I heard Steve Gross speak at a conference in 2007, and it changed my life. Literally. I am the person I am today because of his keynote speech, and I am over-the moon excited to hear him again at Friday’s closing session for the 2020 Annual Conference (January 31, 2020). If you’re looking at travel plans and thinking maybe you can cut out early on Friday—DON’T. Take the later flight. You’ll thank me for it.

In 2007, I was a 30-year-old, young professional still trying to find my way in the real world. When you’re a “young professional” there’s an expectation that you be, well, professional. You look sharp, you communicate formally—in general, you act like a Grown Up. That was me in 2007. Pretending I was a Grown Up.

Steve’s presentation that year was all about the power of play. He reminded us how we spend a large amount of our lives at work; roughly 33% of our days. So why do we suppress the fun in our workplaces? Why don’t we foster a culture where it’s not just okay but encouraged to laugh and enjoy life? Why don’t we make our places of business a place that brightens our souls?

I came back from my conference and looked at my life. Looked at how often I would start to write something, or to end a sentence with a smiley face, and how often I changed my tone or my words to make it sound more professional. How often I deleted the smiley face because it didn’t seem “appropriate.” Let me tell you, it was a lot.

I started letting myself crack jokes in meetings and share personal anecdotes (like this, with you all). And you know what happened? My life got brighter. My connections got stronger; my board members became my friends. Because, I realized, very few people enjoy the formal “professional” tone. It’s not engaging. It doesn’t make anyone smile. If you can make someone smile, they’ll want to write you back. They’ll want to come to your meetings.

I always tell people that the training at CSMFO is top-notch, but the underlying, hidden, tacit reason the conference has grown exponentially in the past 10 years is because we’re not afraid to have fun. We’re not afraid to be silly with green screen photo booths and karaoke and themed attire. And it took time to build this culture of fun. Even though play is one of the most basic ingrained things, something we know how to do as a baby without being taught, somehow once we’re Grown Ups we think we’re not supposed to play anymore. We’re not supposed to be silly. At CSMFO, we remind you that that’s rubbish. And if you’re not playing and having fun and being silly, you’re not truly experiencing life.

Join us for the 2020 CSMFO Annual Conference and hear Steve Gross speak on Friday. He’ll explain this phenomenon to you better than I ever could. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll change your life for the better too.