Yes, And Quotes

“Too often we are told that failure is not an option. But the opposite is true. It’s vital to give failure a role in your process. The biggest threat to creativity is fear, especially the fear of failure. By deflating the negative power of failure, you erode fear and allow creativity to flourish.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“If you can create an ensemble where everyone agrees to surrender the need to be right, you will increase productivity by leaps and bounds. You will create an environment where innovation can flourish; you will also make everyone happier.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“great managers know that true power lies in knowing when to be hands-on and when to disappear; when to direct and when to listen; when to judge and when to observe; when to hold their ground and when to step back and let someone else lead; and when to say Yes, And. Failure succeeds in getting people closer to great innovation only when it is allowed to proceed unencumbered by judgment.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“The thing is, if you’re good at what you do, you’re going to fail, because it means you’re out there taking risks. As people who have failed will often attest, failing isn’t that bad; it’s the fear of failure that can be paralyzing. That’s what keeps less successful people up at night, causing them to disengage, to hold back and not commit their full energies to their companies and coworkers. It causes them to quit a difficult task, refuse a promotion, avoid their boss, or hold their tongue in meetings. Fear of failure drains companies of their innovative lifeblood. Organizations that accept failure as a natural part of the creative process, however, can see tremendous increases in productivity, morale, and innovation, so it’s worthwhile for managers to figure out how to create a safe environment where their ensembles won’t be afraid to let loose. It’s not enough just to tell people it’s OK to fail and hang a bunch of posters emblazoned with platitudes; you have to model fearlessness.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“Creative breakthroughs occur in environments where ideas are not just fully explored, but heightened and stretched to levels that may seem absurd at first.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“While there's nothing wrong with the quantitative, strategic, and analytical skills traditional taught in B-schools, those alone do not guarantee success in business, where things tend to be messier and more fluid, and where success often rests on the ability to form winning coalitions that will back a good idea. Here, the soft skills--such as a willingness to listen, forge trusting relationships, take and support responsible risks, adapt to change, and stay positive in the face of adversity--are seen as those essential to allowing people and businesses to respond with agility and nimbleness to the fast-moving information, opportunities, and challenges of today's workplace.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“In an improvised art form, the actors are also the writers; they create their content in concert with their fellow ensemble members and in an ongoing dialogue with their audience.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“Improvisation, at its most basic level, lets you respond more quickly in real time--and when practiced, also allows you to use comic relief to ease a potentially awkward confrontation.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“When we are fiercely following the elements of improvisation, we generate ideas both quickly and efficiently; we're more engaged with our coworkers; our interactions with clients become richer or more long-standing; we weather rough storms with more aplomb, and we don't work burdened by a fear of failure. When we are in full improvisor mode, we become better leaders and better followers; likewise, we hear things that we didn't hear before because we are listening deeply and fully in the moment.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“when problem solving, even a bad idea is just a bridge to a better idea.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“Professional success often rests on the same pillars that form the foundation of great comedy improv: Creativity, Communication, and Collaboration.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“The business or organization that takes itself too seriously and doesn’t know how to question its own beliefs is at a strong competitive disadvantage. Rather than pretend that problems and failures don’t exist, strong leaders and organizations acknowledge what’s not working. They encourage team members to demonstrate their respect for the organization by questioning the status quo, challenging assumptions and traditions that may not be working, and calling out the truth, even when the truth is hard to hear. By allowing team members to air grievances or highlight problems, managers are better able to learn and grow. Unlike organizations married to hierarchy and the status quo, they are also better able to protect themselves from competitors who have embraced irreverence and therefore increased their innovation.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“the key to staying relevant in the world is constantly challenging and reinventing yourself.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“In business and in life, before you can get people to change their behavior, they have to change their attitudes, and before they can change their attitudes, they have to understand there’s a situation that needs to be viewed differently.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still maintain the ability to function.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“Leadership is more about understanding status than about maintaining status.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“The biggest threat to creativity is fear, especially the fear of failure.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“The business or organization that takes itself too seriously and doesn’t know how to question its own beliefs is at a strong competitive disadvantage.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“An adage that has helped guide The Second City through the years is “Dare to offend.” We teach our performers to be unafraid to speak to power, to challenge conventions, and to question the rules.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“David Ogilvy, who once said, “Search the parks in all the cities, you’ll find no statues of committees.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

“Comedy and irreverence are lubricants that encourage people to reconsider long-standing beliefs that may be holding them back.”
― Kelly Leonard, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City