Playing "Yes And" With Your Team

Improv -- it's not just for The Late Night Stage. If you have seen this art, the World of Improvisation invokes images of playful adults on a stage, reciting short lines, following an unpredictable string of responses and actions, accommodating surprises from their teammates, laughing at themselves, and often breaking character.

In other words, it's just like your team at work.

As much as we need to have processes and predictability, every business interaction has to put away their script from time to time. We must be able to handle the unexpected while avoiding chaos.

We must improvise.

We might as well know how to do it well. Bad improvisation results in bad judgment, decisions in a vacuum, damaged relationships, and all kinds of regret.

What does good improvisation look like? It's scary. How do those people on stage do it?  A glimpse of it includes: listen, follow the follower, and accommodate failure.

Instead of the listening that is actually silence preoccupied for the chance to respond, listen generously and with empathy in order to understand. Listen such that your natural response is “Yes And.”

Mature leaders know they don’t always have to lead. Mature leaders nurture an environment that allows any member of the ensemble to assume leadership for as long as his or her expertise is needed.

Hiccups along the way are expected. We should build these into our plans in order to “Fail Fast, Fail Small.” Failure often isn’t that bad. It’s the fear of failure that can be paralyzing. Always take care of your partner; people contribute fully and authentically when they know the risk is shared among the team.

Of course bad improvisation is the opposite. Bad improvisation expects to hear “Yes But” and “No.” The ensemble defers to a hero mentality somewhere on the stage. Fear suppresses creativity, innovation, and fun.

So, groom your improvisation skills! Embrace the unpredictability when your team finds itself there. Find the fun. Find the laughter. If there is safe, authentic laughter in the room, a true ensemble will solve any problem no matter how difficult it is. Improvisation is not chaos. It is a continual game of “Yes And.”

Scripts and processes are great – and necessary. But improv skills make the world more valuable, safe, and fun. None of us is as smart as all of us. The best improvisers know that the ensemble, working together, will ultimately create the full scene.