You’re Playing the Wrong Game | Steve Willison on Work, Burnout, and Incentives

In this episode of Just Press Record, Matt Zeigler sits down with Steve Willison—HR executive and author of Players, Payoffs and People—to explore how game theory applies to work, leadership, and life.

The conversation weaves together stories of creativity, burnout, and identity with lessons on incentives, teamwork, and personal growth. From bands on tour to boardrooms, Steve shares how seeing the world as a series of "games" can provide clarity and direction in navigating relationships, careers, and organizations.

Topics Covered:

• Finding your people and building the right "pool" of collaborators
• Work-life integration vs. balance
• The role of adventurous risk-takers in creative and professional projects
• Burnout: causes, recovery, and organizational responsibility
• Incentives, goals, and how shifting motivations impact teams
• Cooperation games vs. competitive games in relationships and the workplace
• Viewing life, leadership, and HR through the lens of game theory
• Creativity, cross-pollination, and pulling lessons from unexpected places