Leading with Humor: Leslie Blodgett (BareMinerals), David Hornik (August Capital), Anne Libera and Kelly Leonard (The Second City)

By Debra Schifrin, Jennifer Aaker, Naomi Bagdonas, Leslie Blodgett, David Hornik, Kelly Leonard, Anne Libera
2018 | Case No. M367

“Leading with Humor” explores two major themes: 1) Why businesses should embrace and foster humor in the workplace, and 2) how individuals can bring humor and levity into their own organizations. The first section details the research on the benefits of humor in organizations. The next section presents three successful organizations that excel at creating cultures of levity and using humor in the workplace. The leaders of these organizations share why and how they use humor, as well as what they have learned from their experiences. They also provide practical “how-to” tips for the rest of us. These leaders are:

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  • Leslie Blodgett, former CEO @ Bare Escentuals and Founder of BareMinerals
  • David Hornik, Venture Capitalist @ August Capital
  • Kelly Leonard & Anne Libera, Comedy Leaders and Executives @ Second City

Learning Objective

The objective is to teach students about the power (and importance) of humor to make and scale positive change in the world and to achieve business objectives, build more effective and innovative organizations, cultivate stronger bonds, and capture lasting memories.

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