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    You are here Home » leadership

    Improvisational Leadership: Use Improv to Avoid Leadership Pitfalls

    Last updated on Apr 20, 2017 by Dan McCarthy · This post may contain affiliate links

    Guest post from Bob Kulhan:

    Most of us aspire to be great leaders—passionate, inspiring,
    thoughtful and productive. But we all know people in the business world who do
    a terrible job in leadership positions: awful bosses, disengaged department
    heads, ineffective team managers, and otherwise bad bigwigs in nice offices who
    make the work environment an unpleasant one.

    So if we all have the potential to be great leaders, where
    do some go wrong? Perhaps some leaders have developed bad habits; some lack an
    understanding of what it takes to be a good leader; and some feel they’re
    leading well simply because they’re focused on their intention to lead, not the results of their leadership. I
    specialize in bringing improvisational skills to the workplace, and one of the
    key elements of improvisational thinking is the
    ‘self-audit’—the ability to be aware in real time of how
    you’re doing your job and how your actions and leadership style are impacting
    those around you.
       

    A regular self-audit can keep you from slipping into one or more of the
    following leadership categories. If you find that some of your language,
    actions or habits are on this list, don’t worry—some simple improvisational techniques
    can help you fix them.

    YES, BUT(’ers)
    ‘Yes,
    but(’ers) miss a key truth: how you frame language can make an enormous
    difference in sharing ideas, brainstorming, relationship building, and creating
    culture and influence.
    If people know one thing about
    improvisational thinking, it
    ’s
    the concept of “Yes, and…” in which you invite open communication by responding
    directly to and striving to build upon the other person’s ideas. In contrast, “Yes,
    but…’ devalues, undermines, redirects, and (to the person hearing it) even
    negates everything that came before it.

    IMPROV
    CORRECTIVE:
    Be mindful of your team and your role by specifically using
    “Yes, and…”. M
    ake it clear
    that you respect what team members have to say and value their input. A great
    leader creates an atmosphere in which all members can flourish, and using the
    “Yes, and…” improv technique can help you create a culture of acceptance.

    PARTY POOPERS
    Some leaders assume that every party needs a pooper, and that
    a leader should
    point out
    flaws in others’ work—or say ‘No’ to others’ ideas. Their guiding principle
    seems to be negativism, and if something does turn out right, they feel
    compelled to point out that it could have been done better. Few things
    demotivate and demoralize a team faster.

    IMPROV
    CORRECTIVE
    : Understand the difference between Divergent thinking
    (generating as many ideas as you can) and Convergent thinking (winnowing them
    down to one or two killer ideas). During divergent thinking, take off the “critical
    thinking” hat so you and your team can fully explore the possibility and
    potential of ideas before shooting them down. Then reapply the critical
    thinking skills in a separate convergent thinking phase, as you drive toward a
    productive outcome.

    DR. KNOW-IT-ALLs
    For these leaders,
    there has never been a good idea that couldn’t be dismissed in favor of their
    ‘better’ idea. These people judge the decisions of others without collaborating
    or contributing to the team in any meaningful way. They are much more
    interested in highlighting their own achievements, accolades, status and rank.
            

    IMPROV
    CORRECTIVE:
    Set the
    ego aside. Make sure that your subordinates and colleagues perceive your own goal
    as a leader to be the achievement of positive team results, not personal gain.
    If you’ve created a strong, improvisational team and a ‘Yes and’ environment, everyone
    will help each other succeed; team success is personal success. A good leader
    will make a good team look great, and a great team will make a good leader look
    amazing.

    THE ZOMBIES
    This approach to
    leadership is thoughtless, passionless, and lacking in energy. These leaders say
    they prize creativity, innovation and change but demand that the same old
    things be done in the same old way they’ve always be done. They talk a lot
    about ‘motivation’ without ever doing anything to motivate. 
              

    IMPROV
    CORRECTIVE:
    Constantly
    take action. Make initiations and declarations. A leader needs to keep the
    energy of a team focused and driven. Change is a constant. You can lead change,
    follow change, or get dragged along behind it. Which do you prefer?

    PROFESSOR PERFECT
    This leader may be well-liked and has gotten successful
    results in the past but has fallen into the trap of demanding 100% perfection
    100% of the time. This leadership dynamic is based in micromanagement, rooted
    in a fear of failure.
              

    IMPROV
    CORRECTIVE
    : Go ahead, be
    vulnerable
    and open to strategic failure. Improv is by nature about failure and
    evolution. An improvisational leader should experiment and innovate when
    possible and constantly seek out potential ways to improve performance. Create
    periods of time in which it’s okay to take chances and fail.  Avoid analysis paralysis; remember that only
    approximately 10% of decisions have to be 100% correct—the remaining 90% of
    decisions just need to be made, and there’s plenty of room to improvise, adapt
    and succeed. Avoid micromanaging by using improv techniques to create a team
    culture based in open communication and trust.

    LINO
    A Leader in Name
    Only, these people provide no guidance or support and barely show any
    leadership presence. Though not present for the day-to-day grind, they take all
    the credit for success and no responsibility (or accountability) for struggles,
    challenges or failures. 
     

    IMPROV
    CORRECTIVE
    :  Lead by example, not with empty
    declarations. That means being available when guidance is needed and aware that
    struggles could be great opportunities for mentorship and team growth.

    Moreover,
    own the failures.
    This is a simple matter of integrity and accountability. The buck does indeed
    stop with you. A great leader credits the team when there is a success, and
    shoulders the responsibility when there is a failure. Any team’s chances of
    achieving desired results increase when a leader allows team members to be
    invested in success, appreciated when they achieve it, and free of a fear of
    failure when they don’t.

    Great leaders (or bad ones) don’t emerge through just a few decisions or actions.
    Leadership traits—good and bad—develop over time, and the most enlightened
    leaders make personal leadership development part of their overall strategy for
    success. The more honest you are about how you are truly perceived as a leader,
    the better equipped you’ll be to avoid leadership pitfalls and influence your
    team in a positive way.  
     

    About the Author:

    Bob Kulhan is the author of GETTING TO “YES, AND”: The Art of Business Improv (Stanford University Press; January 24, 2017). He is President,
    CEO, and Founder of
    Business Improv, an innovative consultancy that specializes in experiential learning and
    serves an international roster of blue-chip firms. He is also an Adjunct
    Professor at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and Columbia Business
    School. A performer with over 20 years of stage credits, he has trained with a
    long list of legendary talents, including Tina
    Fey
    and Amy Poehler. An actor
    and former core faculty member in Chicago’s famed Second City and a member of the resident company at the iO
    Theater, Kulhan is a co-founder of the critically acclaimed
     Baby Wants Candy improv troupe. His work has been featured by such
    outlets as Big Think, CNN, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, the
    Financial Times, NPR, Slate, and the Wall Street Journal.
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