I enjoyed this recent HBR article “Leading in the Flow of Work” by Hitendra Wadwha. His work highlights the deeper state of leadership that emerges from the moment-by-moment flow of our daily work, rooted in five core energies: Purpose (committed to a noble cause) Wisdom (calm and receptive to the truth) Growth (curious and open […]

Leadership is a spiritual act. Not sure you buy it? Give this a try: ask a colleague to tell you a story about a boss who had a profoundly positive impact on their life – and a story about a boss who had a profoundly negatively impact on their life. The responses I get from […]

Love the idea of Improv Church! I enjoyed this article – highlighting some old friends from the Washington Improv Theater – about an experiment with improvisation in an unlikely location. Some great themes about: The use of art to reimagine traditional spaces Finding hope in unexpected challenges Using spontaneity and laughter to connect more deeply […]

“What am I going to say?” This is the fear at the heart of most concerns about the idea of improvising at work (and in life). We’re focused on ourselves. Will I say something embarrassing, or stupid, or will I fail to say anything at all? “How am I going to engage?” This question shifts […]

This article gives an important perspective on the state of our communities – and the state of our organizational cultures. Americans are hanging out less with one another across the board, and it’s impacting our “social fitness” according to Derek Thompson. As many senior leadership teams are seeking ways to reconnect with their teams in […]

“In Jeet Kune Do, all technique is forgotten and the unconscious is to be left alone to handle the situation. The technique will assert its wonders automatically or spontaneously. To float in totality, to have no technique, is to have all technique.” – Bruce Lee When the pressure is on – how do we learn […]

Sometimes it’s hard to like certain coworkers. It might be a personality disconnect or an element of the work that enhances tension. It’s also possible they (or you?) are just being a jerk. This improvisational lesson from Del Close and Charna Halpern always helps to center me when I’m dealing with (or acting like) a […]

“The triangle offense is best described as five man tai chi. The point is not to go head-to-head with the defense, but to toy with the defenders and trick them into overextending themselves. That means thinking and moving in unison as a group and being acutely aware, at any given moment, of what’s happening on […]

“The ‘yes to what is’ is not always a yes on the verbal external level. It is an inner attitude, an inner state that you bring to the situation. You will see the situation and you will act. Nobody can predict what you will do out of presence, but it will be right.” – Eckhart […]

I reccomend the podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart hosted by Matt Abrahams to anyone working to improve their communication skills (hopefully that’s all of us!) – and particularly enjoyed the rebroadcast of the first episode focusing on the use of improvisation to improve our communication skills. A few big take aways included: – We’re improvising […]