow your advice without incurring further costs and without losing man-hours from my employees?
Kevin Carroll: try to find simple cost-effective solutions to add purposeful creative/play. here's one: a "look-up" contests - go out for 5 mins and find something unusual to tell us about/take a pic is an option - the winner gets a nominal prize or extra long lunch break or can go run a personal errand early from work
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BizBooks: That's all for today. Thanks so much for joining us!
Kevin Carroll: thanks for the opportunity! reader's can find many other purposeful play opportunities in the book at the site: www.rrbatwork.com and fantastic play stories of thought leaders, celebs, and luminaries. share your play story on the site too! enjoy your chase + thanks!
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