There's a classic scene from the television sitcom, The Office. Dunder Mifflin Chief Financial Officer David Wallace asks the Scranton Branch Manager Michael Scott how his branch is so successful, particuarly at a time when sales are down at the other Dunder Mifflin branches. He wants to know Michael's secret. Michael answers with:
"David here it is. My, philosophy is, basically this. And this is something that I live by. And I always have. And I always will. Don’t, ever, for any reason, do anything, to anyone, for any reason, ever, no matter what, no matter where, or who or who you are with, or or where you are going, or, or where you’ve been. Ever. For any reason. Whatsoever."
Of course, Michael was making something up (his term for, "improversation" is a portmanteau of "improvisation" and "conversation"), as he really didn't know how to respond. If you watch his facial expressions carefully, he was clearly worried that David was going to fire him for subpar performance. Instead, David praised him (sort of)!
I've often referred to the fact that most organizations today exist in a VUCA world, i.e. one characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. As Alvin Toffler presciently wrote in 1984 in his book Future Shock today's world is characterized by "too much change in too short a time." Leadership in today's world requires agility, flexibility, creativity, and adaptability. As Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says, "The role of leadership today is to bring clarity in uncertain times. The more uncertain things are, the more leadership is required. There is no job description for what you are facing, no rule book...Today's leaders need to thrive in the face of this uncertainty."
The leaders who successfully navigate through today's VUCA world are the ones who can shift and pivot quickly in order to adapt to changes in the business environment. VUCA leadership at times has been compared to improvisation (see also Frank Barrett's wonderful article, "Creativity and Improvisation in Jazz and Organizations"), whether jazz, comedy, or theatrical improvisation. If you've never attended a theatrical improv performance, it basically occurs as follows. There is no script to follow. There are no set characters. Actors are generally told about the scene immediately beforehand (often based upon suggestions from the audience). They have to follow each other's lead, paying close attention to what the other actors are doing and responding appropriately. The story develops, often unexpectedly, in real time. Similarly, with jazz improvisation, the musicians do not use a musical score, but rather play along and follow each other's lead. They allow the music to develop in real time. Jazz great Wynton Marsalis says, "In Jazz, improvisation isn’t a matter of just making any ol’ thing up. Jazz, like any language, has its own grammar and vocabulary. There’s no right or wrong, just some choices that are better than others."
Marsalis makes a great point. Leadership improvisation is not a matter of "making any 'ol thing up." Rather, leadership improvisation requires, just like jazz or theatrical improvisation, collaboration, coordination, listening, and teamwork. It also requires creativity - what many refer to as "thinking outside the box". Doug Sundheim, writing for Forbes magazine, offers four leadership lessons from improv. Sundheim actually worked with a theatrical coach named Scotty Watson and tried his hand at theatrical improv. Watson told him, "Most people don’t see what’s going on around them. Stuck in their own heads, they miss the moment. In improv, we call this missing the 'offer.' When you miss offers, things break down. Consider your airplane scene [referring to one of Sundheim's attempts at improv]. Your desire to play baseball was the offer. Another actor took it and built on it, which is what made the scene work. That actor said yes. If he had rejected your offer, it would have stopped the scene dead in its tracks. Improv is about taking the situation that’s handed to you and saying yes and then building on it. This is exactly what leaders need to do in the current moment. Denying reality never works."
Sundheim's first lesson: "Live in observation...Observe everything. Keep your eyes open for new data and information...The advice is to see and accept everything. It may not be something you would have chosen, but it's here and it's reality. Being firmly grounded in the reality of the moment. gives you power."
His second lesson is to "Accept and build" and embrace the improv concept of "Yes, and..." The "Yes...and" allows for both creativity and flexibility. As Sundheim writes, "You’re saying, 'Yes I see that…and here is a thought to build on it.' The kiss of death in improv is the word no because it stops action. It’s the same thing on a leadership team. Every offer, even if you disagree with it, has the potential to forward action. When you disagree, you have two options. You can say, 'No, you’re wrong and here’s why,' or 'Yes, I see where you’re coming from and here’s a suggestion to build on it.' The former is a battle of ideas which stops action and saps energy. The latter builds ideas that generate movement and create energy."
Sundheim's third lesson is to "Make active and positive choices", and in my way of thinking his fourth lesson is very similar: "Don't be afraid to mess up". Both of these concepts mandate a culture of psychological safety. A culture of psychological safety is defined as one in which individuals feel safe to take interpersonal risks, to speak up and/or openly disagree (even with their leaders) and to escalate their concerns without fear of retribution, punishment, or pressure to hide bad news. Improve is action-oriented. As Sundheim writes, "When you’re moving with positive intent, even if it’s in the wrong direction, you can course correct. When you’re not moving, you can’t course correct because you’re not on a course. In leadership, like improv, the key is to get into action."
As the late actor Robin Williams said, "The improv, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but when it does, it's like open-field running." Leadership in today's VUCA world requires improvisation - dare I say "improversation"?
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