About this episode
Hey, hey, Workday Playdate peeps! It’s time for your quick bite of leadership wisdom—a little boost of inspiration, energy, and playfulness to brighten your workday. Today, we’re talking about something we ALL have in common: mistakes. Yep, those cringe-worthy, face-palm moments that keep us up at night. But guess what? Your mistakes aren’t just embarrassing bloopers; they’re your greatest career growth hacks. So, what do we do? We improvise, using the The "Next Line, Please" Hack. What it is: In improv, when a scene stalls or someone blanks out, we use a simple trick: we ask for the next line. Instead of panicking, we literally turn to our scene partner and say, "Next line, please?" and they feed us something to work with. How to use it in real life: Ever been in a meeting where you completely blank on what to say? Or maybe you’re giving a presentation and your brain just short-circuits mid-sentence? Instead of freezing or rambling, do this: Pause. (Silence feels longer to you than it does to them.) Take a breath. (Gives your brain time to reset.) Ask for the ‘next line.’ This can be as simple as: "Can you repeat the question?" (Buys time and refocuses.) "Let me gather my thoughts for a second." (Gives permission to pause.) "That’s a great point—can you expand on that while I process?" (Keeps the conversation flowing.) This breaks the pressure of perfection and allows you to regroup without the awkwardness. Try it today! When you get stuck, don’t force it—just ask for the next line. If you’re interested in taking one small action right now, you can check out our newest freebie, The 5-Minute Team Commitment Reset here . Use this plug-and-play exercise at the start of any meeting to get your team mentally present, engaged, and committed. No, You Hang Up First (Let’s Keep Connecting) Did today’s episode resonate with you? Leave us a review sharing your favorite insight and we’ll send you a free signed copy of I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy. Have another question that we can answer? Leave us a Speakpipe audio clip and we’ll answer it in an upcoming episode. Don’t want to miss another episode? If you’re a Spotify listener, find our show here and click “Follow.” If you’re an Apple Podcast listener, click here and make sure to hit “+Follow.” Want access to a bunch of free resources for your work life? This is your personal jackpot that gives you access to the frameworks that help us thrive both personally and professionally. Whether you’re trying to improve your daily routine, flesh out an idea that you’ve had for quite some time, or want to add more play into your day - these resources have got your back. Want 2 emails a week from us? One with a quick tip you can implement right away to enhance your personal and/or professional lives & one of our famous F.A.I.L. Fourward Friday newsletters? Subscribe here . Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it! Erin’s website Erin’s Instagram Erin’s TikTok Erin’s LinkedIn improve it!’s website improve it!’s Instagram See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .