“What do you think you could get for a paperclip?”
That was the only prompt I gave a group of employees and managers during their All-Hands meeting.
Here were the rules:
- Get into teams of three.
- Each team starts with one paperclip.
- You have one hour.
- Your goal? Come back with the highest-value item you can get by trading up, starting from that one paperclip.
- You can only trade your current item, not borrow or buy something yourself.
- You can’t trade with your self or anyone you know.
Off they went.
The Trades Were Wild, But the Lessons Were Wiser
An hour later, the teams returned. And what they managed to score in 60 minutes, from $90 rings to signed posters to a collectable action figures, was impressive.
But the real magic came in how they got there.
Each team told the story of their trades:
- Who said yes.
- Who said no.
- How they overcame the awkwardness of asking a stranger for their stuff.
- How they pitched their offer (turns out, paperclip-to-lamp is a surprisingly compelling arc).
- How their energy shifted when they started winning.
And in those stories were some profound, practical lessons that hit way closer to home than they expected.
5 Lessons from the Paperclip Challenge
This was more than a clever game. It was a masterclass in workplace engagement, risk-taking, and growth mindset, wrapped in one very shiny, very bendable paperclip.
Here’s what we learned:
- Don’t Be Afraid to Ask
Most people never even try because they fear looking foolish or getting rejected. But the ask is where all possibilities begin. Growth doesn’t happen in silence. - Play the Long Game
It’s easy to get discouraged trading a paperclip for a used pen. But that pen leads to a notebook, which leads to a book, which leads to a candle… and before you know it, someone trades you a $50 blanket because “they like your hustle.” You don’t need the full staircase to take the first step. A 5-cent trade may feel pointless, but every step compounds. Direction matters more than speed. - There’s Value in the Story
A pen is just a pen. But a pen with a story of courage, challenge, teamwork, and curiosity - One Person’s Trash is Another Person’s Treasure
Value is subjective. What you think is junk might be exactly what someone else needs. In work and in life, don’t assume something has no worth just because you’re done with it. - 5. It’s More Fun (and Less Scary) Together
Every team said it: doing this alone would’ve been terrifying. With teammates? It became an adventure. Collaboration isn’t just more productive — it’s braver.
Final Thought: Engage People by Giving Them Something to Trade
In Dance Floor Theory™, we talk about moving people up the Engagement Pyramid through micro-actions — small risks that build confidence and connection.
The Paperclip Challenge is a perfect example. It’s a safe, silly way to step into discomfort and come out the other side with a story (and maybe a Bluetooth speaker).
But the deeper truth is this:
People grow when they’re given permission to try. Culture grows when teams do it together.
So next time you’re leading a group and wondering how to build engagement, skip the slides. Hand them a paperclip.
Then stand back and watch what they trade it for.
