On this episode of Quality Time with MoreSteam, Elisabeth Swan joins the show. Elisabeth is a Lean Six Sigma consultant, keynote speaker, author, and co-host of the Just-in-Time Cafe podcast. She is also an experienced improv comedy performer. Elisabeth’s consulting career got an unexpected boost when her work colleagues saw her improvising onstage. Initially, Elisabeth’s colleagues wanted someone who could think on her feet. She discovered that knowing how to listen was just as valuable.
Elisabeth and host Dan Swartwout explore what improv can teach us about working together in continuous improvement and operational excellence. A room full of knowledgeable people doesn’t automatically become a team. Instead, people need a way into the conversation and a reason to believe their contributions matter. Drawing on their experiences onstage, Dan and Elisabeth explore how asking more focused questions can help people feel comfortable contributing to the team. Beyond that, Elisabeth explains how structure can actually unleash creativity.
Listening to people is only part of the challenge. What do we notice when they contribute? Elisabeth discusses what she calls the “praise paradox.” We all want praise and recognition, but we don’t always see ourselves as the ones who should give it. Is negativity bias affecting the way you dish out praise?
Dan and Elisabeth have both stepped onstage without knowing what would happen next. Their experiences offer a useful perspective on helping teams work through uncertainty together. Download this episode to hear what the improv stage can teach us about continuous improvement. Will you learn a lot from this episode? YES AND you’ll have fun, too.
In this episode, you will hear about:
1:02 - Elisabeth’s Michigan Lean Consortium keynote and an unexpected act of kindness
6:12 - How Elisabeth got involved in improv and the meaning of “yes, and”
10:02 - How ImprovBoston helped launch Elisabeth’s Lean consulting career
11:57 - Applying improv skills to consulting and process improvement
14:10 - What happens when improv performers don’t follow the rules
17:35 - Using “yes, and” in root cause analysis without accepting weak evidence
20:33 - Better facilitation prompts for Kaizen events and DMAIC teams
25:29 - Making others look good and setting teammates up for success
26:06 - Managing dominant voices and encouraging participation on improvement teams
28:35 - Helping newcomers feel comfortable contributing to continuous improvement
34:20 - How Gemba walks build relationships and process understanding
36:33 - How active listening uncovered a patient handoff problem in healthcare
40:29 - Capturing process improvement ideas that happen outside work
43:22 - The praise paradox and how negativity bias affects employee recognition
46:10 - Positive deviance and learning from what’s working
48:12 - Celebrating small wins to sustain continuous improvement
50:19 - The Conscious Leader model and individual approaches to employee recognition
53:00 - The Just-in-Time Cafe podcast with Elisabeth Swan and Tracy O’Rourke
55:09 - Why comedy is continuous improvement
Additional Resources:
Elisabeth Swan on LinkedIn
Elisabeth Swan’s Website
Elisabeth Swan’s Books on Amazon
The Just-in-Time Cafe Podcast
MoreSteam's YouTube Channel
Quality Time With MoreSteam on Facebook
Quality Time With MoreSteam on Instagram
Quality Time With MoreSteam on LinkedIn
Subscribe to MoreSteam's Newsletter
MoreSteam on LinkedIn
Dan Swartwout on LinkedIn
Yes, And…
Subscribe to Quality Time With MoreSteam
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Amazon Music
YouTube
