18 Maniacs

From the Jazz Club to Leadership and Teamwork

An experiential session for organizations

Raz Yitzhaki רז יצחקי - מרצה על מנהיגות בהשראת הג׳אז

What if the spark for a stronger organizational culture was sitting in a jazz club all along?

Picture it

A dark club. A small stage. A pianist, a bassist, a drummer.

Three experts, three completely different ways of thinking, playing in the pocket, locked into each other, moving like one body.

Each one has their own style, and is eager to express themselves.

Inside a clear, shared structure, they turn their differences into the thing that drives them forward together: harmony that builds itself, live, in real time.

How do they play?

They listen. They improvise. They trade the lead. They back each other up.

Their freedom doesn't create chaos. It's the engine that makes the whole thing work.

Jazz isn't just a style of music. It's a way of thinking.

What if your team could play like that?

Here's what it looks like on stage.

Not Your Usual Lecture

18 Maniacs is a glimpse into a world where teams operate differently, seen through a jazz musician's eyes.

It's not a talk about management methods. It's an invitation to experience team dynamics from an unconventional angle, through music.

We'll listen, we'll watch, and sometimes we'll experience it live — and together we'll build insight into difference, freedom, and expression within a team.

Not Your Usual Speaker

I come from the world of jazz — Berklee-trained, performer, bandleader.

For over a decade I've researched and explored the connection between jazz and leadership, out of genuine passion.

My doctoral research looks at creative thinking in jazz.

18 Maniacs is what happens when the stage and the research meet.

What You'll Walk Away With

You'll discover that freedom, structured the right way, doesn't lead to chaos. It creates ownership, dialogue, and shared creation.

You'll see ego stops being a problem the moment everyone on the team has real room to express themselves and to lead.

You'll understand the power in Miles Davis's philosophy: stop playing, start listening.

And you'll walk away with a sharper understanding: your success as a leader depends on your team's success.

Let's talk, contact me

Hagith Malul

Organizational Psychologist, Lead2Quantum

Dr. Raz Yitzhaki takes the world of jazz and turns it into a compelling mirror for teamwork and leadership.

For managers and organizations, this isn't just inspiration, it's a source of practical insight they can bring straight back to their teams and their day-to-day work.

This talk is by a star: real depth, real inspiration, real value.

David Muhlgay

CEO - Omis
IDE Technologies

My team walked out stunned.

You opened their minds.

Sharon Graff
Organizational and Social Innovation Specialist

An original, practical, relevant approach. It gives managers and leaders a new way to think about inspiring leadership, through practices they can actually use, and through how teams learn, adapt, and create together.

Anat Gur
Tzamarot Program
Avnei Rosha Institute

An extraordinary intellectual and emotional experience — it lets you look at the managerial role from a new, inspiring angle.

A rare combination of expertise and charisma.

Who this is for?

Leadership teams, R&D teams, innovation teams, and HR
Tech and high-tech companies, business and public-sector organizations, academic institutions, healthcare organizations
Experienced professionals with an open mind for fresh ideas
Talks for managers, talks for teams — for organizations looking for real inspiration from a completely different place

Trusted By
Partial list

TEDx, Microsoft, Payoneer, Omis - IDE Technologies, ICL, PwC, Matrix,

Technion - the Innovation Center, Ministry of Education, JDC (the Joint), the Psychological Service, SheRocks - Sheba Medical Center, United Hatzalah, Comme Il Faut, Ortra, NeuroDerm, Migdal, Marmenet.