A Leader Prepares

By Nancy Leonard House, Key Executive Leadership Programs Alum & Government Executive

As leaders, sometimes we can feel like an improv actor who isn’t sure what will be thrown at us. We know our mission and are experts in our disciplines, but we often have to lead teams through uncertainty.

Maintaining positive relationships and communication among my team can be the toughest part of my job, especially during a crisis when I don’t have all the answers. I find myself getting lost in competing priorities and my own emotions. Just being able to discern what I should focus on can be challenging.

These feelings remind me of when I struggled with acting roles in college. I am a singer, and I mistakenly thought acting was just some words you said between musical numbers and an excuse to wear big hair. I learned how wrong I was when cast in an amateur dinner theater production of Steel Magnolias.

The brilliant stage designer at this small theatre had ingeniously rigged up a sink on stage so my character, Annelle, could actually wash hair during the performances. During one performance, I became so engrossed in washing my co-star’s hair, which was a wig requiring extra attention, so I didn’t pull it off, that I forgot a line. I had been so focused on mechanical details that I neglected to pay attention to what was right in front of me. In short, I was unprepared.

Following this life lesson, I took some acting classes and learned that a lack of focus and failure to react to on-stage stimuli can be avoided. In his 1935 book, An Actor Prepares, Konstantin Stanislavski emphasizes the importance of relaxation and concentration in preparation for performance. Through various exercises, actors are provided techniques that prepare them to faithfully present a role.

While I may have left acting and my big hair behind, I find some of the Stanislavski exercises are helpful in my leadership role today.

Muscle Relaxation: Stanislavski illustrates the need for muscles to be relaxed before you can receive and process information by ordering his actors to try to lift a grand piano and, at the same time, perform quick math or remember the taste of a stew. When the students cannot do this, he asserts that to devote yourself to the operation of your five senses, you cannot have any muscle tension in your body.

Think about this in your own experience. How effective are you at driving a car when you are stressed? How well do you listen at a meeting when you come to work exhausted?

To identify and eliminate unnecessary muscle tension, Stanislavski taught his actors to progressively tense and release muscle groups. This is most effective when lying down, but you can do this sitting at a desk if you start to notice your body tensing or need to prepare for a contentious meeting. If public speaking isn’t your thing, this technique also helps to control your nerves before a presentation.

Concentration of Attention: Stanislavski told his actors to be observant not only on stage but in real life. Only through training their brains to focus attention could they portray real experiences and respond to cues from other actors on stage. In our modern workplaces, concentration can be extremely difficult.

I find it challenging to focus my attention on a team member in a meeting when my brain is still trying to process an ongoing problem. My attention is exponentially challenged when my meetings are virtual, competing with a screen that also constantly updates my inbox, interrupts with chat messages and provides unending “breaking news.”

Mindfulness practices, breathing exercises and meditation train the brain to acknowledge and put aside distractions. Using a variety of these techniques as a daily practice alerts me when I am distracted and allows me to, at a minimum, acknowledge that I am distracted and not performing at my best.

The “Magic If”: Stanislavski taught his students to approach a role by asking themselves, “what if my character did X,” and then use that frame of reference to develop the character’s motivations and reactions to portray an authentic experience to the audience. I translate this into an empathetic exercise that is extremely helpful when I am in a tense situation with a coworker.

For example, let’s say my coworker and I come from opposite sides of the political spectrum. Rather than make assumptions and alienate this person, I come up with 3 to 5 “if” statements about her, such as “What if I were her and I really believed my point of view is valid?” “How might I be wrong?” “What if we are both right?”

Thinking through the answers to these questions may illuminate how I might better handle interpersonal conflict.

There is no playbook for uncertainty. But there is a you, and your leadership is the key for your teams to thrive when uncertainty strikes.

I hope these exercises or something else inspires you to prepare to bring your best to your team every day. They need you.