What attracted my attention in the introduction to McGonigal's book, and in the ways Michael talks about his work, is the human aspirations that they are designing for.  At Ayogo, it's human connection, motivation, education, and the promotion of health and wellness. For McGonigal, it's being fully alive, focused, engaged, having power and heroic purpose, being in community, and enjoying the exhilaration of accomplishment.

Michael thinks McGonigal probably overestimates the ability of games to do all of that, but they do meet a lot of these aspirations for a lot of people - most of them younger than me.Let me be honest.I still feel challenged by Pac Man!

What's important for me in all of this, however, is the idea of designing something seriously and carefully to meet these kinds of human aspirations. That's what people in teams, especially people leading teams, should be doing every day, one conversation after another. If the primary place people are finding these aspirations met is online through a computer in the solitude of their work/play space, then something is missing from their work life, something a well-designed team dynamic can supply.

So, here's a quick quiz with 8 questions about how well your conversations generated productive teamwork yesterday.  We'll use a simple likert scale. 1 is not very effectively and 5 is very effectively. 

I invited a good connection with my colleagues.  

1         2        3        4        5

I motivated people in a positive way.                 

1        2        3        4        5

I encouraged all of us to learn.                         

1        2        3        4        5

I promoted health and wellness.                        

1        2        3        4        5

I felt fully alive and engaged.                           

1        2        3        4        5

I used my power for an heroic purpose.             

1        2        3        4        5

I cultivated good community.                            

1        2        3        4        5

I felt exhilarated by what I accomplished.           

1        2        3        4        5

Take a moment to reflect on your score and think about ways to improve your performance tomorrow. And remember, playing the game of SMARTer teamwork is an experience that draws together all of these aspirations into a masterful performance. 

Not only is it fun, but it is crucial for making this world a better place to flourish for all of us.

Cheers,