Reflections at 30,000 Feet: The Impact of Dramatic Arts on Leadership

A Restless Journey Begins

I should be sleeping. I am on a flight to Ireland and have to hit the ground running when I land. I am on my way to facilitate a few days of leadership sessions with my client. I REALLY should be sleeping. But I have never slept well on planes. There is something about long flights over the Atlantic that makes me truly reflective. As I think through the week ahead, my mind is drawn to memories of my Grade 10 drama class with Ms. Poggemiller. It will make sense once I tell you what I am doing tomorrow. Bear with me if you are interested and following my train of thought. I will get there.

The Unlikely Melting Pot: Drama Class

I was one of those students who was both academically inclined (I cared about getting on the honor roll), civically engaged (I was president of the student’s council), and interested in exploring the creative and performing arts. Drama class was a wonderfully fascinating place. One of my favorite things about it was how it attracted a diverse group of students. We had people from all socio-economic groups and social circles. We had a wonderful mix of dungeons and dragons enthusiasts, computer savants (this was the 80’s), headbangers (we called them the ‘rowds’), drug experimentalists, people from the goth and punk world, and a couple of jocks and…me. I was fortunate to have friends in every group, not sure why exactly but I was accepted. For the rest though, outside of the 3rd-floor drama room, they would have never socialized. In fact, they would have probably intentionally ignored each other in the halls. I guess it was like the Breakfast Club. But in that room, we all accepted each other, we communicated, held space for each other’s vulnerability, and supported courageous character experiments which revealed a lot about who we were in our personal lives.

A Crossroad of Choices

Most of our activity was improv-based, but a couple of times a year we would create sketches or plays for the school's spring and winter assemblies. I loved it. It was a freeing space and one where we could all explore those things that preoccupied our minds.

I remember a particular conversation with Ms. Poggemiller near the end of my junior high years, as I was choosing courses for my new senior high school. It was June 1985 and it was clear computers were going to be a way of life for all of us. I was debating whether I should choose typing (to prepare for all the keyboard work that would surely become part of my life) or drama for my Grade 11 elective. I was good at drama, I enjoyed it, that hour of my day boosted my energy and always lifted my mood. But it seemed like a luxury that would not be prudent if I wanted to prepare for university and a career. Ms. Poggemiller tried to dissuade me of course, even going so far as showing me an article that predicted keyboards would eventually drop the traditional QWERTY keyboard in favor of an alphabetical structure. Sorry Ms. Poggemiller, you were wrong about that. I do not regret taking typing. It was an easy A and I do believe it gave me an advantage to touch type.

Summer Stages and Lessons Learned

I did not miss drama class, but I was fortunate to be part of a community that hosted talent programs for youth (to keep us out of trouble) in the summer. There was always a motivated friend of mine that would rally the gang of us and direct a performance which would be showcased at the Queen E Theatre or Orpheum in Vancouver. Similar to drama class, these productions were as much about the social interaction and relationships that bloomed during rehearsals and through the exhilaration of performance night. I was in 3-4 of these performances during my high school years. In these settings, we had fun but we also learned how to work together. We learned how to be creative in group settings, we learned how to be resourceful in finding rehearsal spaces and finding money for costumes, we learned how to resolve conflicts when one of the cast or the director got a bit ornery. Of course, we did not know then what we were learning. Those summers in the late 80’s were meaningful formative years.

From Stage to Strategy: The Leadership Connection

Many, many years later, in 2003, I was promoted to manager at a strategy consulting firm and was invited to leadership training. The entire training was led by the Ariel Group , a firm started by actors and directors to elevate communication and leadership skills for professionals interacting in intense corporate boardroom environments. I was back in drama class some 20 years later and I remembered that conversation with Ms. Poggemiller, imagining her now looking at me with a mix of expressions… “I told you drama was important.” And “I am proud of you”.

The training was impactful for me. I was indeed working in an intense corporate environment. I was working with a group of intense and intelligent Type A personalities as colleagues. The partners of the firm were kind but extremely demanding. We were parachuted into some of the world's largest organizations to solve complicated problems that the executives at those companies could not solve. We had to justify our value every single minute of every day. Prior to that training, on days that I had to deliver a presentation to an intimidating senior executive team, I would be sitting in some U.S. hotel room anxiously feeling like an imposter. I knew the work that my team and I had done was rock solid. But standing up and portraying confidence to a Fortune 500 CEO while my partner sat next to me was anxiety-inducing. The point of the communications class put on by actors was all about finding your authenticity. Through improv exercises and storytelling workshops, we learned how to find our real voice. The voice that came through when we talked about childhood experiences. That training was game-changing for my professional career and confidence. To this day it helps me in my coaching as I help leaders find their voice and face their greatest professional challenges with authenticity, courage, and vulnerability.

Rediscovery and Innovation: The Improv Embassy

Another 20 years later, last October to be precise, I was feeling a little down. Both my sons were back at their campuses out of town. I had just finished a demanding volunteer role that used to use up most of my evenings with zoom calls and it was a quiet travel period for work.

The house was quiet. My partner has always been very good at getting involved with activities and social groups. I found myself with some free evenings. I remembered drama class and wondered about taking an improv class. After a little bit of research, I found a group in Ottawa, the Improv Embassy, that was offering a trial drop-in class. I will admit, I was very nervous but I leaned into the fear and went anyway. What fun it was. To let go. Meet some new people and just play. It was quite different to experience this improv (let’s say acting or drama) class again after all these years and with the perspective I have gained after all these years. I looked at the faces of my co-improvisers and saw the faces of the diverse people in my Grade 10 class. With our instructor Adriana Johnston , a 2023 version of my Ms. Poggemiller. It was surreal.

I have continued on the journey and am on to my second improv course with the The Improv Embassy , Introduction to Longform Improv.

The Character Carousel: A New Venture

On a conference call with a client a few months ago, I mentioned in passing that I was taking an improv class. His eyes lit up, he got excited. It turns out that he has had positive experiences with improv himself. He also felt it can really impact communication skills and teamwork. He said casually, it would be really good if we could do an improv activity at our upcoming meeting of international commercial leaders (this is the meeting that I am flying to Ireland for right now). After the call, I thought about the actors I knew in my network to see if I could get someone to put a workshop together for me. Then it hit me. What about me?

So I got to work and created an improv game called “The Character Carousel”. A role-play icebreaker game designed to spark empathy, curiosity, and team cohesion. The ‘characters’ in a mystery deck of cards are all based on real people they would deal with in their business (both internal and external to the organization). Each of the characters is assigned a personality trait or set of emotions. Two people in the group pick a card and without revealing to the other the character they have picked, they must have a short conversation. At the end, each person has to guess what the other person’s character was. Since this is the first go-round. I have no idea what to expect. Will participants embrace the activity? Will they think it's ridiculous? Will it work?

I won’t know until tomorrow. That is what is keeping me up on this flight. The nervousness of knowing whether it will work or not. Well, I know there is nothing I can do about it now.

In Anticipation of Tomorrow

I really should be sleeping. I will give it a try. Come back for my next post where I will report back on how it went.

Good night.