Session: Lead Like an Improviser: Flexibility, Influence and Change
Improvisers play, lean on their team and prepare relentlessly. Those behaviors also build incredibly strong leaders and allow people and organizations to navigate change effectively. This engaging, interactive experience explores four principles from improvisation that allow performers to embrace change, drop assumptions and influence outcomes – the secret is these same behaviors are seen in high-performing leaders and teams – across industries, no matter the size of the company. Leaders across the globe use the principles of improvisation to be flexible and agile in any situation. This session provides four clear techniques for applying improvisational behaviors to be more effective at what you do every day, and create more collaborative, innovative interactions. Using case studies and exercises, you’ll explore how to change behavior and gain a fresh way to consider how to manage change, build culture and be more creative and innovative at the same time.
Bio
Karen Hough, Founder & CEO of ImprovEdge, is a #1 Amazon bestselling author, contributor to the Huffington Post and recipient of the Stevie International Award for Most Innovative Company of the Year, the WNBA Inspiring Woman award, as well as the Athena PowerLink Award for outstanding woman-owned business. Her company is the first in the world to combine behavioral research with the art of improvisation for business training that consistently provides results in half the time of traditional business training, measurable ROI, is fun and sticks. ImprovEdge is in the top 4% of women-owned businesses in the US and has a presence in five cities with a client list that includes ESPN, NBCUniversal, Nationwide, Cardinal Health, Impossible Foods and AstraZeneca to name a few. Ms. Hough is a Certified Speaking Professional by the National Speakers Association and has presented to over a million people throughout the US and internationally. Ms. Hough trained and performed with Chicago’s legendary Second City, is a graduate of Yale University, and a trustee on several boards.