Leadership Skills from Role-Playing Games with Dr. Joe Lasley

Psych in Business

In this episode of the Psych in Business podcast, Dr. Ernest Wayde chats with Dr. Joe Lasley, an assistant professor at the University of Southern Maine and founder of Gamenamic Leadership. Dr. Lasley uses role play to transform leaders, combining leadership studies, organizational behavior, and game design to foster personal and team development.

Dr. Lasley discusses his journey from gaming enthusiast to leadership expert, exploring how role-playing games can be powerful tools for leadership development. He explains the deep connections between play, psychology, and leadership, and how these games naturally enhance team dynamics and psychological safety.

Key Takeaways:

• Role Play as Leadership Development: Role-playing games offer a unique way to develop leadership skills by allowing individuals to experiment with different roles and behaviors in a safe and controlled environment.
• Psychological Safety and Team Dynamics: Engaging in role-playing games helps build psychological safety within teams, fostering creativity, collaboration, and stronger group dynamics.

• Learning Through Play: The act of playing itself becomes a powerful learning tool, where participants can practice leadership and team-building skills without the pressure of real-world consequences.

• Permission to Play: Leaders should give themselves and their teams permission to play, experiment, and explore new ideas, which can lead to transformative growth and innovation.

• Identity and Role Separation: Understanding that you are not your role, but that your role influences and is influenced by your personal identity, can help leaders navigate their responsibilities more effectively.

To learn more about Dr. Joe Lasley and connect with him: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelasley/