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Beth Carvin

January 2009 - TD Magazine

The Great Mentor Match

I was raised in Utah, where a cultural aversion to hard conversations often exists. People value harmony, so hard truths are sometimes softened to the point of marshmallow-like meaninglessness. Other cultures across the US—and throughout the world—have similar aversions.But I’ve learned that avoiding necessary conversations doesn’t preserve relationships—it erodes them. The challenge is not whether to have a conversation, but how to do so in a way that aligns with cultural values. Here’s how you can navigate this.Start With Warmth, Then Add CandorIn cultures that prize politeness, the key to effective conversations is blending truth with warmth. Start with a statement that affirms the relationship before raising the concern. Instead of jumping straight into the problem, say something like:“I really value working with you, and I want to make sure we’re both set up for success. I’ve noticed something I’d love to get your thoughts on.”This approach signals that your intent is not to attack but to strengthen the relationship.Lean On Shared ValuesIn cultures that place a high value on hospitality, kindness, and community, frame your concerns in a way that aligns with these values. For example:“Our team is important to me, and I want to make sure we’re supporting each other as a team. I think if we talk about this openly, we can find a solution that works for everyone.”When you connect the conversation to what people already care about, it feels less like conflict and more like collaboration.Respect the DanceIn some cultures, conversations are direct and quick. In others, they are more like a dance—gradual, measured, full of subtle cues. People may circle the issue before approaching it directly, testing the waters with humor, shared stories, or indirect hints. If you push too hard or move too quickly, it can feel like stepping on toes—disrupting the rhythm of the exchange. If the person you’re speaking with prefers a slower, more indirect approach, let them set the pace. Give them space to process.Silence isn’t always withdrawal—it’s often respect. By honoring the natural flow of the conversation, you make it more likely that both of you will stay engaged, rather than retreating into politeness or passive resistance.Remember: Kindness Without Honesty Isn’t KindnessMany people equate kindness with avoiding hard conversations. But real kindness isn’t about keeping the peace at all costs—it’s about caring enough to address issues before they grow into resentment. The most respectful thing you can do is to be clear in a way that preserves dignity.I have a colleague who grew up in the Deep South. She told me that in her family, disagreeing openly was considered a sign of bad manners. As she got older, she realized something—when people didn’t speak up, problems festered. Relationships suffered. And when someone did finally say something, it often came out in an explosion of long-suppressed frustration.She learned that being honest didn’t have to mean being harsh. She found ways to be clear and warm.Caring isn’t about avoiding crucial conversations. It’s about having them in a way that respects both the relationship and the truth. And when you do that, you’re not just honoring cultural norms—you’re elevating them. 

How to Respect Cultural Differences in Crucial Conversations

Let me share something that might surprise you: Most organizations are getting performance management completely backward. They’re piling on more systems, frameworks, and “best practices,” yet 82 percent of HR leaders say their efforts aren’t working. Why? They tend to add more complexity when they should be removing interference—the stuff that gets in the way of people giving their best.Here’s my truth: Performance management isn’t about complex systems—it’s about conversations—simple, human conversations that clear the path between where someone is and where they want to go. In my work with organizations, they often tell me they need better tools, frameworks, and processes. There’s nothing wrong with that, but what they really need is to get better at having real conversations that matter.Whether we like it or not, every interaction between a leader and team member has an impact. Whether it’s a scheduled performance review or a quick hallway chat, these moments build trust and capability or create interference and resistance. What makes the difference? It’s all in how we navigate through each conversation.Let’s break this down into two scenarios we all recognize:The Formal Performance ConversationYou know these well—the structured reviews, the goal-setting sessions, the KPI discussions. Many organizations load these moments with so much process and paperwork that they create exactly what they’re trying to avoid: interference and resistance. The key isn’t adding more structure—it’s removing the barriers that prevent honest, productive dialogue.What if instead of focusing on forms and ratings, we approached these conversations with curiosity and partnership? When leaders adopt a coaching mindset, something remarkable happens:Goal-setting becomes a collaborative exploration rather than a top-down directive.Feedback transforms from a one-way broadcast into a two-way discovery.Development plans shift from prescribed paths to journeys of self-discovery.The Informal Performance ConversationThese are the golden moments—the “do you have a minute?” conversations that happen naturally throughout the day. They’re often where the real magic happens because there’s less interference from formal structures and expectations. These spontaneous interactions are always opportunities for:In the moment, course corrections that feel like support rather than criticismBuilding trust through showing up as caring, candid, and being constructiveBringing a growth mindset to everyday challengesHere’s what I’ve learned after decades of working with leaders: The most effective performance management isn’t about managing at all—it’s about creating space for people to access their own knowledge and capability. When leaders approach both formal and informal conversations with a coaching mindset, they remove the interference that blocks natural development and growth.Remember: Your team members already know more than they think they do. Your job isn’t to pile on more knowledge or create more complex systems. It’s to help clear away the noise, so they can access what they already know and connect it to what matters most—both for them and for the organization.The inclusion of a coaching approach into performance management is less about adding new tools to your toolkit and more about removing the barriers that make these conversations feel forced, formal, or threatening and more busy work. When we do that, performance management transforms from a dreaded institutional requirement into a natural, ongoing dialogue about growth and possibility.

Putting the Humanity Into Performance Management Conversations

The following is a Q&A with Ben Bisbee and Kathy Wisniewski, the authors of The Unashamed Guide to Virtual Management, an ATD book about how to address the unanswered and critical questions that arise when managing virtual teams.What, from your own virtual management experiences, prompted you to write this book?Ben: We were experiencing a variety of daily challenges and frustrations in our own virtual management efforts. We both started in the virtual management landscape in 2009 and were shocked by how little information you could find when it came to typical daily management issues and how they should be or could be best experienced in the virtual workplace. At one point, I was asked to provide employee engagement and team building opportunities for more than 80 virtual employees to help repair morale and build community. With no funding and just a few weeks’ notice, this felt like an impossible task. Another time, Kathy was trying to figure out how to build a strong new virtual volunteer orientation model that didn’t rely solely on written web documents or phone conversations. We weren’t even that deeply interested in innovation; we were just craving some best practices to do our jobs in that moment and could not find resources on Google or Amazon.Kathy: The tools and resources addressing real daily issues did not exist. Discussions were focused on the possibility and costs of virtual workplaces and on how to move offices online. There wasn’t a community of virtual managers talking about daily, classic experiences and solutions. Best practices did not exist—nothing anyone could point to, anyway. And, so we started developing ideas and found them to be successful. We knew we needed to share them with others who found themselves in the same position.Where is virtual employment in 2019?Ben: Virtual employment is one of the fastest-growing professional areas in just about every white-collar industry. We needed to move past the idea of virtual management being novel. It’s 2019. People need real tools about real topics to help them be the best they can be as managers behind a computer, leading one or more people to success.What were some of the challenges you were facing as you started to manage virtually, and how did those struggles lead you to write this book?Kathy: When we began managing virtually, we did not realize that communicating virtually could be such a challenge. We assumed that email and telephone would be fine mediums for communicating with remote employees. We quickly discovered that email has limits and shortfalls. It is a terrible medium to talk one-on-one about heavy issues. And there were better mediums than the phone as well. We realized we had to get comfortable with new technology— namely, the medium of virtual video for complex or difficult meetings. In fact, video meetings are essential because these meetings need a “human touch,” requiring some eye contact and face-to-face interaction.Ben: Knowing how to leverage a variety of technologies is critical. Elements of that realization absolutely made it to the book in a wide variety of ways. We wanted to explain that tech needs to aid you, not allow you to evade important management moments.What answers were you looking for that you could not find out there?Ben: Most of them, honestly. It was often like trying to convert a recipe from U.S. measurements to metric measurements. We found standard day-to-day management struggles, successes, answers, and policies but nothing that helped us figure out how to convert those strategies and successes to the virtual landscape. Topics like hiring and firing may sometimes discuss about virtual models, but they often would start with suggestions like, “If you can fly them out to your offices, we recommend you do . . .” And in many cases, there wasn’t some model of “headquarters” and everyone else. It was all just everyone, everywhere.Kathy: Or when we wanted to try to learn more about topics like managing effectively across multiple time zones—not just trying to schedule an occasional or standing meeting but truly managing people across a variety of time zones with different ideas of a workday or bandwidth. There are a ton of topics and issues that are unique to the virtual workplace that were literally impossible to find information on. For example, how to tackle online happy hours; how to handle digital awkwardness in text, print, or on camera; how to handle random power outages; what to do when you know someone is taking a meeting from the bathroom. These were issues related to personal, cultural norms or issues for which we did not find anything to support our daily needs.What seems to be the hardest issue to address with virtual employees or the greatest challenge in managing virtually?Kathy: This is less of a universal thing and wildly varied based on the employees or manager at the center of it. For more introverted virtual folks, the hardest issue may be teambuilding or work parties. For the extroverts, their challenging issue may be building the landscape for equitable meetings where it’s not just the same three people talking over each other on a conference call. For managers, perhaps the challenge is getting comfortable on camera or having to fire someone thousands of miles away.Ben: In many ways, the hardest issue is knowing how to leverage the technology or tech-driven process based on whatever is already feeling burdensome as a manager or for the employee at hand. It’s about gaining a virtual management intuition as much as it’s about knowing the rules or most effective process. That takes time and experience. Even if you grew up as a digital native, there are still the skills and experiences necessary to blend classic management effort to the virtual workplace.How do diversity and inclusion factor into virtual management?Ben: Diversity and inclusion factors into virtual management powerfully and dynamically if done correctly. In the virtual workplace, talent isn’t held to a specific geography, worldview, background, or ethnicity. On the one hand, the virtual workplace can quickly level the playing field when it comes to new, diverse, inclusive hires. On the other hand, it can also “wire-wash” the idea of diversity and inclusion, which means we almost disvalue (or devalue) the need for diversity and inclusion because we start to look for only individuals with the privileges, background, and experiences of virtual employment—an area that is still highly white and middle class given its requirements for modern technology and environmental temperament.Kathy: The note here for virtual managers is that smart, equitable technologies afford a wealth of advantages to help level the playing field for employees of all backgrounds, types, and experiences. They can create a way to address issues such as workplace inclusion and diversity with a fresh set of tools and approaches.What is something that every virtual manager must adjust to or do to be successful?Kathy: To be a successful virtual manager, you do have to be tech savvy. This doesn’t mean you need to be the tech expert; it just means you need to be comfortable enough for both advancements and daily tech struggles.Ben: Your virtual staff will come to you often with questions or problems—like they would for any workplace issue—and your technology knowledge and comfort will give you a stronger sense of virtual workplace empathy when things are broken or confusing.Is there something within virtual management that we will never get right? If so, what is it and why is it problematic or elusive?Ben: This is all in the eye of the beholder. Do you love the smell of someone else’s burnt popcorn on the breakroom? Do you miss being able to walk down to an employee’s cubicle to talk quickly one-on-one about something pressing? Do you miss having to physically gather everyone into one room for a meeting? In many ways, just about every management and workplace experience can be virtually replicated successfully.Kathy: Virtual management will not be experienced or felt the same way by every person. For some, that will be refreshing, maybe even the new normal. And for others, they may be forlorn or frustrated by this new reality. It just depends on their expectations. On the other hand, virtual employment may not be for everyone. And that’s OK.Does it cost more (or less) to manage virtually?Ben: No matter how you lay it out, running a virtual office is far less expensive than running a stationary office. In virtual management, there are no expenses for leasing or buying office space, building supplies, utilities, or office and breakroom equipment. There is no need for security staff, cleaning, or administrative or office management.Kathy: There is the cost of the technology itself and upgrades when necessary, but those costs are still likely going to be present in a stationary workplace. The overall costs for virtual offices are far less than the costs of a stationary work environment.What about the future? Will managing virtually get easier? Or, with more of our workforce working remotely, will there be even greater challenges?Ben: We believe that managing virtually will get far easier. There are innovative, cool, wild technologies coming out to help us work better together no matter where we are in the world. With stronger, hands-on collaboration tools, in-real-time language translation tools, the daily advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR), this is an exciting time to be in virtual management.Kathy: It’s already fairly easy for a good manager to be a great virtual manager with the right instincts and efforts, even with slightly outdated and limited technology. It’s about blending classic management skills to match existing technologies to make virtual management successful. As more and more digital natives join the workforce, working and managing remotely will become the norm and become second nature.The Unashamed Guide to Virtual ManagementISBN: 978-1-949036-55-8 | 248 pages | Paperbackhttps://www.td.org/product/book--the-unashamed-guide-to-virtual-management/111911To order books from ATD Press, call 800.628.2783.To schedule an interview with Ben Bisbee or Kathy Wisniewski about their book, please contact Kay Hechler, ATD Press senior marketing manager, at [khechler@td.org](mailto: khechler@td.org).

Q&A the Authors of The Unashamed Guide to Virtual Management

They're creating computer code, carting food and passengers around in their own cars, and popping in monthly for a project meeting. What's their story? Are these occasional workers underemployed, unable to secure a salaried job? Are they Millennials and Generation Z-ers sampling different occupations before they commit to a career? Or Baby Boomers making some extra cash to supplement their retirement savings?They could be any of those―or none of them. Meet the gig workers, a burgeoning population in the labor force that is changing the way company leaders look at workforce planning and the way people view work."As individuals have entered the workforce and evolved, they are asking for more flexibility," says Kurt Heikkinen, president and CEO of staffing company Montage. And, as access to health insurance has become increasingly separate from full-time employment, "workers have really gained a sense of freedom. They look at [their careers] as a series of gigs, a series of projects and experiences, as opposed to a long-term career at a given employer."Figure 1: Gig Workers Look Like the Broader WorkforceThe following charts illustrate the demographics of self-identified gig workers compared with those of the entire U.S. workforce. Source: Morning Consult.But these aren't the typical temp staffers of yore―the "Kelly Girl" secretaries and Manpower workers who filled in for office staff when an employer had a hole in the schedule. Nor are they limited to the classic freelancers in creative fields―writers, editors, musicians, and graphic artists. Nowadays, gig workers run the gamut, from Uber drivers to IT technicians to travel nurses. And they are an integral and growing part of the knowledge economy.Many businesses have embraced this pipeline of on-demand talent. Yet, despite all the promise of the gig economy, it is a work in progress. The rules are still being written as companies and workers alike adjust to new ways of getting work done.Two Types of Gig WorkersGig work itself is not new. "People have always worked this way," but the prevalence and types of gig jobs have changed over the years, says Diane Mulcahy, author of The Gig Economy: The Complete Guide to Getting Better Work, Taking More Time Off, and Financing the Life You Want (Amacom, 2016). "This kind of work is growing at a rapid rate," she says, particularly in white-collar jobs and the tech economy.There are two types of gig workers, Mulcahy says: first, those who are searching for full-time work and need to make some cash and contacts while they job-hunt and, second, those who simply don't want or need full-time employment.The latter group includes a lot of younger people, for whom the idea of a 40-years-and-you-get-a-gold-watch kind of job is something their grandparents did. They aren't attracted to what they see as an outdated model of sticking with one company―or even one profession―for an extended time. But this group also includes retired or semi-retired people who may or may not need the money but who want to stay engaged and active regardless. And there are also mid-career folks who want the flexibility and freedom of doing what they want more or less when they want, drawing on years of experience to cherry-pick appealing projects.In the United States, more than 40 percent of workers are employed in "alternative work arrangements," such as contingent, part-time, or gig work, according to Deloitte's 2018 Global Human Capital Trends study. In a 2016 Adobe survey, 56 percent of office workers predicted that everyone will do some gig work in the future. Asked to look ahead to 2020, 28 percent of business leaders and chief human resource officers said they anticipated an increase in gig workers, the Deloitte study found."The vast majority [of gig workers] are folks who easily could go get [traditional full-time] jobs somewhere," says Lori Williams, vice president of fulfillment at Gigster, a software developer that has 80 employees on staff and works with 1,000 gig workers. "They've chosen this lifestyle."The top benefit of the arrangement for them is autonomy. They have greater control over their schedule and they can avoid routine annoyances such as bad managers, office politics, and interminable staff meetings. They also might learn new skills and gain valuable experience at a temporary stint, ultimately giving them the tools to advance in other gigs or in staff jobs.Employers, too, enjoy the perks of an open relationship, gaining access to skills and talent without having to commit to a full-time hire. And managers can supplement staff with gigsters who have the talent and knowledge not only to advance a project, but to teach regular employees new skills."It's really [about] how can we continue to scale as an organization?" says Vlasta Dusil, senior vice president of HR for computer technology company SAP's Cloud Business Group. "We talk about diversity, with gender, with different generations. In our view, this is another way of looking at diversity."Growing PainsStill, there are some drawbacks―for both sides. The "flexible schedule" so many people crave can lead to them being underemployed. The gig worker might also miss out on the advantages that come from committing to one employer. Among those advantages is professional development."How are these people going to train and develop and grow?" says Jennifer Graham-Johnson, SHRM-SCP, recently retired chief HR officer at WestRock Co., a paper and packaging products manufacturer."I do worry we are going to have a group of people who are . . . unable to advance" if they ever decide they want full-time employment because they haven't had the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge through training and classes.Then there's the issue of employee benefits.Gig workers don't get health insurance, paid time off, or 401(k) contributions from employers. Offering them the same perks that staff members get could set an employer up for legal challenges and negate savings typically associated with hiring gig workers.It could also harm recruiting efforts. After all, good benefits are one of the selling points companies use to attract full-time talent. Why would people want to join your team as full-time employees if they can enjoy the freedom and flexibility of gig work and get the same benefits as regular employees?The bigger issue may be that offering the same benefits to contractors and regular staff could get the company in trouble with the IRS, which has a 20-point test to determine whether workers are independent contractors or employees entitled to the employer-paid share of FICA taxes. Microsoft and other employers have had to pay millions of dollars in back taxes and damages after being sued by workers who said they were paid like independent contractors but treated like employees.Figure 2: What Motivates Gig Workers? Source: Shiftgig, Profile of a Gig Worker, 2018.Playing Catch-UpGovernment and businesses are lagging on other fronts related to the gig economy, too. Banks, for example, might be skittish about lending money to a potential homeowner who doesn't hold a permanent job. And gig workers don't get unemployment benefits, COBRA, or worker’s compensation.Companies can help fill the gaps. One way is to offer voluntary benefits that are fully paid for by the worker but administered by the employer. E-commerce website Etsy, for example, has partnered with Stride Health to act as a health insurance broker for the people who create the art, jewelry, and other items sold on Etsy.Still, the gig economy is clearly moving faster than the institutions that deal with these workers."I don't think we've caught up to this type of worker," says Arthur Tacchino, chief innovation officer at the compliance technology company SyncStream Solutions. "The workforce is changing. So how are the coverage, insurance, and benefits going to evolve to fit the newer kind of workforce we are seeing?" There's no clear to answer that, Tacchino says."Regulators and courts are trying to apply 20th-century law onto a 21st-century problem," says Richard Meneghello, an employment attorney and partner at Fisher Phillips. "Our hope is that once people realize it's not just a passing fad, regulators and legislators will get more serious."One agency trying to change with the times is the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is taking a fresh look at compensation for gig workers. The agency is considering revising its rules to make it easier for people who are classified as independent contractors to receive stock awards from the companies that employ them, the New York Times reported.While governments and financial institutions adjust, the market for gig workers is maturing, fueled by technology platforms that help both sides of the work arrangement find each other. Online labor platforms such as Upwork, Gigster, TaskRabbit, and Freelancer are not only empowering the gig economy, but revolutionizing the way workers and companies connect."The technology is making the whole market more efficient," says Marion McGovern, author of Thriving in the Gig Economy (Career Press, 2017) and co-founder and former CEO of M Squared Consulting.Upwork, for example, connects computer-industry freelancers in 170 countries to employers who need their services, charging the worker a fee of 5 percent to 20 percent of the job's pay. ShiftPixy and others hire workers (paying the employer share of payroll taxes and taking care of other compliance issues), then "lend" them to clients in the hospitality and restaurant industries. The company has an app that allows people to broadcast their availability and apply for certain shifts in their communities.As Uber was creating its digital platform for drivers, the job market for gig work was exploding, says Scott Absher, ShiftPixy's CEO. "People are looking for ways to recobble their income," and these platforms make that more efficient, he says.Managing the GigSo how do today's people managers handle gig workers, follow the law, and head off potential tensions with full-time staff? Some tips:Decide who will drive the decision-making on hiring. A simple procurement process may be enough to fill an open gig for an IT techie, while a speechwriter for a CEO will likely require input from the chief executive.Pay people promptly. "I can't tell you how many companies are on 60- to 90-day schedules" for contracts, McGovern says. But individuals expect to be paid faster and more often.Know the law—and do not treat gigsters like employees. In fact, don't even use the word "hire" to describe the working arrangement, advised Rebecca Cenni-Leventhal, founder and CEO of staffing and recruitment firm Atrium. People who work gigs are "engaged," not hired, she cautioned.Protect confidential company information. This is especially important when using outside contractors for a business dealing with sensitive client information, such as health data and Social Security numbers.Let your own staffers gig―even at your company. Since many workers crave the opportunity to learn something new, offer full-time staffers the chance to develop by giving them a gig in-house.Keep staffers and gigsters separate, when warranted. "Having [gig workers] participate in regular team meetings or asking them for regular updates and reporting is not wise," says Cenni-Leventhal, as that may cause them to be viewed as employees rather than independent contractors. "Inviting them to one holiday party isn't too much of a risk, but when you start having them participate in team-building activities and attending company functions, it can get tricky."Make your gig workers feel welcome and valued. "Make sure you afford them the correct level of respect," McGovern says. "This is someone who is going to add to the team, bringing in skills or knowledge and experience to help the effort."On top of that, she adds, it's important to recognize the dignity of their career choice. After all, it's a work arrangement more business leaders can expect to manage in the coming years.Copyright 2019, SHRM. This article is reprinted from www.shrm.org with permission from SHRM. All rights reserved.

Gig Workers Challenge Old Order

This is post 2 in the series "Essential Informal Learning for Any Degree Program" by Saul Carliner which offers several concrete suggestions for extracurricular activities to recommend and to students and details how to direct students to the choices most appropriate for them.One of the most significant pieces of advice that faculty members can offer to students is that they check out one or more professional organizations. Through their publications, events, and networking opportunities, these organizations provide students with windows into professional practice and link them to people who might be able help them find jobs.  But so many professional organizations serve the people working in our field; different organizations meet the needs of different students. Some organizations are more appropriate for academic-focused students—ones who hope to complete a PhD and perhaps become faculty members. (That’s what most of us promote, because it’s where our interests are met.) However, most of our students plan to become practicing professionals; other organizations typically meet their needs. And some of our students want hybrid careers, spanning both academe and industry—and some organizations meet their needs. Even within those broad categories, some students eventually find their professional “homes” in large organizations serving the entire swath of the profession; others feel more comfortable in smaller organizations that focus on one or two specialty areas. Table 1 lists categories and organizations to recommend to students.**Table 1: Professional Organizations to Consider Recommending to Students** Practitioner-focused  (even if the members practice in academic institutions)Academic-focused  (that is, on researchers and people who teach in the field)EssentialsAmerican Society for Training & Development (www.astd.org)Academy of Human Resource Development (www.ahrd.org)Comprehensive organizationsSociety for Human Resource Management (www.shrm.org)    Your additional suggestion(s)    Academy of Management (http://aom.org/) (Specifically consider its HR division)American Educational Research Association (www.aera.org)Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychologists (www.siop.org)Your additional suggestion(s)Specialized organizationseLearning Guild (www.elearningguild.com) (for profit, though basic membership is free)International Society for Performance Improvement (www.ispi.org) Society for Technical Communication (www.stc.org)Your additional suggestion(s)Association for Educational Communications and Technology (www.aect.org)Association for the Advancement of Computers in Education (www.aace.org)American Evaluation Association (www.eval.org)International Council for Adult EducationAssociation for Computing Machinery (ACM) Special Interest Group (SIG) on Computer-Human Interaction (CHI) (www.acm.org/sigchi)Your additional suggestion(s)Additional Considerations:Although memberships are rarely free, most organizations offer special rates to encourage students to join. Make sure you inform your students of these benefits.Many students feel that joining a LinkedIn or similar group in a social networking space provides the same experience as joining a “real” group. Although such groups are beneficial, they lack opportunities for one-to-one networking, much less the proprietary information offered by professional organizations.Even the most gregarious of students typically demonstrate a reluctance to attend meetings of these groups because they feel uncomfortable in a group of strangers. So whenever possible, organize a group to go to one or two of these meetings so students have people to share the experience with.  Final Tip: To learn more about different types of informal learning activities, check out chapters 5 and 6 of the new book, Informal Learning Basics from ASTD Press.

Extracurricular Activity 2: Recommend Students Participate in Professional Organizations

Karen Hough is the founder and CEO of ImprovEdge, which helps companies transform behavior through interactive training. With a presence in five cities, ImprovEdge’s client list includes ESPN, Coach, Nationwide Insurance, Legg Mason, Cardinal Health, Novo Nordisk, and Turner Broadcasting. Hough is also a number 1 Amazon bestselling author, contributor to the Huffington Post, and recipient of the Stevie Silver International Award for Most Innovative Company of the Year 2012, as well as the Athena PowerLink Award for Outstanding Woman-Owned Business. Her second, award-winning book, Be the Best Bad Presenter Ever: Break the Rules, Make Mistakes and Win Them Over, published in 2014 by Berrett-Koehler. Hough’s first life was as a professional improviser and actor. She trained with Chicago’s legendary Second City, performed in more than 100 theatrical productions, and was featured on radio, TV, and film. She lived a second life as a successful executive in network engineering. Finally, she became an entrepreneur. Hough is a Certified Speaking Professional and has presented to audiences of thousands both in the United States and internationally. She is a graduate of Yale University and La Sorbonne, Paris IV.

Karen Hough

Clare Norman, master certified coach, is dedicated to enabling people to feel truly seen for who they are. With more than 20 years of coaching experience, Clare empowers individuals to find their authentic voice and express their needs, creating a more caring world.In her work with leaders, Clare challenges the status quo, encouraging a shift towards prioritising people alongside profits. She believes that by developing individuals, we create ripple effects that transform organisations and communities.Simultaneously, Clare is passionate about elevating the coaching profession. She advocates for higher standards in coaching and deeper awareness of coachability, ensuring that both coaches and clients are primed for transformative experiences.Through her coaching, writing, and thought leadership, Clare is making a lasting impact on individuals, organizations, and the coaching industry at large.

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