Ever wondered what would happen if a stand-up comedian crashed a serious pitch competition posing as a founder?

Recently in Boulder, CO, Pitch Lab had the opportunity to do just that at the NextCycle Colorado Pitch Competition.

In this 2-minute video, Nick Offerman talks about how he was able to remain patient and happy while waiting for his big break on Parks and Recreation.

After watching this video I thought about how much of my own happiness I’m withholding until after I’ve “closed this next deal”.

I hope it also inspires you to take some time for yourself this summer and put happiness first.

While most change initiatives fail, there's a critical moment when the tide turns. I've spent years guiding companies through this terrain, and there are three unmistakable signals that reveal whether your team is truly embracing change or merely telling you what you want to hear in team meetings.

I'm grateful to my client and friend, Tom Hurst, CRO at ACA Group, for sharing these insights that are worth putting into print and sharing with you.

Bob Iger transformed Disney with a radical approach: "You only get three."  This counterintuitive rule became the foundation of Disney's remarkable reinvention and holds the key to unlocking your sales team's full potential.

For sales leaders, the lesson is clear. When your team is juggling competing priorities, they're essentially prioritizing nothing.

As an entrepreneur pitching a new concept, telling your origin story at the beginning of your pitch is one of the most powerful ways to:

• Differentiate yourself from your competition

• Build stronger connections with your audience (investors, employees, customers)

• Reveal your character and build trust

As a sales leader, have you ever stopped to consider what you could learn from the world of stand-up comedy?

While closing deals and making audiences laugh may seem worlds apart, the parallels between perfecting a sales pitch and crafting a killer stand-up set are striking.