Latest news with #KellyLeonard
Forbes
18-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Seeing The Generational Divide As A Generational Advantage
Kelly Leonard is the Vice President of Creative Strategy, Innovation and Business Development at The Second City. I've been working with folks in their twenties since I was in my twenties. After nearly 40 years of working at The Second City—a comedy theatre that traffics in social and cultural tropes for laughs, I have been provided an unusual perch to witness how each generation mines their experiences and attitudes to critique the past, present and future. I can still recall how Boomers thought Gen-Xers were all slackers, and how Gen-Xers thought Millennials were too privileged, and how Millennials thought Gen-Zers were entitled and too reliant on technology. The only generational trait that seems to exist across the board is that every generation thinks the next generation has it easier than they had it. We like our stories simple: black and white, good or bad. It's easier to sort people into stereotypes than it is to appreciate the gray areas that define how individuals choose to live their lives. In doing just a bit of research on the empirical evidence of generational differences, there is a sizable community of scholars who aren't buying what the popular press is selling. As Cort Rudolph and his colleagues note, "...There is little empirical evidence that generations exist, that people can be reliably classified into generational groups, and, importantly, that there are demonstrable differences between such groups that manifest and affect various work-related processes.' The truth is, we share more than we differ when it comes to generations. The worries about money, love and security are cross-generational. The search for meaningful work and the need to feel connected to a community—these are the problems of being a human, not a generation. As Morgan Housel writes in his book, "Same as Ever," "The ones who thrive long term are those who understand the real world is a never-ending chain of absurdity, confusions, messy relationships, and imperfect people." So why does it feel like such a slog when talking to folks from another generation? Why do companies like ours continually get called on to provide communication workshops for companies that have identified cross-generational collaboration as a chronic problem in the workplace? Because the problem isn't about generations; it's about people. And that's great news—because it means that if we understand just a bit about human behavior, we can use strategies and practices to improve the conversations we've identified as problematic. For three years, we had a partnership with the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago called The Second Science Project, which looked at behavioral science through the lens of improvisation and vice versa. We created bespoke improvisational exercises based on the science of human relationships, communication and decision making. One of my favorite exercises that we developed from that partnership provides a simple yet effective tool by which you can quickly improve your ability to navigate a conversation through differences. It's called, Thank You, Because. In the exercise, we pair two people and ask them to decide upon a low-stakes disagreement: coffee versus tea, cats versus dogs, smooth versus chunky peanut butter. We then ask them to have a conversation in which they each try to convince the other that they are right. I can report that, having run tens of thousands of people through this exercise, not a single person has successfully convinced the other that they are right and the other person is wrong. We then ask them to have the same conversation but to use a simple technique. After each person presents their point of view, they must first respond with the words 'thank you,' and then they must find something they value in what the person just shared. It doesn't matter if it's a small thing, like the fact that they really care about what they feel. The 'because' is making sure the other person knows they are seen and validated, even if the other person doesn't agree. After the second round, the debrief is always the same: 'Well, we found out a lot more about each other,' 'We realized we didn't need to agree to be able to have an interesting conversation' or 'I actually understood more about why they felt the way they felt.' Behavioral science teaches us that gratitude and validation are deeply tied to our identity. And when another person—even someone who doesn't agree with us—expresses gratitude and validation, we have created a space for true human connection. Difficult conversations have always difficult. And it's perfectly understandable why we might want to chalk up inferior communication to factors beyond our control, like generational divides. But we can do better. 'Thank you, because' can turn a generational divide into a generational advantage. Forbes Business Development Council is an invitation-only community for sales and biz dev executives. Do I qualify?
ABC News
04-07-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Outback artists slam NSW government's changes to regional art gallery funding
Eighteen regional art galleries in New South Wales are facing an uncertain future after missing out on four years' worth of government funding. Broken Hill City Art Gallery, the oldest regional gallery in the state, is among those that have been overlooked. The gallery is run and supported by the Broken Hill City Council, but it also relies on annual funding from Create NSW's Arts and Cultural Funding Program (ACFP). Council general manager Jay Nankivell said the gallery had received $100,000 per year in the past through the program and that it was concerning to miss out on the latest round. Gallery advisory committee member and artist Kelly Leonard moved to Broken Hill four years ago to be a part of the Far West's rich art scene. "The art gallery really is a centrepiece, a location where we can connect, develop opportunities for each other," she said. Ms Leonard said she would need to travel interstate or to Sydney for workshops and professional development if it were not for the gallery. "We're only just recovering from the COVID years out here, and to go through something like this, it's extremely frustrating," she said. Artist Wendy Martin said any funding cut would be a major setback. "Art plays a major part in the tourism industry and attracts a huge amount of people to our city," she said. "Lots of artists have been given a career start by having their work displayed in the gallery, including myself, and I have been painting and exhibiting in Broken Hill now for the last 50 years." Wagga Wagga, Orange and Armidale were among the other regional centres to miss out on the four-year funding, which Regional Arts NSW chief executive Tracey Callinan said was received by only three galleries. "We're now really concerned that those regional galleries across the state are going to struggle to produce good work," she said. The funding is offered in two, four and eight-year cycles and Broken Hill council hopes to be named as a recipient of two years' worth of funding in September. "The gallery works at least two years ahead on planning for exhibitions, so it really needs that long-term funding support," Ms Leonard said. The ABC contacted NSW Arts Minister John Graham for comment and received a statement from a Create NSW spokesperson who said the ACFP was highly competitive. "The NSW government recognises the significant contributions made by regional art galleries to the arts and culture ecology across regional NSW," they said. "The full funding profile of support for regional galleries will be available following the assessment of the two-year funding program."
CBS News
23-06-2025
- General
- CBS News
Second City works with Chicago police to help impart improv-derived leadership skills
Three dozen police captains pair off in a Chicago conference room to play a game: They must start a sentence with the last word their partner used. Many exchanges are nonsensical, full of one-upmanship using difficult words and laughter. But the improvisation game eventually makes sense. "What we are trying to do, is get you to listen to the end of the sentence," says Kelly Leonard, wrapping up the improvisational exercise. "If my arm was a sentence, when do most people stop listening? Always the elbow! But then you're missing everything that goes after... and sometimes that's critical information." The police captains who have flown in from departments across the country nod. "I definitely do that," some call out. Officials at the University of Chicago Crime Lab's Policing Leadership Academy brought members of The Second City, Chicago's storied improv theater, to teach police leaders the more diverse skills found in improv exercises — like thinking on your feet, reserving judgment and fully listening. The academy, a workshop taught over five months, tackles some serious topics like to make data-driven decisions or how to help officers handle on-the-job trauma. "We call it yoga for social skills," said Leonard, the vice president of Creative Strategy, Innovation and Business Development at The Second City. The skills might not apply to all policing situations in the field, but being a better listener or learning to take a breath before responding can make for better leaders, according to Tree Branch, a strategic client partner at The Second City Works. The creation of improv and of The Second City is rooted in social work. Both trace their beginnings to Viola Spolin, who created some of the exercises still used in improv while she was a resettlement worker in the 1920s helping immigrant children and local Chicago children connect. Spolin was also the mother of Second City cofounder, Paul Sills. The Policing Leadership Academy's creators believe those skills can also help meet their goals to increase community engagement, improve officer morale and ultimately reduce violent crime. "We are trying to make the case that you can do all three things," without compromising one over the other, said Kim Smith, director of programs at the Crime Lab. The academy is focused on working with leaders from departments dealing with high levels of community gun violence and pays for them to fly to Chicago one week a month to attend the five-month training. Crime Lab researchers found that district and precinct captains have the largest potential impact on their colleagues, despite often receiving little leadership training for the job. A precinct could have high marks for morale, community relationships, or be making a dent in crime numbers, but if the captain changes, those gains could plummet, researchers found, even if the community, the officers and everything else stayed the same. Professors, researchers and police leaders teach courses on topics like developing transparent policing cultures, using and collecting data, managing stress and building community partnerships. So far, about 130 police leaders from about 70 departments including tribal police departments and even a police inspector from Toronto have participated. Capt. Louis Higginson with the Philadelphia Police Department said the academy provided a much broader training than the two weeks of police job training he got before being promoted to captain a little more than a year ago. "The big thing for me was thinking about the things we allow to happen because they've been that way before us," he said. "And the ways we can change the culture of our district by changing the thinking around why we do things." He said he did some of the improv exercises with his wife and daughters when he returned home and it opened up communication in a way he hadn't expected. "I think it opened their eyes, like it did for me," Higginson said. Albuquerque Police Department Commander Ray Del Greco said he's still thinking more about how he communicates weeks after the improv class. "When people talk to you and come to have you help solve their issues, to be able to push your ego out and worry less about your own agenda and listen, that's an understanding of leadership," Del Greco said. "To me that was the most valuable class we had." Academy leaders stressed the learning doesn't stop at graduation. They create communication channels so classmates can continue to support each other, they encourage captains to put on trainings with their departments, and participants are required to implement a capstone project that lasts well past the last day of class and addresses a real problem in their district or department. Many of the projects implement programs to address specific crimes, like involving the community in programs to prevent car thefts or piloting drones as first responders. One previous graduate created a partnership with community groups to increase community pride and reduce gun violence by reducing quality of life issues like littering, overgrown lots and graffiti. Stephen Donohue, a San Jose Police Department captain and recent academy graduate, is creating an early intervention system focusing on officer wellness. A typical system might flag citizen complaints or driving accidents, but Donohue's program gathers input from supervisors and peers to flag when an officer is taking on too much on-duty trauma, such as multiple murders or shooting investigations within a short time. "It's a Venn diagram between training, wellness and internal affairs," he said. "And we can help them, we can lessen use-of-force complaints and allegations, offer better training and improve services put out by the department." The trainers hope in a few years more captains and officers will be saying "yes and" during improv classes. They are keeping tabs through a randomized control study on how well the overall training works. And with that evidence they hope funders, police departments or other universities will help expand the trainings to more departments. "We want there to be rigorously tested scientific evidence behind this," said Academy Executive Director Meredith Stricker. "We work to design a curriculum to ultimately make better leaders and better policing. The participants definitely talk about the improv class as one of their favorites. We hope all of it will work in tandem."
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Comedy and crime fighting join forces for police learning leadership skills
CHICAGO (AP) — Three dozen police captains pair off in a Chicago conference room to play a game: They must start a sentence with the last word their partner used. Many exchanges are nonsensical, full of one-upmanship using difficult words and laughter. But the improvisation game eventually makes sense. 'What we are trying to do, is get you to listen to the end of the sentence,' says Kelly Leonard, wrapping up the improvisational exercise. 'If my arm was a sentence, when do most people stop listening? Always the elbow! But then you're missing everything that goes after... and sometimes that's critical information.' The police captains who have flown in from departments across the country nod. 'I definitely do that," some call out. Officials at the University of Chicago Crime Lab's Policing Leadership Academy brought members of The Second City, Chicago's storied improv theater, to teach police leaders the more diverse skills found in improv exercises — like thinking on your feet, reserving judgment and fully listening. The academy, a workshop taught over five months, tackles some serious topics like to make data-driven decisions or how to help officers handle on-the-job trauma. Improving social skills 'We call it yoga for social skills,' said Leonard, the vice president of Creative Strategy, Innovation and Business Development at The Second City. The skills might not apply to all policing situations in the field, but being a better listener or learning to take a breath before responding can make for better leaders, according to Tree Branch, a strategic client partner at The Second City Works. The creation of improv and of The Second City is rooted in social work. Both trace their beginnings to Viola Spolin, who created some of the exercises still used in improv while she was a resettlement worker in the 1920s helping immigrant children and local Chicago children connect. Spolin was also the mother of Second City cofounder, Paul Sills. The Policing Leadership Academy's creators believe those skills can also help meet their goals to increase community engagement, improve officer morale and ultimately reduce violent crime. 'We are trying to make the case that you can do all three things," without compromising one over the other, said Kim Smith, director of programs at the Crime Lab. The academy is focused on working with leaders from departments dealing with high levels of community gun violence and pays for them to fly to Chicago one week a month to attend the five-month training. Crime Lab researchers found that district and precinct captains have the largest potential impact on their colleagues, despite often receiving little leadership training for the job. A precinct could have high marks for morale, community relationships, or be making a dent in crime numbers, but if the captain changes, those gains could plummet, researchers found, even if the community, the officers and everything else stayed the same. Professors, researchers and police leaders teach courses on topics like developing transparent policing cultures, using and collecting data, managing stress and building community partnerships. So far, about 130 police leaders from about 70 departments including tribal police departments and even a police inspector from Toronto have participated. Communication is key Capt. Louis Higginson with the Philadelphia Police Department said the academy provided a much broader training than the two weeks of police job training he got before being promoted to captain a little more than a year ago. 'The big thing for me was thinking about the things we allow to happen because they've been that way before us,' he said. 'And the ways we can change the culture of our district by changing the thinking around why we do things.' He said he did some of the improv exercises with his wife and daughters when he returned home and it opened up communication in a way he hadn't expected. 'I think it opened their eyes, like it did for me,' Higginson said. Albuquerque Police Department Commander Ray Del Greco said he's still thinking more about how he communicates weeks after the improv class. 'When people talk to you and come to have you help solve their issues, to be able to push your ego out and worry less about your own agenda and listen, that's an understanding of leadership,' Del Greco said. 'To me that was the most valuable class we had.' The student becomes the teacher Academy leaders stressed the learning doesn't stop at graduation. They create communication channels so classmates can continue to support each other, they encourage captains to put on trainings with their departments, and participants are required to implement a capstone project that lasts well past the last day of class and addresses a real problem in their district or department. Many of the projects implement programs to address specific crimes, like involving the community in programs to prevent car thefts or piloting drones as first responders. One previous graduate created a partnership with community groups to increase community pride and reduce gun violence by reducing quality of life issues like littering, overgrown lots and graffiti. Stephen Donohue, a San Jose Police Department captain and recent academy graduate, is creating an early intervention system focusing on officer wellness. A typical system might flag citizen complaints or driving accidents, but Donohue's program gathers input from supervisors and peers to flag when an officer is taking on too much on-duty trauma, such as multiple murders or shooting investigations within a short time. 'It's a Venn diagram between training, wellness and internal affairs," he said. "And we can help them, we can lessen use-of-force complaints and allegations, offer better training and improve services put out by the department.' The trainers hope in a few years more captains and officers will be saying 'yes and' during improv classes. They are keeping tabs through a randomized control study on how well the overall training works. And with that evidence they hope funders, police departments or other universities will help expand the trainings to more departments. 'We want there to be rigorously tested scientific evidence behind this,' said Academy Executive Director Meredith Stricker. 'We work to design a curriculum to ultimately make better leaders and better policing. The participants definitely talk about the improv class as one of their favorites. We hope all of it will work in tandem.'
San Francisco Chronicle
23-06-2025
- General
- San Francisco Chronicle
Comedy and crime fighting join forces for police learning leadership skills
CHICAGO (AP) — Three dozen police captains pair off in a Chicago conference room to play a game: They must start a sentence with the last word their partner used. Many exchanges are nonsensical, full of one-upmanship using difficult words and laughter. But the improvisation game eventually makes sense. 'What we are trying to do, is get you to listen to the end of the sentence,' says Kelly Leonard, wrapping up the improvisational exercise. 'If my arm was a sentence, when do most people stop listening? Always the elbow! But then you're missing everything that goes after... and sometimes that's critical information.' The police captains who have flown in from departments across the country nod. 'I definitely do that," some call out. Officials at the University of Chicago Crime Lab's Policing Leadership Academy brought members of The Second City, Chicago's storied improv theater, to teach police leaders the more diverse skills found in improv exercises — like thinking on your feet, reserving judgment and fully listening. The academy, a workshop taught over five months, tackles some serious topics like to make data-driven decisions or how to help officers handle on-the-job trauma. Improving social skills 'We call it yoga for social skills,' said Leonard, the vice president of Creative Strategy, Innovation and Business Development at The Second City. The skills might not apply to all policing situations in the field, but being a better listener or learning to take a breath before responding can make for better leaders, according to Tree Branch, a strategic client partner at The Second City Works. The creation of improv and of The Second City is rooted in social work. Both trace their beginnings to Viola Spolin, who created some of the exercises still used in improv while she was a resettlement worker in the 1920s helping immigrant children and local Chicago children connect. Spolin was also the mother of Second City cofounder, Paul Sills. The Policing Leadership Academy's creators believe those skills can also help meet their goals to increase community engagement, improve officer morale and ultimately reduce violent crime. 'We are trying to make the case that you can do all three things," without compromising one over the other, said Kim Smith, director of programs at the Crime Lab. The academy is focused on working with leaders from departments dealing with high levels of community gun violence and pays for them to fly to Chicago one week a month to attend the five-month training. Crime Lab researchers found that district and precinct captains have the largest potential impact on their colleagues, despite often receiving little leadership training for the job. A precinct could have high marks for morale, community relationships, or be making a dent in crime numbers, but if the captain changes, those gains could plummet, researchers found, even if the community, the officers and everything else stayed the same. Professors, researchers and police leaders teach courses on topics like developing transparent policing cultures, using and collecting data, managing stress and building community partnerships. So far, about 130 police leaders from about 70 departments including tribal police departments and even a police inspector from Toronto have participated. Communication is key Capt. Louis Higginson with the Philadelphia Police Department said the academy provided a much broader training than the two weeks of police job training he got before being promoted to captain a little more than a year ago. 'The big thing for me was thinking about the things we allow to happen because they've been that way before us,' he said. 'And the ways we can change the culture of our district by changing the thinking around why we do things.' He said he did some of the improv exercises with his wife and daughters when he returned home and it opened up communication in a way he hadn't expected. 'I think it opened their eyes, like it did for me,' Higginson said. Albuquerque Police Department Commander Ray Del Greco said he's still thinking more about how he communicates weeks after the improv class. 'When people talk to you and come to have you help solve their issues, to be able to push your ego out and worry less about your own agenda and listen, that's an understanding of leadership,' Del Greco said. 'To me that was the most valuable class we had.' The student becomes the teacher Academy leaders stressed the learning doesn't stop at graduation. They create communication channels so classmates can continue to support each other, they encourage captains to put on trainings with their departments, and participants are required to implement a capstone project that lasts well past the last day of class and addresses a real problem in their district or department. Many of the projects implement programs to address specific crimes, like involving the community in programs to prevent car thefts or piloting drones as first responders. One previous graduate created a partnership with community groups to increase community pride and reduce gun violence by reducing quality of life issues like littering, overgrown lots and graffiti. Stephen Donohue, a San Jose Police Department captain and recent academy graduate, is creating an early intervention system focusing on officer wellness. A typical system might flag citizen complaints or driving accidents, but Donohue's program gathers input from supervisors and peers to flag when an officer is taking on too much on-duty trauma, such as multiple murders or shooting investigations within a short time. 'It's a Venn diagram between training, wellness and internal affairs," he said. "And we can help them, we can lessen use-of-force complaints and allegations, offer better training and improve services put out by the department.' The trainers hope in a few years more captains and officers will be saying 'yes and' during improv classes. They are keeping tabs through a randomized control study on how well the overall training works. And with that evidence they hope funders, police departments or other universities will help expand the trainings to more departments. 'We want there to be rigorously tested scientific evidence behind this,' said Academy Executive Director Meredith Stricker. 'We work to design a curriculum to ultimately make better leaders and better policing. The participants definitely talk about the improv class as one of their favorites. We hope all of it will work in tandem.'
