Kathy K.
Founder, Keeping it Human℠ at Keeping it Human℠
Leadership
Education: Santa Clara University - Stanford University and UC Berkeley
San Jose, CA, USA
Biography
It's no secret that to be competitive and innovative, your company has to be a great place people WANT To work at.
It's getting harder.
Creativity and Innovation live at the intersection of courage, trust and connection. These look a lot like humor. No, it's not about telling jokes at the water-cooler. It's cool, HR.
While leading global tech product / marketing teams by day, and working as a comedian by night for 25 years, I learned that the biggest laughs come from trust and connection. Laughter builds community. And the biggest standing ovations come when courage filled the air. When connection was strongest, so was innovation.
I got curious. Is this how we get my team to create better storytelling, customer service, productivity?
That led me to start my business, write my 3rd book, "Stop Boring Me!" about comedy principles for innovation, and advise global teams, execs and senior leaders on braver culture. Today I work with companies around the world.
Trust, connection and courage lead to innovation. Humor and laughter opens that door.
Check out My TOP LinkedIn Course (Over 15K learners): Leading in the Moment with Improv: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/leading-in-the-moment
I have Keynotes & programs for tech, product, marketing, HR, sales, women execs & teams. I have worked with Amazon, Cisco Systems, Kaiser Permanente, Portola Pharma, Genentech, Autodesk, United Way, IBM, Twilio, Stanford University and Hospital.
Leaders, ready for you and your teams to be braver? Let's talk!
ABOUT
Kathy left a tech VP position in 2010, after 17 years leading profitable teams and being on comedy stages to start Keeping it Human. She has an MBA and MA from Stanford and Berkeley.
Kathy performs comedy all over the country including at the famous The Improv and The Comedy Spot. She scored a Top 3 spot in the 2022 Plethos SF Comedy Contest. Trained at ComedySportz and at LA’s Second City, her work has has been featured in Forbes and The Huffington Post. Inc.com named her book, “Stop Boring Me!” a must-read for leaders.
Kathy(at)keepingithuman(dot)com.
Passion
Exploding team innovation, creativity and joy because we put humor and humanity back into how teams work. People want to engage - they want to feel safer and more supported. Safe places that are inclusive unlock more human potential. I am in the transformation business - and humor is the ultimate algorithm.
Featured Video
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I always get paid for speaking
Topics
Best Story
How a $2B company went from high-flying to no one buying - the defining moment the culture shifted and innovation died: My signature "Penguins and Elephants" story (How Valuing Employees and having Their Backs - improv and humor are indicators and conduits - is the KEY to ongoing innovation)
Origin Story
While leading tech product / marketing teams by day (over 17 years), and working as a comedian by night for 25 years including Second City (yes, overlap), I learned that the biggest laughs come from trust and connection. Laughter builds community. And the biggest standing ovations come when courage filled the air. When connection was strongest, so was innovation.
I got curious. Is this how we get my own team to create better storytelling, customer service, productivity? That answer was "YES!"
When teams feel safer and connected, when there is greater trust, there is greater courage. That translates to bigger, bolder ideas.
That led me to start my business, write my 3rd book, "Stop Boring Me!" about comedy principles for innovation, and advise global teams, execs and senior leaders on braver culture. Today I work with companies around the world.
Trust, connection and courage lead to innovation. Humor and laughter opens that door.
I have helped companies around the world change everything through laughter and humor - bigger than jokes. What can I do for you?
Example talks
Laughter is the Power Code to Trust
This humorous and story-filled talk is for leaders, teams, HR folks - even C-suite execs - on how to add sustainable levity and humor to a culture of well-being and trust. This talk includes tips aimed at leaders and at team members on how to be more playful AND stay on the right side of laughter - which is laughter that builds trust, lifts people up and connects. It's far easier and less scary than you might think. What can you do? What can leaders do? What can HR do? Everyone plays a role in making it safer and happier - and humor is our creative and human birthright! (This talk was a big hit at BambooHR's Virtual Summit!)
The Future of Innovation is Improvisation
We improvise every day. You may not think of yourself as an improviser.
You are. Improvisation is agility and resilience and it's that moment all of who you are meets a pivotal moment of change - such as Covid, for example.
Thinking like an improviser means unleashing more of your 'you-ness' across everything you do. It's about saying 'yes and!' to all of who you are so you can unlock all the great things: being humorous, more playful, spontaneous, unapologetic, confident and empathetic. And step up to meet the needs of the moment with all of who you are.
Embrace your (and for every member of your team) inner improvisational leader. Because that's how we unlock human potential to meet the challenges of these times. This talk includes ways for every person and leader to get learning and laughing TODAY. I gave a version of this talk at SXSW for 2K attendees.