Yes, And

How Improvisation Reverses ""No, But"" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City

By: Kelly Leonard, Tom Yorton

Narrated by: Alan Winter

Executives from The Second City—the world’s premier comedy theater and school of improvisation—reveal improvisational techniques that can help any organization develop innovators, encourage adaptable leaders, and build transformational businesses.

For more than fifty years, The Second City comedy theater in Chicago has been a training ground for some of the best comic minds in the industry—including John Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Mike Myers, Steve Carell, Stephen Colbert, and Tina Fey. But it also provides one-of-a-kind leadership training to cutting-edge companies, nonprofits, and public sector organizations—all aimed at increasing creativity, collaboration, and teamwork.

The rules for leadership and teamwork have changed, and the skills that got professionals ahead a generation ago don’t work anymore. Now The Second City provides a new toolkit individuals and organizations can use to thrive in a world increasingly shaped by speed, social communication, and decentralization. Based on eight principles of improvisation, Yes, And helps to develop these skills and foster them in high-potential leaders and their teams, including:

• Mastering the ability to co-create in an ensemble
• Fostering a “yes, and” approach to work
• Embracing failure to accelerate high performance
• Leading by listening and by learning to follow
• Innovating by making something out of nothing

Yes, And is a must-read for professionals and organizations, helping to develop the invaluable leadership skills needed to succeed today.

Good read for fellow improvisers...

Opened my mind to how corporate America can gain from this. Worth the read or in this case THE LISTEN!

All over the place.

This book is too all over the place, especially in the middle. Good stuff at the beginning, but refers to comedy too often to relate it to business.

Devoured the learnings from this book!

What a great read about the journey of Second City and how to them, Improv is not just fun and games but a serious tool for bringing about deep transformations among individuals, businesses and corporations.
The narrator's voice I felt, was ideal for this genre of books and really added to the value of listening to this audio book.
Can't wait to listen to the book again!

some good ideas

I wish I found this 5 years ago. great business I sights for sandler trainers

Lots of good tips and tricks

I’d have liked to seen the authors do a better job of taking a list of good ideas and really combining them into a smaller number of key takeaways. It seems to me there’s one editorial step that’s missing in this book and that’s the through thread for the overallbook and a smaller number of supporting elements that would be easier to remember and put to work.

High value read

When the information is logical, and makes total sense (and you wonder why you didn’t think of it) you know the tools presented in this book will benefit any process or project.

Required reading for creation in teams.

This is a simple concept, driven home in an intelligent and entertaining way. I work in a creative business and the "Yes, And" philosophy is critical to doing good work. I have injected it into our process.

Concepts that are life changing

Written for a business audience, yet teaches new ways of thinking that may change you forever. Truly listening as a means of comedic survival on the stage, listening to all ideas, all ideas of equal value, supporting all in the group, uplifting the talents and skills while supporting the whole person are enormous life changing skills & business skills

Food for thought

Great insights into how elements of improv can help in work and life. important for employees and managers alike to read.

definitely worth a read for everyonr

I picked this book because both Tina Fey and Amy Poehler noted the second city for their success l. I think they're onto something and I am going to try to apply their advice to my every day life and work life.