“The Improvisation Edge: Secrets to Building Trust…” by Karen Hough (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, $19.95).
Trust fuels collaboration. Employee feed off of each others strengths, skills and attitudes when they know their colleagues support them. Productivity and creativity surge when collaboration and knowledge-sharing thrive.
If you’ve ever been at an improv comedy show, you’ve seen actors work unscripted to create entertainment. Now think of employees as improvisers. While they have job-defined roles, employees juggle daily change in the form of deadlines, shifting priorities, time, tasks and projects. The workplace improv stage focuses on creating daily outcomes that keep the “scene” moving forward.
Hough, who trained at Chicago’s legendary Second City improv theater, applies the four principles of improv (Yes!Space, Building Blocks, Team Equity, Oops to Eureka!) to the workplace stage. Having spent eight years training at Second City Detroit, six in an improv troupe and two decades training corporate teams, I can assure you her advice is spot on.
• “Yes! Space.” Saying “yes” to whatever happens works when other actors see it as a gift and provide the “and” which leads to the how and what that pushes the scene along. Go with the flow. The workplace abounds with “Yes, and…” possibilities; forget the “Yes, but…” which really means “No.” “Yes” extends to compliments, too. Thank people for their contributions.
• “Building blocks” expand the “and.” Work becomes serious play when people see possibilities and know they’re part of determining and executing action. Contributions build from the original concept. If every idea is a brick, you can build a castle.
• “Team equity” recognizes that “someone always has your back and there’s always another set of brains on the job.” Effective teams own the people as well as the outcome. Own the people? You have to learn each other’s talents, long suits and perspectives. With those in mind, a team assigns tasks based on what’s in front of them. Between-the-lines message: Share, don’t hog, the spotlight.
• “Oops to Eureka!” acknowledges the “elephant in the room” and sees it as an opportunity, not a problem. It’s the “Yes, and …” process. Persistence goes hand-in-hand with “Eureka” moments, too. Theodor Geisel’s first children’s book was rejected by 23 publishers; we know Geisel as Dr. Seuss.
The bottom line: Improv improves your ability to deal with people and situations.
“Seeing Red Cars: Think it, See it, Do it” by Laura Goodrich (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, $18.95).
You buy a red car; suddenly you begin noticing all the other red cars. Why? “Red” stays on your radar screen.
Goodrich’s point: You get more done when you focus on your radar screen. Start with a life-scope list of your passions/interests, strengths and values. Then create a next-30-days “I want” list; make sure that the items on the list are within life scope and the realm of probability (i.e. You have significant control over the actions needed to achieve; what you want is achievable.)
Embracing and anticipating change (Goodrich calls this “intentionally driving with the high beams on”) helps steer you around the hazards and through the S-curves of life.
As you drive, think carpool, too. Carpool? You may be driving but you need the input of others to get where you’re going. Engage in many conversations, but don’t become a distracted driver; keep your eyes on your road. Look for intersections where your life crosses theirs.
You can learn from the backseat drivers (doubters), too. Don’t put your car in park and mull over their message. Use their “you can’t” message as motivation to prove them wrong.
When you reach the finish line, don’t put your car in the garage. Get it ready for your next race.
Jim Pawlak is a nationally syndicated book reviewer.
