Preface

It is, in fact, nothing short of a miracle that the modern methods of instruction have not entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry.

-Albert Einstein

Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.

-Abigail Adams

This book is not for Dumb Ass Managers (D.A.M.s). They refuse to turn away from their presentations of upside-down triangles and convoluted mission statements; they certainly do not listen to you; and they are too busy micromanaging to read a book. They only learn from another D.A.M.

Take a moment to watch and study a D.A.M. in their natural habitat. Look down the hall at the cubicle on the right; the D.A.M. is focused on something that doesn't matter while also trying to convince someone that they had communicated a key detail (they didn't) about an expense to a vendor that caused confusion and mayhem. There is another D.A.M. in their vice president's office, taking credit for a success that had nothing to do with them. Or maybe you are attending a conference and you see a D.A.M. near the coffee station. They tend to circle near blueberry muffins. They probably wouldn't notice you watching them. The D.A.M. stuffs their face with a muffin, staring at their phone and answering emails about fungibles.1

Every so often, the D.A.M. must feed. The D.A.M. feeds on other team members after a larger and stronger D.A.M. requires quarterly performance improvements.

A typical D.A.M. wants success. They want their employees to have passion and creativity. They want their team to produce results. And then the D.A.M. clubs them like baby seals.

Nope, this is not a book for a D.A.M. This is a book for the baby seals. Unlike real baby seals, which are innocent and helpless, you can choose to be something else. You can choose to be a polar bear. You can choose to be anything you want. It is always your choice.

You can choose to be happy, passionate, creative, and energetic. You can choose to be open and flexible to change and to create opportunity and positive support. You can choose to help those around you be successful. You can choose to be in the moment and stay in the game. This is a book for the baby seals and polar bears to make those choices. This is even a book for the people who use words such as "fungible." I just cannot help a D.A.M. because they refuse to listen, refuse to learn something new, and refuse to support their team. They think they are always right. I just do not have that kind of power.

I have met and worked with plenty of D.A.M.s over the years. Since 1997, I have spoken at more than 2,500 events for almost every industry.2 I invite audience members to come on stage and perform improvisation exercises with me to learn about communication, teamwork, change, leadership, innovation, accountability, and fun. Thousands of volunteers have jumped onstage with me over the years: CEOs, vice presidents, entry-level employees, interns, students, middle managers, upper managers, lower managers, managers of managers, and their employees who build, manufacture, distribute, sell, market, buy, and generally do all the work.

Every time I speak and perform, I learn something new about how we communicate and work together. By watching thousands of people from all walks of life play these improvisation games, I have noticed the choices that make them successful. I also noticed the choices that lead to disappointing results.

This book is a combination of what improvisation taught me about business and life, and what the thousands of volunteers have taught me over the years. By playing the improvisation exercises with so many different companies, organizations, and corporate cultures, I feel like an anthropologist studying wild animals in their natural habitat.

When I started speaking, I never sat down and wrote out my messages. My early clients would ask for an outline of my presentation, and I would have to tell them there wasn't one. I played the improvisation games and spoke from the heart. When I delivered a message I liked, I would make a mental note to incorporate that thought into my next presentation. My keynote continually evolved, fueled by experience and observation. It continues to evolve even today.

In the Beginning, I Was a Reporter. I Didn't Even Know People Spoke for a Living

I started my career as a journalist. I then moved into public relations, advertising, and marketing, primarily for technology and telecommunications companies. In 1994, I started my own consulting business, helping companies with their public relations and marketing. The year before, in 1993, I began performing improvisational comedy professionally at a theater in Dallas, Texas. I performed more than 3,500 shows with the same improvisation comedy troupe. I worked in two different worlds. In one world, I performed improvisational comedy. In the other world, I worked in public relations, advertising, and marketing. I realized the skills that made each successful were quite similar. And I found a way to combine the two worlds.

I knew that improvisation was originally used as a teaching tool, but I never thought about using the games in a business environment. One day, a client, who knew what I did on the weekend with the improvisation group, invited me to a meeting. The client was having a retreat and asked whether I could play some of the improvisation games with the executives. Another performer and I played a dozen or so games with the group. The small audience was made up of executive vice presidents from a technology firm. They loved the games, and a light bulb started flickering above my head. Pretty soon, more clients were asking me to speak. I put together some very raw, inexpensive, and strange promotional materials, and my career as a speaker began. At the time, I had no idea people even spoke for a living.

My experience with improvisation was my foundation for my presentations. When I started, I was just focused on the entertainment aspect of the games and a few of the messages that I picked up while studying and performing. Very quickly, I realized that improvisation forced the participants to make the right choices for success. I observed how employees and managers played the games and interacted with each other. It was very apparent that the games were a microcosm of how we communicated and functioned as a team. The same choices the volunteers made to achieve success in the improvisation games were the ones required at their jobs.

Every Employee and Manager Wants to Have Fun

I saw countless employees and managers from different levels, backgrounds, nationalities, and industries make the same choices. It was very enlightening. I also discovered how creative, energetic, passionate, and fun we all are, given the right opportunity and the right positive environment. The sad part is that too many companies fail to provide the opportunity and positive support needed. I have walked into too many meetings that had the same energy as the waiting room where you get your tires rotated. There was no energy or passion. Many of my clients would tell me their groups were boring, uninterested in participating, unresponsive, cynical, or "not very creative." Within seconds of walking on stage, I had those same groups laughing, creating energy, and having fun. They volunteered. They participated. Most importantly, they learned how to unleash their creativity, communicate effectively, and work together more successfully.

The one constant I quickly discovered was that we are all creative. And we all want to have fun. Sometimes, all we need is the right opportunity, the right leader, and the right positive support.

Improvisation is the tool I use to make audiences laugh and think. By creating an entertaining atmosphere, the audiences are more open to the messages. More importantly, they retain the message. My presentations are not about teaching participants the art of improvisation. I use improvisation as my foundation and filter the lessons through my vision and business experience. The games allow the audience to easily see, participate, and understand my messages about teamwork, creativity, and communication. The choices the employees and managers make playing the games are equally part of my presentation's foundation. The volunteers are just as much a part of this book as the improvisation games.

Improvisation is very special to me. You can learn quite a bit about a person by watching them play the games. Some of the questions I can answer after observing audience members participate in the exercises are:

• Who is open and flexible to change?
• Who is patient and understanding?
• Who is supportive and helpful?
• Who is creative?
• Who is a leader?
• Who helps others achieve success?
• Who works successfully in a team environment?

We Have to Take Responsibility and Make the Right Choice

Each chapter in this book will discuss a specific choice that we can each make to achieve more success in our communication, teamwork, and leadership goals. I will also give ideas and tips on becoming a better leader and teammate; learning to be more innovative; communicating more effectively; attaining more success as an employee or manager; and living a more passionate, energized, and happier life.3

This book has the same spirit as my presentations. I include plenty of great messages and ideas. And I promise each chapter...