Improv for business: Sharing control, doing what needs to be done and acting with kindness
Improv is a great source of wisdom and life philosophy and I was struck by how applicable its principles are when we are trying to navigate change and find a style of leadership suitable for today's environment.
Traditional leadership models are based on “I lead and you follow” whereas improv is about sharing control. In an improv scene everyone is responsible for moving the scene forward and doing the things that needs to be done adjusting to the new reality. Control is totally shared and in successful improv people take turns in leading and following. Achieving this level of shared control and responsibility requires trust from everyone involved - trust that people know what they need to do, trust that they will play ball and not block the scene. Developing trust happens when everybody is vulnerable and depends on the others and when there is a shared value of taking care of each other. The latter is very important because improv is a high risk activity and being kind and taking care of each other gives people the sense of security when everything is changing.
Looking at organisations today, everything is changing, every company needs to innovate and take risks in order to survive. At the same time people demand more empowerment and autonomy. That feels very much like an improv scene where the stakes are high and these three principles shed light on what leaders could do:
Act with kindness - the role of the leaders needs to move towards ensuring that the team has shared values and purpose, that team members take care of each other and trust each other. Believing that other team members will play along is the foundation that allows people to feel safe when doing risky things
Do what needs to be done to move forward - when people feel part of the team and trust the team, it is more likely that they will do their best and focus on doing the work. Leaders need to create the conditions for people to do what needs to be done and to feel responsible for moving the team forward.
Share control - last but not least, a leader who is able to release control and create the environment where different people take leadership depending on the situation is most likely to successfully navigate change and unchartered territories. Research shows that for complex change, the most successful change method is the one in which there are a few rules set by the leaders and the teams are encouraged to find the solutions within those rules.
Leadership today is doing improv. Let’s apply what works!
You can read more about improv in “Improv Wisdom” by Patricia Ryan Madson - wonderful book full of practical wisdom and inspiration.