Wantrepreneur to Entrepreneur | Start and Grow Your Own Business 1244: Unleash Your Inner Rebel: The Secret to True Innovation + Creativity w/ Michael Glatts
Tired of the corporate grind and bureaucratic creep? Michael Glatts, a self-proclaimed "corporate survivor," joins the show to reveal how he transformed decades of corporate experience and a passion for improv comedy into a thriving business that re-energizes teams. He shares the power of being a "quietly rebellious" leader and how a 90-minute "Quirkshop" can serve as the pattern interrupt your business needs to unlock innovation. This episode is a must-listen for any entrepreneur feeling stuck in a rut, struggling with team engagement, or looking to inject more creativity and fulfilling fun into their work.
💡 What You'll Take Away For YOUR Business
- How to use improv principles to foster incredible team collaboration and creativity, even in a virtual environment.
- Why "design thinking" is the secret to obsessing over your customers' true unmet needs and building a business that lasts.
- How to embrace your "quietly rebellious" nature to fight stagnation and bureaucratic creep in your own company.
- Simple strategies to re-energize a tired team and bring the entrepreneurial spark back to your organization.
- How to redefine "fun" at work by focusing on empowerment, meaningful contributions, and celebrating shared success.
- The power of empathy and honest feedback in building unbreakable team trust and camaraderie.
📝 About Michael Glatts
Michael Glatts is a corporate survivor turned creative instigator and the founder of 901 Innovation. After a long and successful career at a large pharmaceutical company, he launched his second career to help leaders and teams get more fulfillment out of their work. Michael blends his deep corporate knowledge with decades of experience as an improv comedian to host highly engaging "Quirkshops." His unique perspective makes him an expert at helping quietly rebellious leaders shake things up, foster innovation, and build energized, creative teams.
🎯 Michael’s BEST Piece of Advice for Wantrepreneurs and Entrepreneurs
"Own your career."
📢 Memorable Quotes
- “When you go home at night, are you telling your family about the cool things you just did at work or are you bitching about what happened at work today?”
- “If you're a voice that's not being heard and you're just hitting the tasks that are required of you, that's not fun.”
- “Everybody thinks [in improv] you're focused on what you're going to say when the reality is if you're listening, you're going to nail it.”
💡 Actionable Takeaways
- ✅ Own your career: Take 15 minutes this week to define how you want your work to fit into your life, beyond just your next promotion.
- ✅ Practice active listening: In your next team meeting, focus entirely on what others are saying instead of just planning your response.
- ✅ Seek real feedback: Instead of a generic survey, have a real conversation about your team's pain points and unmet needs.
- ✅ Redefine fun: Celebrate how each team member's specific contributions lead to the company's bigger goals.
🔗 Links & Resources