Year: 2018

Eight Principles Improvisation Teaches Us About Leadership and Life

Every improviser has a process — and at the very critical points, they ditch it and follow their gut. Why is this important to Leadership?

Improvisation is thought to be one of the most frightening gigs around yet is exhilarating once mastered.

Every improviser has a process — and at the very critical points, they ditch it and follow their gut. Why is this important to Leadership?

Improvisation is thought to be one of the most frightening gigs around yet is exhilarating once mastered. When in performance, improvisers in front of an audience are thrown suggestions at them, and right now they must make something meaningful out of one of them. It’s the true test of spontaneity. There is no need to be funny or clever. Just be there listening, open and ready for anything.

Because the best business plan, the best management plan, the best marketing plan, the best sales pitch or presentation is as good as its execution.

And each inescapably is confronted by unanticipated events, situations, or problems, meaning that…

Every business plan, at some point, inevitably becomes an act of improvisation.

Look at how the work of improvisers can reveal their easy-to-use principles to have you listen more deeply, think on your feet, take risks more readily, be spontaneous and meaningful, and be well-regarded as a leader.

How to Improvise

Here’s how improvisers do it and what you can do:

1. Great leaders allow for possibility. Say “Yes…and” (Accept all offers – no denials.) – This raises positive energy around any idea. It’s a must-have for creativity. Any denial kills the idea and creates a “no place to go” situation onstage. Saying “Yes…and” affirms and acknowledges a contribution. Great leaders allow for possibility. This is where creativity and innovation are born.

2. Collaboration at its best. Make your partner perfect – When you say “Yes…and” to validate your partner, the space between you is heightened and explored fully. All boats rise with the tide. By holding your partner up and they hold you up – there is so much more that can be achieved.

3. Great leaders rehearse for spontaneity. Prepare to be unprepared – Know and be ready for the likely questions and issues. Improvisers practice. They rehearse the devices they use so that no matter what is thrown at them, they have that structure to hold onto. Use planning and preparation tools, find a suitable structure, and practice your interactions. If you can prepare to be prepared, you can prepare to be unprepared.

4. Supportive and positive behavior: Play with good players – It makes you better. Look at the A-Teams and the Dream Teams. What can we learn? You get better by being with those who are at their best – which means you are at your best. Excellence begets excellence. “Supportive and positive behavior wanted. Cynics need not apply.”

5. It’s in your fellow teammates where you will find true safety. Rely on the team – Trust that at that moment “in the spotlight” when you don’t always know what’s going to happen, it’s only with your fellow teammates that there is true safety. Amy Poehler from SNL, Second City in her Harvard College graduation speech said that she “only needed to look into her partner’s eyes to know that she was safe.”

6. Don’t merely rely on the words – Show don’t tell. Be very specific – In your daily business, you dissect, analyze and intellectualize or develop a valuable case history and then you need to communicate your ideas and your solutions physically. We have clarity of purpose and clarity of our verbal message. Don’t merely rely on the words. Pay attention to your clarity of physical expression and presence. It is this message that leaves the larger impact and impression long after your audience is gone. We are only interested in direct communication – meaning mutual perceiving.

7. Use the pause. Don’t comment – It’s easy to keep your mind going and your mouth moving. What about a moment of pause? Why not try a moment of silence where your stance and presence demonstrate absolute faith in your own proposal?

8. Find your ability to perceive and sense fully. Don’t think – Get out of your head and into the space. Get out of your head and into your body. That’s what improvisation games have you do. It strengthens your ability to perceive and sense fully. Talented behavior is your greater capacity to experience and have involvement on all levels: intellectual, physical, intuitive, says Viola Spolin, the mother of Improvisation.

The intuitive is most vital to any learning situation.  The improvisation game provides involvement and freedom needed for experiencing.  You shut off the mind.  When the rational mind is shut off we have the possibility for greater intuition.

This allows spontaneity which frees you to feel your own true nature.

Improvisation is not a solitary sport. It’s great to know that better work can be achieved by working for the good of the group rather than the good of the individual.  The “we” is stronger than the “I.”

Key Competencies

Some key competencies that distinguish great leaders from the rest of the pack are that they:

  • Collaborate across boundaries with ease to get the whole room to respect the different interests and perspectives of all stakeholders, making it possible to realize breakthrough innovations.
  • Move easily from problem-solving to creating. Letting go of fear and anxiety motivates action and encourages the best contributions.
  • Leaders who are pragmatic are always prototyping and experimenting – a definition of creating. They are oriented toward possibility, evoking inspiration and creativity throughout their organization.
  • Using the Improvisation with these eight principles builds those leadership muscles so that your organization can be more creative, versatile, and nimble- a surefire design for success.
  • These skills resonate in all areas of your life.

This article was originally posted and published with Thrive Global, see here.

Written by guest blogger, Martha Gelnaw.

 

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    Organizational Promises Chart

    An organization exists to fulfil a certain promise. One powerful interpretation of looking at an organization is as a ‘network of promises, to fulfil a larger promise’ .

    An organization exists to fulfil a certain promise. One powerful interpretation of looking at an organization is as a ‘network of promises, to fulfil a larger promise’i.

    Let’s begin with, what is a promise?
    A promise is a declaration of a future you commit to produce. Promise is taking a stand that you are responsible for the outcome of the promise. When we make a promise, we do not act to ‘do the best we can’ (unless this is what we promised), or to do ‘do what is appropriate and see what happens’ and then use breakdowns and excuses for non-fulfillmentii.

    Who makes organization’s promise?
    The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the organization makes the organization’s promise (or any one else with a similar title who is the head of the organization). The CEO has been granted the authority by its shareholders, through its board, to make these promises. However, the CEO cannot fulfil this promise alone.

    An organization is a network of promises, to fulfil a larger promise

    The CEO then needs to ensure that he has promises from his leadership level 2 (L2) laddering up to his promise. The CEO requests the different functional heads, and the different business unit (BU) heads for promises (those that ladder up to his organizational promise and ensure that he fulfils his promise). The heads are leaders of these business units and functions. These leaders make the promises, however, the ownership for the fulfillment of these promises needs to be taken by all members in the entire business unit or the function.

    The BU or the function leader is the person coordinating, internally and externally, by making these promises and then by effectively managing these promises. The leader has to ensure that the promise they make will have a buy-in from the entire team, if not, this will lead to dissatisfaction. More importantly, without the entire team taking ownership, there is a small chance, if any, that the promise will be fulfilled.

    Organizational Promises Chart

    These leaders may further make more requests to teams and individuals reporting in to them to help them fulfil their promises. This loop continues. You now have an entire organization – not of roles, but of promises.

    Having this structure in an organization, of promises, is building a culture of commitment. As simple as this seems, and as powerful as this is, this is not necessarily easy to implement. To begin with, often the CEO is not clear what is his or her organizational promise is. And till that does not happen, the CEO does not know what promises he or she needs from his or her Level 2 leadership team.

    “You now have an entire organization – not of roles, but of promises.”

    More importantly, the leaders across levels don’t just make and receive promises – what they need to make and receive are ‘trustworthy promises’. In our work with organizations, often we have observed people to be flaky, making promises that they themselves do not trust.

    At the Institute for Generative Leadership, we have worked with many organizations with supporting them in building this structure. However, this is just the first step. Managing this structure is perhaps where the rubber meets the road.

    As a CEO, or head of large team, if you need help in designing and putting this structure together; and in building a culture of commitment in your team, we invite you to a conversation with one of our leaders.

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      [i] I learnt this from Bob Dunham, Founder, Institute for Generative Leadership, USA
      [ii] ibid

      THE ART AND PRACTICE OF TEAM CONVERSATIONS

      So, finally, the last week of IPL 2018 is here. The Orange Cap holder (the highest run scorer) at this stage of the tournament, when each of the 8 teams have played 14 matches each, is Rishabh Pant from Delhi Daredevils. The Purple Cap holder (highest wicket taker) is Andrew Tye of Kings XI Punjab, Rishabh Pant made 684 runs in 14 innings and Andrew Tye took 24 wickets in 14 matches.

      Image source: thewinin.com

      So, finally, the last week of IPL 2018 is here. The Orange Cap holder (the highest run scorer) at this stage of the tournament, when each of the 8 teams have played 14 matches each, is Rishabh Pant from Delhi Daredevils. The Purple Cap holder (highest wicket taker) is Andrew Tye of Kings XI Punjab, Rishabh Pant made 684 runs in 14 innings and Andrew Tye took 24 wickets in 14 matches.

      And guess what’s surprising. Neither of these two players are in the teams qualified to move to the next round. Out of all the 8 teams, Rishabh Pant’s Delhi Daredevils is right at the bottom having won only 5 matches.  And Andrew Tye’s Kings XI Punjab is second from the bottom having won 6 of the 14 matches played. The highest run scorer and the leading wicket taker’s teams are number one and two teams from the bottom of the point’s table!

      What’s even more interesting is that none of the teams of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and the 5th highest wicket takers made it to the next round:

      What does this show us?
      Clearly, individual brilliance in a team sport, does not lead to games being won. A team sport is a team sport. Every member of the team has a role to play, a promise to fulfill. How well team members play that role, or fulfill their promise will determine whether or not the team will win or lose. Beyond a point, individuals excelling will mean little or nothing.

      Does this happen in organizations too?
      Absolutely. All the time.

      You see sparks of brilliance, and some super stars in organizational teams delivering kick-ass results, but all of that goes to vain, because the others in the team do not fulfill the promise of their role. Often, they do not even know what is expected of them. Leaders have their role cutout. They need to have the right team conversations. These team conversations are non-discretionary. If you do not have these conversations, you pay a price for not having these conversations – which is, you lose games (And I don’t only mean games on the cricket field. I also mean organizational results)!

      I had once heard “the captain is as good as his team”. I think differently, you could have a fabulous team on paper, and yet lose games. My claim is, “The captain is as good as the conversations he has”.  Remember the 2008 IPL. The winner of that IPL season was Rajasthan Royals.

      Before the commencement of the first season of IPL, many considered Rajasthan Royals to perhaps be the weakest team giving them little chance of competing well in the tournament. Other teams had individual superstar players.  At that time, Shane Warne was the captain of Rajasthan Royals – he built a strong team, and clearly seemed like he had the right conversations with his team. Not only did they win the first ever IPL tournament, we also had new comers like Yusuf Pathan, Ravindra Jadeja and Shane Watson emerge. All these players eventually went on to play match-winning performances not only for Rajasthan Royals, but also for their respective national teams.

      I cannot over emphasize the importance of having the “right” team conversations. And there is no formula for this. Leaders need to learn the art and practice of effectively managing teams. What may be “right” in one scenario can be completely different from another. Which is why, I call this an art. And you can only master an art through practice.

      As a CEO, or head of large team, if you would like to learn about the  “Constitutive Team Conversations”, and how to build and manage effective teams, we invite you to a conversation with one of our leaders.

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        Did You Make A Powerful Entry into 2018?

        A fascinating year just came to an end and we are already a few good days into 2018.

        I invite you to do a review of the last year (2017) and take stock. Below, I recommend a set of questions that you should ask yourself. I have broken these questions into 2 parts – one that reviews and completes 2017, and the other, that helps you make new declarations for this year.

        A fascinating year just came to an end and we are already a few good days into 2018.

        I invite you to do a review of the last year (2017) and take stock. Below, I recommend a set of questions that you should ask yourself. I have broken these questions into 2 parts – one that reviews and completes 2017, and the other, that helps you make new declarations for this year.

        Here are the 6 essential questions for you. I am suggesting these questions after having completed this exercise for 5 consecutive years in a row, and I can state out of experience, once you have done so, you will be making a very powerful entry in to the New Year. Not only that, if you act inside of your commitments, you will make 2018 your best year yet.

        What have you achieved in 2017?
        Begin by identifying the important areas of your life and list out your achievements in each of your areas of care in 2017. Just writing down your accomplishments in each of these areas hopefully will give you a sense of achievement and a lot of power to declare audacious and bold goals for this year.

        What is it That you Want to Acknowledge Yourself for in This Year?

        This is the time of the year to step back for a few moments and pat yourself on the back for all the good that you are, and, all the good that you have done. Take these moments and acknowledge yourself. Actively look for all the good in you.

        What is it That You Missed Out on This Year?

        This is an important question to get connected to what areas of your life matter to you, and in these areas, what results were not achieved. By simply becoming aware of what you missed out in the last year, will help you re-evaluate your promises and the ones that continue to hold its importance in your life. The promises that still have value for you can then be commitments for 2018. And the others that do not matter any more can be revoked.

        What are Your Promises for 2018?

        There are two ways to approach any promise in your life – one is to first identify ‘what’ is your promise and then figure out the ‘how’. The other is to first look at the resources that you have, the effort that it will take, and then determine your promise.

        A lot of people first look at the ‘how’, and based on the `how’, they decide the ‘what’, i.e., their promise.

        I am firm believer that you need to figure out the ‘what’ first and the ‘how’ will start to reveal itself once you get into action. It’s pretty much like driving in dense fog. When you leave your home, you know where you want to go (your promise), but you cannot see the road. You commit to driving. You can see only a few feet ahead. However, when you travel the few feet, you see the next few feet.

        Commit to action. Take the first step. Subsequent steps will automatically open up. Waiting to see the entire path before you take the first step will lead you to one of two things; inaction, or setting small goals.

        Think of all the areas that you care for; in each area think of where you would like to be this time next year; make promises in these areas; make these promises specific, measurable and put a deadline. If you bring in intention and action, nothing can stop you from achieving your promises for 2018.
        What New Will you Learn in the New Year?

        To commit to new learning means to commit to building new capacity for action, and building capacity for generating new results. What new knowledge are you committing to gain in 2018, and how will you act and practice on this new knowledge that you gain in 2018. While knowledge is important, what is critical is what new practices are you committing to for the New Year?

        Feel free to add more questions if you would like. The more you question yourself, the more you will seek answers from yourself.

        Once you have done this, I invite you to share your promises with some one who can hold you accountable. If you have a learning team, share these promises with your learning team. Create a structure of people around you who continuously support you in fulfilling your promises.

        I can guarantee you, once you have done this, you will make 2018 a great year.

        Make 2018 count in your life!

        Good luck and have a blast!

        Entrepreneur India

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