Leadership Lessons From Stand-up Comedian Stephanie McHugh - Part One

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the Quick Take podcast, the show where you

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get targeted advice and coaching for executives by

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executives.

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I'm Suzy Tominczuk.

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Speaker 2: I'm James Capps.

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Give us 15 minutes and we'll give you three secrets to

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address the complex topic of issues that are challenging

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executives like you today.

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Speaker 1: Welcome to Quick Take .

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I'm Suzy Tominczuk, along with my great host, james Capps, my

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favorite host.

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Speaker 2: Thank you very much.

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I'm so excited that I made the top five list this time.

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Speaker 1: I'm excited today because we have a professional

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comedian joining us today to give us some tips.

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So welcome Stephanie.

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Stephanie McHugh.

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Speaker 3: Hello, thank you for having me, suzy and James.

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It's great to be here.

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We're very excited.

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Speaker 1: Just to make sure that we're all clear.

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Steph was also my roommate in college.

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Speaker 2: I'm just going to put it out there.

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Well, that would make anybody funny.

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Speaker 3: So please email Stephanie at StephanieMcHughcom

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for any pictures of Suzy.

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Speaker 1: All right, we're done .

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So James and I were talking.

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I had told him I'd love to have Steph on.

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She would be really interesting to take a lens of her world and

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apply it to executives.

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So, james, what did you think?

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's a great topic.

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I think so many times as leaders, we want to engage and

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have a good rapport with our folks.

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Humor is a natural, human way of doing that.

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So we thought Steph could help us come up or identify three or

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maybe with a bonus ways that you can incorporate humor into your

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leadership style.

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Speaker 1: Absolutely yeah, but before you go, tell us a little

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bit about yourself and then go into.

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Speaker 2: Let's get some extra here.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, give us some extra.

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What do you do?

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Speaker 3: I always loved stand-up comedy.

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I lived in Chicago in my 20s but never jumped on the

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opportunity to start until I moved back to Colorado and I had

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two small kids.

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I thought why aren't I doing things that I want to do?

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I wasn't necessarily had the ambition to be a stand-up

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comedian, but I did acting in high school.

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So I took an acting class and then I took an improv class.

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Then I met another improv who said you should really try

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stand-up comedy.

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I did, and comedy works in downtown Denver is a great club

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I mean, it's nationally known.

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So I just started going checking out the open mics and

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went on stage for the first time , which was great, and then I

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went on again the second time, which was horrible.

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It's like childbirth the first time you don't know what to

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expect.

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So it's that that in the second time you know, and then you're

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a freak out before him.

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Then there was auditions for the Las Vegas Comedy Festival,

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like nine months after I'd started.

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So I wanted to trip to the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and that

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helped shift it to working at it .

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I didn't always do it full-time.

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I found it kind of challenging for myself to travel with the

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kids.

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I tried it for a little while.

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I know a lot of women who successfully do it, but I didn't

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really travel then too terribly far until they were out of the

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house.

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It's always an empty master, yeah.

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So then, yeah, I started doing that and then the pandemic

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really kind of was so hard, because it was like two years

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after the kids had Felt like I was finally getting my groove

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and then bam.

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But it also really helped me realize how much I just

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literally love going on stage and yeah so now you do it full

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time now I do it full time.

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Yeah, awesome I also do voiceover too in my closet.

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That's a side note.

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I didn't tell you guys about that ahead of time, so, um, yeah

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, it's it, you closet In the back of the closet you were just

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a multi-talented individual.

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Speaker 2: You got all sorts of interesting things going on.

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So, all right, talk to us about leadership.

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How could we take that experience that you have and and

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tell us some ways that that leaders can can apply humor or

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or tips for doing so?

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I have three weird tips and how do you?

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know in your next presentation.

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Okay.

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So number one Don't freak out, but also don't freak out.

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So, okay, okay, thanks, good, now let's go on a number two.

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It's kind of took me a while and I think when I first started

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I thought I should just be able to go on stage and, you know,

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with the kids and I find I like to take a little bit of time

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just to get in the right mindset and I am a laid-back.

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I kind of have a calming voice, naturally, so I want to make

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sure that I'm me.

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You know I don't, so it wouldn't be natural for me to be

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like hey, hi, hi guys.

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You know being to it wouldn't be authentic.

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But I also don't want to be how I might be if I'm just, you know

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, talking at home because it might be too low energy.

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So that's my um deal, that that's not everybody's.

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So I try to make sure that I am myself.

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I kind of up it a little, a little bit to sort of shit you

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know, project out, amplify, without, um, trying to be

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something that I'm not and I always kind of think of.

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I loved watching the office.

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Did you guys watch the office?

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Speaker 2: Absolutely Yep.

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Speaker 3: So there was one time where Dwight was going in for a

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I think he was going in for a job interview or performance um

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review so he went in the hallway and he takes this tape recorder

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and he puts on like heavy metal music and he was kicking

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himself.

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Speaker 2: Amphan is energy up getting them all excited.

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Yeah, I know it.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I will.

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I will visualize the people coming.

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You know I'm like somebody got a babysitter.

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They spent the week getting a babysitter, she's getting all

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dressed up and they're going out for date night and I'm going to

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make it fun.

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Sometimes I kind of miss how fun stand-up comedy was before I

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did it.

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I mean, I love doing it but if it makes sense, I kind of know

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behind the green curtain.

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So don't freak out, Don't put too much pressure on yourself,

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but also don't freak out, you know if that makes sense.

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Speaker 2: It totally makes sense.

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And I, I gosh, we I think we've done at least four episodes

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talking about how, uh, no matter what you're doing whether it's

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stand-up comedy, talking to your uh, your leadership team board

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meetings when you are yourself, when you are your genuine self

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and not trying to be something you're not, you are so much more

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effective.

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You are such much better communicator and you're going to

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get your story across, whether it's your set or whether it's

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your budget.

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Acting in your genuine self, I think, um, it turns out to be

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the best piece of advice.

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That's, I love it.

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I love it.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's good too, and in the negotiation

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as well.

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When you pretend to be somebody , you're not, you're not

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building that relationship and that might get somebody to kind

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of go against you because they don't sense that you're being

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authentic and then that they might sense that you're trying

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to take advantage of them.

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So I love that.

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Speaker 3: And another thing too .

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Um, you know, I'm always sometimes like I may be tired, I

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may be performing on a cruise ship, so you had to take the red

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eye to Miami and the whole day getting on the ship, and you

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don't know until you get on the ship.

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Okay, I've got two shows tonight, so I might be tight.

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I would do that in the beginning, but still in the

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middle I can catch myself, and so it's just always a constant

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adjustment.

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So don't worry if you're in the middle of it and you feel like,

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oh, you know, just to shift it and suggest All right, that's a

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great one.

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Speaker 2: Okay, let's what's.

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What's your second one?

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Speaker 3: Okay, Uh, remember the unexpected in the movie

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Pretty Woman.

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Again, I'm totally dating myself.

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Speaker 1: I know that's okay.

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Remember a movie from 30 years ago.

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Speaker 3: Everyone is under 30.

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Speaker 2: Yes, I think our audience knows that movie.

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Speaker 3: Um, there is one scene where Richard Gere they're

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getting ready to go to the opera fly to the opera and he

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opens up the, the jewelry case to show the necklace.

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Yeah, and then he claps it shut and, um, julie Roberts laughs.

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Yeah, that is a totally unscripted moment, and they say

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that's the moment that made Julia Roberts a star.

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Speaker 1: Wow, that is interesting.

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I didn't know that.

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Speaker 3: So both of them, you know, he and I think to Julie

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Roberts, they retired or something.

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So Richard Gearsett just kind of told the cameraman or the

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director, gary Marshall, I'm going to do this, but they both

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were authentic and in the moment .

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Yeah, so if something happens, like for me, if a glass falls,

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you know, but you, you really want to, you know, of course,

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you really want to do well, but but be in the moment and adjust

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to what's going on.

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Again, it's really slight but, like you both said, being

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connected and being present.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I love that as well and I feel like you know,

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so often we spend so much time preparing for meetings,

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preparing for conversations, and and the the most effective ones

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are the ones that end up.

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You know, not as you expected.

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I can't even count the number of presentations that I've had

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put together that had 20 slides, that I only got to slide number

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two, and so, you know, being ready for the unexpected, I

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think, is absolutely key and that that that's just going to

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happen, and I think if you can take advantage of that, then

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that's a huge, huge win.

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Speaker 1: And I think we we prepare so much that we think

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it's good that you're seasoned enough to know to stop it slide

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two, if they got it, or that it landed or they said yes, but

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sometimes when you're more junior, you were like, oh, but I

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had 10 slides.

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Wait, we're going to go to you know, we're going to keep going.

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You're like stop, so adjust in the moment, like being

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intentional.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, that's a good one.

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Speaker 1: All right, what's the third one?

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Speaker 3: The third one is always, always, always hit the

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red button.

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So you're telling me what it sounds dirty, but it's not

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Always you didn't tell you, said that, all right Now we have to

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change the rating on this episode but go Always record

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yourself.

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I can't tell you how many times I will be saying something and

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people will laugh and I'll go.

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What did I just do right there?

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Or you may be trying something new or something organically.

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You know may have happened.

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For example, you know what, if I was doing a joke and something

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happened, I said something, made a big laugh.

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It's improv then, but you can add it later.

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Or maybe something didn't work and you go back and listen and

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you're like, oh, it's because for me most often is I kind of

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trip up very slightly on the word.

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Speaker 2: One thing right yeah.

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Speaker 3: And a confused mind isn't really going to laugh.

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So you may think, oh, that's not funny.

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But if you don't listen back to it and go and you know kind of

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analyze, you may not know why they didn't write you know what?

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Speaker 2: Ultimately, what you're saying is you know

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there's power in the retrospective right.

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And as leaders and, as when I have a team, you know, I always

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love to go back and say, all right, let's take a look at what

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we did, what worked, what didn't work, and doing that

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intentionally right, as a, as a comedian, you're on stage and

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you realize a joke didn't work.

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Well, you may remember that joke didn't work but, boy, the

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recording gave you.

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Oh, it was the confusing setup or it was the stumbling on that

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word.

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And we're the same with with executives.

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You know you have to go back and look and see where did we

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really fall down?

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We thought it was this, but it turned out we didn't have enough

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resources here.

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You know, the retrospective and having a good, honest and

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effective retrospective is critical to success.

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Speaker 1: I love it I do too, and it also amplifies the fact

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that we're always shifting and getting better and so, being

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open to that, depressing the red button.

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So that you can look back and understand that.

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You know we're always progressing.

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Speaker 2: Exactly right.

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I won't ask you, susie, how many of these episodes you've

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watched, but that's exactly the point.

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Speaker 3: I don't watch full disclosure all my sets too, but

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if something happens then I will go back and listen to it.

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Speaker 2: Totally great, that's great.

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Those are three great ones.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it's speed and a half, because I sometimes get

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so uncomfortable.

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So I'll switch it up a little bit so that it doesn't feel yeah

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.

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Speaker 2: No, that's great advice.

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And then you had a bonus one.

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I think Is that what I heard when you started.

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Speaker 3: I have a bonus one.

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Wow, I love it.

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I love the recipe for snickerdoodles.

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My mom I got my grandma's cookbook Betty Crocker's, 1963.

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Amazing and it has snickerdoodles from Mrs Gary

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Smith.

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So they didn't even if you were married, they didn't even use

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your name.

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Speaker 2: Oh my gosh, I didn't even catch that.

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Yeah, so crazy.

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Speaker 3: But why would it be snickerdoodles as opposed to

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like chocolate chips or something?

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Speaker 2: Oh do tell us.

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Speaker 3: Snickerdoodles is a funnier word.

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So I'm always looking for and it's specific.

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So if you want to just add a little bit of humor Christopher

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Titus talks about sometimes, he's just trying to keep the

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feather up.

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He doesn't want to let it, you know, let it fall to the ground.

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So if you're just trying to put a little bit here, put a little

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bit there, kind of look over something and see how can I be

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either more specific or put a funnier word without changing

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the story, so I'm giving you a cookie recipe.

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It's just not going to be sugar cookies or something, it's

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snickerdoodles.

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Speaker 2: Snickerdoodles.

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Speaker 3: I like that.

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And for another example would be I do a joke about my science

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teacher in junior high.

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I say it was Mrs Oldrunowski, in front of the science lab.

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Speaker 2: Right.

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Speaker 3: It was really Mrs Newport, but to me I feel like

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Mrs Oldrunowski.

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Speaker 2: So much funnier.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, my ex-husband sugar nets, I call him work on

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the south side of Chicago, so I just sort of have an endearment

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to the south side of Chicago and all the names you know the

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Polish neighborhood that he grew up in.

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So I picked that because to me it felt like it paints more of

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an imagery in the audience's mind.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, that's right up your alley, James.

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James talks about storytelling and being real descriptive about

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something, and that helps people pay attention.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I think it's important that you bring people

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with you in your conversations, and I do.

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I have names and I have stories that I tell and, yeah, they're

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intended to engage, they are intended to keep the feather up.

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We use example.

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I love that Titus analogy that he uses and I love the fact that

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sometimes it's important to use language, words, examples that

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resonate with the audience, and so often when I'm communicating

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ideas, you have to use analogies , you have to use use cases and

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you have to use and have to know your audience.

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I'm preparing for a presentation right now and I'm

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taking it.

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It's taking everything.

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I have to keep it from getting really nerdy, because this group

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has an attention span.

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I have 15 minutes and I'll probably get to five, and so I

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have to change my story.

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I have to know how to grab them.

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I have to use Mrs Olzunowski versus Mrs Smith, and I think

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that's a really great way of looking at the way that we

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communicate as leaders.

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Love that, love that, love that .

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Speaker 1: All right, would you hear James tell us what your

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tips are?

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Speaker 2: Let me see if I can wrap these up, I'm going to do a

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horrible job.

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I can't even begin that with the fun little ways you put it.

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I think the first one is don't freak out.

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But also don't freak out, stay on target.

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And then the second one was sometimes you got to be prepared

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for the craziness.

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If somebody's going to close the jewelry case on your hand,

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then you've got to be prepared to respond to that, and I think

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that's really important.

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And then always look back, look at the retrospective, don't

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forget to hit the red button.

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Do the look at the recording, look, understand where you made

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mistakes.

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And then, obviously, the good one is speak to people where

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they are.

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Use the language, use stories.

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Good communicators Find ways to reach their audience.

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Whether you're a comedian or whether you're a professional

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coach, speaking to people where they are is huge.

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Speaker 1: I love the alignment.

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There's so much alignment, Like when you were talking.

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It was super interesting to see the techniques that you use on

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stage are things that we use as executives every day as well.

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Speaker 2: I think the reality is there's humans involved,

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right, and that's the huge part of it.

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Speaker 3: And both of us are talking to drunk people, right,

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that is true.

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Speaker 2: Yes, I'm not saying at the company I work at now,

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but I have worked at companies where I'm certain that the

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people in the room were not sober.

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Speaker 1: Oh, boy.

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And with that, thank you, steph .

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Thank you so much for being here.

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Speaker 3: On topic.

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Yeah, it was a pleasure.

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I hope I wasn't too wordy.

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I forgot we were doing 15 minutes.

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You need to give me a light next time, but it was a lot of

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fun, let's talk forever.

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Yeah, thank, you.

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Speaker 2: We needed a tight 10.

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Then you gave us a 20.

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So we're, almost ready.

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Speaker 1: Well, thank you, we appreciate it, and maybe we'll

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do this again.

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Maybe we'll do another lens on this topic.

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So thank you so much for being here.

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We appreciate it.

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Thanks, james.

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Feel free to share this with somebody that needs to put some

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more humor in their worlds, or whatever.

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Just share it with other people .

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We'd love that, and both James and I are on LinkedIn and we'd

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love to hear from you.

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So reach out to us and, as all of us, I'll speak for all three

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of us.

00:19:59
We appreciate you for taking your time to being here with us

00:20:02
today on Quick Take.

00:20:03
Have a good one.

00:20:04
Thanks for listening to this week's episode of Quick Take,

00:20:10
where we talk about the questions that are on the minds

00:20:12
of executives everywhere.

00:20:13
Connect with us and share what's on your mind.

00:20:16
Speaker 2: You can find us on LinkedIn, youtube or whatever

00:20:19
nerdy place on the internet.

00:20:20
You find your podcasts.

00:20:21
All the links you really did are in the show notes.