“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm” – Winston Churchill. Great leaders aren’t afraid to fail—they’re willing to fall, learn quickly from their mistakes, and try again. These leaders know that failure is critical to success. In this unconventional business course, students will explore how the principles of improv comedy—radical collaboration, listening, risk-taking, and yes, failing together—can transform the way you lead and navigate uncertainty. Kill Your Ego challenges traditional leadership by embracing humility and the superpowers of failure. Through hands-on improv exercises and real-world reflection, you’ll develop the confidence to let go of control, trust your team, and create a culture where innovation thrives and egos take a back seat. Come ready to drop the script, the ego, and lead with authenticity.
Course ID: KYELLFIV
Kill Your Ego – Learning and Leading through Failure with Improv Comedy
Learning Objectives
- Recognize and apply core principles of improv comedy to leadership and team dynamics.
- Recognize and manage ego-driven behavior that inhibits collaboration, innovation, and psychological safety.
- Recognize failure as a strategic learning tool, both personally and within teams.
- Recognize and practice presence, adaptability, and curiosity in high-pressure or ambiguous situations.
- Distinguish, build, and contribute to a team culture that values trust, experimentation, and shared success.
Major Topics
- Introduction to improv tools and mindsets that enhance communication, creativity, and flexibility.
- Recall how ego shows up in leadership—and how to manage it for the good of the team.
- Reframing mistakes and setbacks as valuable data for learning and innovation.
- Creating environments where people feel safe to speak up, take risks, and support each other.
- Practicing attunement and responsiveness in dynamic, fast-moving situations.
- Shifting from “leader as expert” to “leader as facilitator.”
Advanced Preparations
None
Who Should Attend
Accounting, financial, sales, and managerial professionals, at all levels
Fields of Study
Personal DevelopmentPrerequisites
None