What Managers Can Learn from Improv About Listening and Leading

According to a recent Fast Company article, one of the quietest but most destructive morale killers in organizations is surprisingly simple: managers not truly listening.

When feedback is brushed aside, concerns go unacknowledged, or employees don’t feel heard, trust slowly erodes. Over time, even the best strategies falter because the people tasked with executing them aren’t fully engaged.

We see this all the time in our trainings. Many well-meaning managers are skilled at leading conversations—but not always at being in them. Listening isn’t about intention—it’s a habit. And habits take practice.

That’s where improv for business training comes in. Every improv exercise is a masterclass in presence and listening without an agenda. You can’t fake engagement—either you’re paying attention and building on what someone says, or the scene falls apart. It’s not role play. It’s real-time awareness training, and it transfers directly to how managers show up in meetings, feedback sessions, and conversations.

As James Rose, a strategic organizational psychologist, notes in Fast Company:

“When leaders fail to foster an environment where employees feel their voices are truly heard, it significantly undermines morale.”

One tech team learned this the hard way: high turnover and declining productivity weren’t caused by strategy—they were caused by team members feeling ignored. Implementing clear feedback loops and follow-ups reversed the trend: morale rebounded, engagement increased, and turnover dropped.

The lesson? Listening isn’t just hearing words—it’s consistently and actively engaging. Improv’s structure forces that engagement. No multitasking, no planning your response, no half-listening. You must be fully present.

If your teams are showing signs of disengagement or low morale, start with how your leaders listen. Improv doesn’t just teach the skill—it builds the habit. And along the way? It’s fun, energizing, and transformational.