How Playground Dynamics Shape Leadership The Recess Effect

List of Figures

Acknowledgments

Foreword

Preface

Chapter 1. The Recess Effect: How Childhood Games Shape Adult Power

Chapter 2. How Pickers Are Made

Chapter 3. Pickers at Work: Power on the Adult Playground

Chapter 4. The Picked and the Benchwarmers

Chapter 5. The Apple Effect: Looking Beyond the Surface

Chapter 6. When Leadership Repeats the Playground

Chapter 7. Breaking the Cycle: From Playground to Responsibility

Chapter 8. Outgrowing the Playground: Choosing Who You Become

Chapter 9. Designing Cultures That Don’t Recreate the Playground

Chapter 10. Becoming the Adults We Needed

Reference

Index

Biography

Larry Rice is co-founder of Northern Compass Consulting, an executive coach and leadership consultant. He previously served as a university president and currently serves on the boards of the Helios Education Foundation and the Children’s Movement of Florida.

Claire Michèle Rice is Global Head of Opportunity and Belonging at the International Baccalaureate. She brings over 28 years of experience in higher education, conflict management, organizational transformation, and leadership.

George Alexakis is a university professor, corporate trainer, and entrepreneur, spanning academia and business. He has taught, trained, and published in entrepreneurship, leadership, organizational behavior, and strategic management.

“The Recess Effect brought back deep memories and great lessons. Never did I choose the teams on the school playground, yet quite often made the team, but sometimes did not (and that was painful). This thought-provoking book is simply excellent.”

David Lawrence Jr., Chair, The Children’s Movement of Florida; Retired Publisher, The Miami Herald

 

“The Recess Effect is a must read whether you are an aspiring leader, already in a leadership role, or trying to understand or navigate other leaders. This book cleverly breaks down human traits and dynamics that are oftentimes born on the playground and pulls those threads through to explain how they show up in the workplace and relationships in general. Highly recommended for anyone interested in being an effective leader and should be an essential element of any leadership curriculum.”

Michelle Johnson-Barnes, Ed.D., Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, St. Thomas University

 

“In my many decades of training, teaching and practicing leadership I can say that this book is a wealth of information and models to follow. This book is useful for parents, educators and results-oriented leaders. Every page has useful information and practical guidance. Every leader should make this a must read, beginning with The Recess Effect.”

Bob Preziosi, DPA, Professional Speaker, Author of The Leadership Road, Educator, Consultant, and Former Fortune 50 VP

 

“Leaders who value opportunity and belong in teams would find this book insightful. The Recess Effect exposes how deeply our earliest social experiences shape the way we organize teams, distribute opportunity, and define belonging. Rice, Rice, and Alexakis give us both the language and the responsibility to interrupt those patterns and build institutions that enable all to thrive.”

Nicole Bien, Ph.D., Chief Community Partnership & Development Officer, International Baccalaureate Organization

 

“The Recess Effect expertly navigates the complex dynamics of early childhood experiences and their influence on adult leadership roles. The authors offer a fresh perspective on why we assume certain management orientations in adulthood that stem from early psychological imprints. Bravo.”

Michael Adamse, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist and Best-Selling Author

 

“That queasy-gut feeling as we wait to get picked for a schoolyard team isn’t just a memory. It is society’s default leadership operating system. Rice, Rice, and Alexakis masterfully unpack The Recess Effect, which rewards charisma, dominance, and conformity at the expense of fairness, accountability, and contribution. They offer educators, managers, and executives The Apple Effect, a practical system to move beyond fourth-grade instincts and judgment and make decisions that draw the best out of everyone, including former benchwarmers still often left, decades later, watching from the sidelines.”

David Rider, Senior Political Reporter and Former City Hall Bureau Chief, Toronto Star

 

“The Recess Effect offers a powerful reminder that leadership patterns rarely begin in the boardroom. By connecting childhood social dynamics with workplace behavior, the authors invite leaders to develop deeper self-awareness and design more intentional, high-performing teams.”

Heather Christie, JD, CSP, Executive Leadership Coach and President, Evolve Global

 

“I have long understood the importance of “play” in our lives, but I have never considered the impact of early childhood recess experiences on the way we lead and engage as adults, until now. The Recess Effect is a valuable resource for those who want to better understand leadership or become more impactful leaders themselves.”

Marisa Kelly, Ph.D., President, Suffolk University