Since we take Play seriously around here, we’ve come up with our very own Play Manifesto. We like to think of “play” as an act when you have more fun than purpose. We’ve yet to come across play without some kind of purpose (including playing to relax!).
There are 4 key principles to our Play Manifesto.
Principle #1 – “Everyone’s invited”
Where there’s fun to be had, we believe it should be shared with as many people as possible. As they say, the more the merrier!
Principle #2 – “An option not an obligation”
There are days when we don’t want to play and that’s okay. We believe everyone should have the choice of whether or not they play. Being forced to have fun isn’t play, it’s punishment!
Principle #3 – “Opportunity to give and receive”
Play requires interaction and exchange. We believe by actively seeking to give and receive, we create more opportunities to play for everyone!
Principle #4 – “Game-changing”
“Change the world through play!” We believe in the transformative power of Play and everyone has that power within them. Remember, “With great power comes great responsibility” so use it wisely!
What Folks Say About The School of Play
“I hugely enjoyed working with Portia. She provided executive coaching to me and my partners in a healthcare environment, and proved to be incredibly insightful, provoking, and helpful in exploring new options. In a limited time frame, Portia was able to identify and address the nature of historic blockers, helping to articulate these in such a way that change seemed not only achievable, but highly likely. I would absolutely recommend as possibly the best coach I’ve worked with in my entire career.” – Senior NHS Leader
“Having participated in many of Portia’s events over the past 4 years, I’ve learned what seems like pressing inquiries when I first arrive on a course quickly give way to profound explorations that have changed my life as a leader and that of those of I serve for the better.” – Manager of a Software Development Team
“It’s impossible to describe the experiences Portia creates. Her knowledge and practice of play alchemy is second to none. Her courses always feel magical yet grounded in reality and what’s practical. Thanks to Portia, I’ve grown in ways I had only previously dreamt of.” – Team Leader
“Portia works in mysterious ways. It’s always a surprise and delight to receive her creations because she is so generous in sharing her magic, especially through her lovingly curated goodie packs!” – Manager of a Sales Team
“I’ve been on tens of courses in my career and attending the Playful Leadership: Rejuvenation course is the most transformative, enjoyable and fun experience I’ve ever had!” – Project Manager
“Thank you to Portia for being who she is – through her coaching, facilitation and writing. I don’t know anyone else who has this gift of making everyone feel very special.” – Vera Peeters, Lecturer at Thomas More Hogeschool, Belgium & Agile Coach and Software Developer
“Portia has been a delight to work with. She’s an indefatiguable source of energy, creativity and fun. She provided both 1-2-1 and group Agile coaching to my team of business experts in Europe and showed us exactly how to estimate, prioritise and plan our deliverables based on business value. Portia’s expertise and enthusiasm showed us all how work can be fun and fulfilling.” – Head of Business Sector @ Global Financial Institution
“Portia worked with me and my colleagues from April 2018 to March 2019 and helped us transform our agile/lean practices. With Portia’s guidance, we introduced ‘Synch and Stabilise’ demos, to bring together the work of several departments and 300+ software engineers i.e. agile at scale. The approach has been revolutionary. Portia was instrumental in enabling us to make this transformation – from steering the initiative at the beginning to running our international workshops and keeping us on track when we might otherwise have lost our way. I highly recommend Portia!” – Engineering Director @ Ocado Technology
“I had the pleasure of working with Portia during her time at Ocado Technology. Her playful approach, along with a deep wealth of experience in Agile and her coaching abilities were tremendously affective. I personally learnt a great deal from Portia by working with her directly and by watching her deal with a very broad range of challenges. Portia’s ability to articulate situations and help drive positive change is truly impressive. I found Portia to be very insightful and adroit, making her easily one of best Agile coaches I’ve ever worked with. I would strongly recommend Portia to anyone.” – Team Lead @ Ocado Technology
“Portia has an amazing skill of coaching and teaching. Her Agile/Scrum class was so effective that my stakeholders who attended her class (many of them are non-technical business users) found the class extremely useful and relevant to their roles (and lots of fun too). I had various Agile trainings in the past, hers is simply the best.” – Head of Technology, Life Insurance Company
“I attended Portia’s From Carpe Diem to Carpe Annum day in January 2017. It was more than compass setting for the new year; it offered me an opportunity to step outside the flow and events of the day-to-day to look at what would really make a long-term difference to me and those around me. It supported a profound re-evaluation of my work–life composition — not just balance — one that I can say endured through the year.” – Kevlin Henny, Technology Thought Leader
Find out more about our clients’ experience of working with Portia and The School of Play here.
THE SCHOOL OF PLAY 