The intersection of improv and business with Kelly Leonard, VP of Creative Strategy @ Second City, Pt. 1

"30 seconds in a room with Kelly will make you wiser. . . a selfless curiosity is his fuel" - Todd Manley

Needless to say, after peppering Second City's Kelly Leonard with questions for over 50 minutes, we feel like absolute geniuses.

Kelly Leonard is the VP of Creative Strategy, Innovation, and Biz Dev @ The Second City where he's hired and developed shows with Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Steve Carell, Keegan-Michael Key, Amy Poehler, and others. On top of this, he wrote the best-selling book "Yes, And" and hosts the "Getting to Yes, And" podcast for Second City and WGN Radio in Chicago.

On today's episode, we bend an elbow with one of Chicago's comedy greats to chat how adopting an improv skillset in the workplace can change it all for your business. Between star-studded stories and thought-provoking human insights, Kelly teaches us that embracing failure is often the key to success – breeding humility, vulnerability, and creativity within a team.

Here's a preview:

You can make yourself shine by making others shine – improv is about building WITH someone.

No one is interested in your success. We want to hear your fiasco. That's what makes you "backable."

If you are well-versed in improvisation, you are well-versed in failing because you fail all the time.

See all obstacles as gifts. When someone makes a mistake on stage, it creates an opening – a way to take the story in a way we didn't think about before.

Take the fucking note - the art of accepting feedback as a gift.

Finding joy in the absolute chaos of a workplace that is barely holding it together.

Practicing gratitude – and how it's not the same as toxic positivity.

Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn and Twitter

Must-reads mentioned in this episode:

Choose Growth by Scott Berry Kaufman

Radical Candor by Tim Scott

The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul

Backable by Suneel Gupta