Kate Downing Khaled | Founder & CEO
I’d like to officially thank R&B group “Jagged Edge” and their iconic 2001 hit, “Where The Party At” for making a recent work week a LOT more fun with an impromptu dance party with my colleagues Rose, Theon, and Taqee.
It had been a particularly difficult and trying week, and when the song came up on someone’s shuffled playlist, it didn’t take long before we were on our feet and dancing. We even captured it on film!
Even when — especially when — things are hard, finding moments of play are essential to storing up the resources, energy, and inspiration we need to bring forward new futures.
Now that we’ve shifted to a hybrid work environment at Imagine Deliver, moments of play, both spontaneous and planned, are a little easier to come by.
On Mondays, we rotate the responsibility of facilitating our weekly check-in meetings. Over the past few months, we’ve grounded ourselves with poetry readings, writing prompts, and breathing exercises, each led by a different member of our team.
Friday afternoon dance parties don’t happen with the same regularity, but our Monday routine of connection has helped us build a foundation of trust to the point where we’re comfortable getting loose to 90s hits.
As fun as the TikTok videos look, dancing and being silly in front of colleagues can feel like a risk. I try to lean into these moments, especially as a leader, because putting myself out of my comfort zone with a few dance moves helps me practice for when I need to take a risk while working with a client, disagreeing with a collaborator, or while engaging with the community.
And we know how vulnerable it can be to start treating your users like your most important designers, especially if you’ve never done it before. So when our communities and clients are ready to take a risk, we want to be prepared to leap with them every time.
Shifting systems toward justice takes a LOT of effort. It’s heavy, it’s hard, and some days it can be really discouraging.
Intentional moments of play — like absolutely losing it over Theon’s ridiculous dance moves — help me reconnect to the optimism that keeps me moving forward.
We won’t stop the hard work of building towards equity — and we won’t stop dancing, either.
Reach out and let me know how you and your team have been finding moments of play recently. Bonus points if they include 90s music or funny memes.
