Leadership today requires innovative thinking, bold initiation and collaborative creativity. And true leaders not only embody these essential skills, they encourage and develop them in their managers and teams. In this challenging business climate, these, in the words of Mary Parker Follett , “leaders of leaders”, also need tools to embrace uncertainty and exploit change as opportunity. But how do you create a culture of affirmation and support, while also demanding boldness and experimentation? Improvisation is the key!
Improvisation is the art of acting and reacting without a rigid plan, exploring without judgment and discovering creative solutions to unanticipated challenges. It encourages risk-taking and rewards discovery. When you improvise in the workplace, you jump in with both feet, promote innovative ideas, make decisions with confidence, defuse conflict, react nimbly to surprises – and have fun!
This is seriously strong stuff! Here are 6 ways you can immediately use improvisational techniques to make a more fun, collaborative and creative workplace.
1. Take yourself less seriously!
Improvisation is an art form all about throwing out preconceived notions and trying on new things. How about starting with yourself? Set aside your “profile” and the stuffy trappings of rank. Gain perspective and release tension at work by laughing at yourself. It may involve telling a funny self-deprecating story about your early days at the company. Maybe it’s including a joke or humorous quote in an email. Others will notice and feel more open with you. Nobody has all the answers so celebrate what you don’t know and make yourself more approachable.
2. Relax & flow.
Yes, things are tense in this uncertain economy right now, but tough times were never made better with more stress. Improvisation teaches active listening and keen observation. An improviser at work takes the time to breathe, allow silences, and realizes that important thinking and reactions don’t always get blurted out right away. Take the time to pause, stretch, take a stroll to get some air, or juggle staplers – whatever! Gain some perspective and set the stage for creative thinking!
3. Curiosity.
Active curiosity is what drives genuine creativity and discovery. The more curious the mind, the bolder the imagination. The more actively curious (the more we actually taste new flavors in the buffet), the more useful and applicable the imaginative notions are. It may be that the conversation you have about someone’s new desk toy or vacation photo may trigger a eureka moment or lead to a new business relationship. Perhaps the new store opening next door is offering something useful to your firm. Find out what’s behind the smiles on everyone’s faces at the water cooler. Getting curious, investigating the unknown, brings us to the opportunity much faster than waiting for the opportunity to come find us.
4. Say “Yes, and…”
This is a fundamental tenet of improvisation, essential for moving ideas along and building funny situations. At work, find ways to validate people and ideas by saying “yes!” Entertain others’ ideas in meetings, and agree to proposals you might otherwise ignore or dismiss. Follow “yes” with “and”—by adding on and furthering the original idea. Too often we hear and think, “no, but…” Enthusiastically second even small points and suggestions others make (e.g. where we should go to lunch) and pitch in tweaks of your own (“yes, we can eat at Sardi’s, AND we can invite the client and show them a classic New York spot!”) Become an active participant in and shaper of conversations. It shows you are ready to collaborate and it’s optimistic. Say “yes, and…”, and see productivity blossom!
5. Connect!
Improvisation shows us how to connect and pick up on each other’s tiniest cues, even the unconscious, non-verbal ones. The better you are at empathizing with co-workers and customers, the better you be will at quickly and accurately meeting their needs. Verbally remark on facial expressions during meetings, match the tone in room by non-mockingly adopting the physical positions of others. Share candidly how you may feel emotionally the same as others about some idea. They’ll notice how close the attention is that you’re paying, and reflect it back at you. In no time, there’s huge trust and instant collaboration!
6. Invitations
Invitation is a strong business tool. Pitches, proposals, meetings, promotions, and 6-month evaluations are all invitations to do something. Pull people into improvised moments of brainstorming, sampling, unplanned conversations, and good old-fashioned goofy fun. Put forth lots of “what if…?” and “tell me about…” statements. Once you’ve invited colleagues to improvise with you, you can coax them toward steps 1 – 6 and spread the benefits of professional improvisation throughout the firm!
Improvisation is a system of living, thinking and relating. And when used with intent in the workplace, it becomes a powerful platform for creative thinking, collaboration, value creation and in-the-moment, personal connection. And the more connected we are to each other, the more bravely we can break old patterns and enhance our business. Who knows? –Someone may applaud!
