From Beanie Babies to Organizational Design: How Childhood Play Shaped My Work Philosophy

As a child, my playtime had a peculiar rule: no toy left behind. I couldn’t just pick one Beanie Baby to play with—every single one had to be involved. Whether I was creating a school for stuffed animals or reenacting a barnyard drama with my 28 tiny horse figurines, every character had a role. Every voice had to be heard.

It wasn’t about fairness in the traditional sense; it was about connection. Leaving one out felt wrong, as if its exclusion disrupted the imaginary ecosystem I was building. Even then, I instinctively understood something that I now know to be true in the adult world: systems work best when everyone has a place and a purpose.

Fast forward to today, and that same instinct drives my obsession with Organizational Design (OD). In many ways, OD feels like the adult version of my childhood playtime. It’s about crafting systems where every “piece”—every person, every role, every process—feels connected and valued.

Just like those tiny horses, people in an organization need a sense of belonging. They need clarity about their role in the bigger picture. When someone feels overlooked or excluded, it creates inefficiencies, tensions, and gaps that ripple across the whole system.

Playtime Lessons for Organizational Success

1. Inclusivity Creates Harmony
   Just as every toy had a role in my childhood stories, inclusivity in an organization builds trust and collaboration. It’s not about forcing everyone to be the same—it’s about recognizing the unique value each person brings and weaving that into the collective story.

2. Systems Thrive When They’re Balanced
   Dragging out all 28 horses wasn’t efficient, but it taught me balance. In OD, balance means aligning culture, strategy, and structure so that every part of the organization works together seamlessly.

3. Empathy is the Foundation
   As a child, I anthropomorphized my toys. I gave them feelings, motivations, and backstories. Today, that same empathy drives my work. Whether it’s designing leadership structures or facilitating change, I focus on how decisions impact people—not just processes.

4. Connection Fuels Creativity
   By involving every piece in my childhood play, I created intricate stories that were far richer than they would have been with just one or two characters. In organizations, fostering connection between people and teams leads to innovative solutions and a stronger sense of purpose.

From Play to Purpose

I didn’t realize it at the time, but those hours spent orchestrating elaborate Beanie Baby dramas were my first experiments in systems thinking. They were lessons in inclusion, empathy, and storytelling—the same principles I bring to my work today.

Organizational Design is, at its core, about making sure no one feels like the forgotten toy at the bottom of the box. It’s about building ecosystems where everyone has a role to play, and where every contribution matters.

So, the next time I’m mapping out an org chart or facilitating a workshop, I’ll think back to those tiny horses and smile. Even as a child, I was learning how to create systems that make people—and organizations—thrive.