Every Business Team IS an Improv Group and Here's Why it Matters

Your Team - Every Team - is an Improv Group

Let's cut to the chase: Every team in a business setting is an improv group. I don't care what kind of business you are in or work for - every business team is an improv group.

Sure, you may NOT call yourself that; yet, you are. I mean, sure, your family doesn't want to go to your improv show any more than they want to go to your boring work events, so there's that big thing in common! Ha!

(Please see TED 2 for a hilarious scene that happens when TED and John go see an improv show and the suggestions are awful... A little too on the nose!)

An improv team creates together on the fly. They pivot, adapt and are agile in how they approach solving challenges.

That Means...You, Too, Are an Improviser

Not only is every team an improv group, every human is an improviser because they have to make decisions every day as things change and adapt. Thinking improvisationally, dropping scripts and being adaptable are already part of your human DNA.

Choose to SHOW up and Lead

And it's time to change the narrative because it matters. Thinking about your group as an improv team allows us to nurture how we look out for people and grow together.

Yes, an 'improv group,' your group may be a sucky one or it can be a wonderful group that works well together. Being an improv group does not mean you are GREAT. There are some awful improv teams and wonderful ones - just as there are crappy and happy business teams.

Same damn thing. I have been performing and teaching improv and improv techniques in business for over 20 years AND I led tech marketing and communications teams for 15 years in Silicon Valley.

There is NO difference among them.

Bad team dynamics exist in both. And so do great team dynamics. Those dynamics are the same whether you are in improv or not. The good news is leaders and team members can make it better based on how they embrace thinking as improvisers and nurture that element in their teams.

Every day, you and your team members can make new decisions about how you show up for each other, how to be better together and how to change your work dynamic.

designecologist Unsplash.com

All improv teams, just like work teams, go through ups and downs and learning curves. And they have performances they love and ones they'd just as soon forget. Like the time I performed at a theater with a bunch of very drunk bridal parties in the audience...whew! THAT's a story!

Every day, they get to choose differently and do things better. And sometimes your teams are awesome and have shit-days. A great team that has each other's backs most days can weather those bad days.

So do you with your teams. When was the last time you showed up for your team and let them know that you had everyone's backs and felt that they had yours?

What High-Performing Teams Do Differently

To be a high-functioning team - in any organization and on the improv stage - members:

• Listen to each other
• Accept the reality of the moment
• Add on to further each others' ideas (not your or my idea - it becomes OUR idea. This is the often referred to concept of 'yes and')
• Are present in the moment so they can listen and be their best
• Make each other look good by having each others' backs
• Are willing to take risks
• Accept that failure is part of the process
• Make it safe for people to fail and take calculated risks so playful creativity flourishes
• Playful and have fun AND make it safe to try all kinds of things without judgment
• Celebrate curiosity and learning that comes from trying
• Know that mistakes are gifts because they lead to discovery and learning
• Explore and laugh a lot together with positive humor (this is big - humor and laughter are part of a healthy team and company, so make sure it's supported from the top down and bottom up!)
• Every member of that team leads and follows at different times and knowing how to do that together for the good of the group matters

Show Up for People The Way You Wish They Would For You

Your improv team can suck or perform at a higher frequency. You choose what kind of team you will be. Every day. Even when it's hard. Because most days you will get it right. And showing up for each other builds the connective tissue to get you through the temporary crap that every team experiences once in a while.

I hope you make it a high-performing one. Yes and....That is YOUR choice.

Show up for your team members the way you wish they would for you. 4 Simple words people want to hear and see put into practice: "I Got Your Back." Have someone's back. Plus, this way, they can't cough on you. LOL.

Oh and if you are looking for a resource on leading with improv, check out my LinkedIn course, Leading in The Moment .

What do you think?

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About Kathy Klotz-Guest MA, MBA

I am on a mission to help people unlock their natural humor and inner improviser for their own transformation. An ex-tech marketing / communications exec who led teams for 16 years and an improviser and comedian for over 24 years, today I use improvisation and stand-up comedy techniques to transform leaders into impactful human communicators who show up, speak up, and story tell playfully and powerfully (via my Brave Bold Story and Comedy bootcamps). I am a keynote speaker, Founder of Keeping it Human? and Author of "Stop Boring Me!" I still perform and teach stand-up comedy and improv. My 13 yro used to laugh at my jokes. Now I just knock on his bedroom door, throw red meat in, and run! From Silicon Valley / Stanford to Second City and Stages beyond - I (and you) have a story to tell.