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“Creating Successful Leaders”

Category Archives: Changing Your Life

July 8, 2015 The Surprising Way Improv Comedy Can Help Your Workplace

When I first attended a class put on by the Brave New Workshop improv troupe, I was skeptical. How could improvised theater help me, a businessperson? Wasn’t it just for the ultra-creative types and class clowns? It turns out, my skepticism was hugely misplaced.

As I went through several different activities, I began to understand the value of such training for myself and everyone I was with—no matter the personality type. The skills we were learning through improv comedy helped us adapt to new situations, be creative, collaborate with others, and have the confidence to express ourselves, even if we weren’t entirely certain of the next move. These are all essential attributes of a good leader or confident team member.

One exercise especially stuck out in my mind:

We were asked to split up into groups of two. One person pretended to have a box filled with something useless or negative (worms, old gym socks, garbage, etc.) and they were supposed to give that box to the other person and say what they had. For example: “Here, Margaret. I have a box full of old banana peels for you.”

The recipient would have to take the box of useless items and respond in some kind of positive manner, such as: “Thank you, Susan. I will take these banana peels and use them as compost in my garden.”

This exercise works on a few useful skills:

  1. Turning a negative into a positive
  2. Quickly adapting to an uncomfortable situation
  3. Connecting in a positive manner with another person

After the workshop was finished, I felt energized, confident, and ready to take on anything that was thrown my way. I highly recommend using improv workshops as a way to boost your business (and life!) skills and help your team connect on a deeper level.

Contact me if you’d like to hear more about my improv experience!

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June 17, 2015 Women: Be True To Yourselves

There were many little lessons I took away from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s TED Talk, but one of the greatest ones was about women in the workplace. Her talk revolved around female equality and reclaiming the oftentimes negatively-used word “feminism.”

Being from Nigeria, Chimamanda gave some extreme examples of how women are treated as the lesser gender (not being allowed into nightclubs on their own, expected to be submissive to men, etc.), but she also noted that the problem of female equality is still alive and kicking in the U.S. Take the modern workplace, for example. As Chimamanda notes, “The higher up [the ladder] you go, the fewer women you see.” Last year, only 4.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs were women.

What follows is an exert from Chimamanda’s TED Talk on selecting an outfit to wear for her first day of teaching at a United States University:

“The first time I taught a writing class in graduate school, I was worried. Not about the teaching material, because I was well prepared and I was teaching what I enjoyed. Instead, I was worried about what to wear. I wanted to be taken seriously.”

“I knew that because I was female, I would automatically have to prove my worth. And I was worried that if I looked too feminine, I would not be taken seriously. I really wanted to wear my shiny lip gloss and my girly skirt, but I decided not to. I wore a very serious, very manly, and very ugly suit.”

“The sad truth of the matter is that when it comes to appearance, we start off with men as the standard, as the norm. Many of us think that the less feminine a woman appears, the more likely she is to be taken seriously. A man going to a business meeting doesn’t wonder about being taken seriously based on what he is wearing–but a woman does.”

“I wish I had not worn that ugly suit that day. Had I then the confidence I have now to be myself, my students would have benefited even more from my teaching. Because I would have been more comfortable and more fully and truly myself.”

The lesson rings clear: Be confident, be yourself! Your attitude and outward projection matters much more than the serious cut of your suit. Dress comfortably and walk into your next meeting with your shoulders up and your head high.

For the complete TED Talk, click the video link below:

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June 3, 2015 Stop Scripting

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.” -Bertrand Russell

It’s the voice you hear in your head. The nagging inner-critic that I like to call your “saboteur.” Many of us deal with this voice on a regular basis. Your saboteur may tell you things like:

“You’re not good enough.”

“No one should listen to you.”

“You’re not qualified to do the job.”

“You don’t have any good ideas.”

STOP! That voice is only holding you back and stifling your growth. When we predict the outcome of something before it happens, that’s called scripting, and it usually does us more harm than good. You CAN overcome this self-doubt hanging over your shoulder. Follow these five steps to stop scripting and start being the leader you know you are:

  1. Stop fearing what you can’t control.
  2. Get out of everyone else’s head. People aren’t thinking about you nearly as much as you think they are.
  3. Be present. Put your best foot forward; listen to body language.
  4. Have fun. Put your energy into doing something you love.
  5. Don’t fight your compass. Self-doubt and scripting of others’ thoughts can interfere with your inner compass or guide. Be confident and listen to your intuition.

You have the power to step up and make bold, positive strides at work. When you shed your inner saboteur, your self-confident, capable self will shine through and others will take notice.

For more guidance, please feel free to contact me today.

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