My Writing, And…

(Or, 20 years of Academia boils down to this…)

Improvisation Articles

“What Negotiators Can Learn from Improv Comedy”

Negotiation: Newsletter from Harvard Business School and Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, 2006

Improvisation and Teaching Negotiation: Developing Three Essential Skills

Negotiation Journal, 2005

The Improvisational Entrepreneur: Improvisation Training In Entrepreneurship Education

Journal of Small Business Management, 2020

I’m Lakshmi

Welcome to Just Say Yes, And, my long considered, deliberated and finally sharing spot on the Internet dedicated to all the things I have researched, pursued, determined and decided! When I was growing up, Nancy Reagan had “Just Say No” as the motto to fight drug use. I invite you to revisit that thinking with the rule of Improvising: Say Yes, And!

I have taught this rule of improvisation, along with the other lessons of improvisation through a course I created called Improvisational Leadership at Harvard Business School, Harvard Law School, MIT Sloan School of Management as well as numerous organizations. I have my PhD and have taught and researched Entrepreneurship, Negotiation and Management as a tenured Professor. Most recently I spent three years in federal government working on innovation policy culminating in a bucket list experience of a trip to the White House!

Early in my career I worked in venture capital – at the first women owned, women focused fund in the country. I spent 20 years exploring the gender gap for women in entrepreneurship…and I got tired of hearing all the Nos for why things haven’t changed. I ran for local office (was “mayor” of my town) and performed stand-up comedy and improvisational comedy in Los Angeles and San Diego. So, indeed, my life has been a lot of Yes, And to trying new things.

I invite you to join me on a journey of reflection as well as learning as to how opportunities play out when you Just Say Yes, And!

Let’s connect