Before Lakshmi Balachandra started teaching Improvisational Leadership at the MIT Sloan School of Management, she was an improv comic. When she went to MIT to study an MBA, it was there that she realized how much she was actually using her improv skills in her new business career.
In an article on CNN.com, Balachandra explains:
“Improv teaches you how to think on your feet and how to react and adapt very quickly to unexpected events and things you may not have planned for. It applies to leadership and it applies to negotiation, where you never have control over what happens. Negotiation is a dynamic process — you have to be able to think on your feet and adapt.”
Improv and Business: Transferable Skills
Learning to take action and chances can be risky but important in a business setting. Knowing that you have a team to back up your decision can give you the confidence you need to go ahead with your plan and not second guess yourself. Sharpening your improvisational skills won’t only help you at work, though – you may find that you can use them in everyday life!
