Archive | February, 2012

Questions to ask yourself as you navigate the path from passion to purpose

29 Feb

This talk from Dr. Srikumar Rao provides more tips and thought-provoking questions that nicely complement yesterdays blog post on finding your passion and purpose:

There are two keywords to remember – story, and journey.

  1. Become clear about what you want, why you want it, AND how you can engineer what you want to create greater good to the community
  2. An attitude of “if then, this” will not serve you well. Passion does not exist IN the job, it exists within us.
  3. What stories are you telling yourself? Are these stories hurting you or helping you. Can you change your mental models (mindsets) to tell yourself a different story?
  4. What journey is your story taking you on? Is this story taking you to a place where you want to spend time?

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The 7 attributes leaders need to sustain their luck – Harvard Business Review

29 Feb

How Leaders Lose Their Luck – Anthony Tjan – Harvard Business Review.

“It turns out that the attributes associated with a lucky attitude and lucky network are the very attributes required for continuous and inspired leadership growth. Yes, you need confidence and conviction in your authority once you’ve reached the top. But you equally need humility and vulnerability if you want to evolve to an even more inspired type and level of leadership”

The 7 Attributes required for continuous and inspired leadership:

1. Humility

2. Intellectual Curiosity

3. Optimism

4. Vulnerability

5. Authenticity

6. Generosity

7. Openness

What’s the drill – Feb 29: To succeed at customer service, learn this skill…

29 Feb

Here is perhaps the most important secret to providing quality customer service…and it doesn’t involve formulas, spreadsheets, or surveys. Better yet, this secret skill is trainable and applies to all sorts of industries and sales scenarios from high-end products to restaurants:

Learn how to read the room.

Take this article from the Wall Street Journal which profiles the training initiatives of several U.S. chain restaurants. For them, the secret to quality service is the ability to read the table. Staff is heavily trained on listening and observation skills including non-verbal communication/ body language cues.

A decision to invest in heightening listening and observation skills can have a positive effect on your bottom line, especially when the result is more personalized and individualized customer service:

“Called “having eyes” for a table, or “feeling” or “reading” the table by restaurant workers, it’s how the best waiters know what type of service you prefer before you tell them. From fine dining to inexpensive chains, restaurants are working to make service more individualized as the standard script is sounding dated…” 

“Even chain restaurants like Denny’s, T.G.I. Friday’s, and Romano’s Macaroni Grill are focusing more on personalized service by training staff to note body language, eye contact and offhand remarks, hoping to make service feel less mechanical”.

“We changed ‘suggestive selling’ to ‘situational selling’,… Instead of offering every breakfast guest one additional item, say biscuits and gravy, waiters are taught to adjust their offer depending upon the guest.”

An improviser is always working on heightening their observation skills. Not only are they skilled at flexible and agile communication, but they must make sense of a large amount of information within seconds and know how to engage and continue the scene. Consider adding some Applied Improv training to your next customer-service and sales training initiatives and apply it the next day to your next customer service interaction.

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Tips for navigating the path from passion to purpose

28 Feb

It can be a bumpy ride, this whole passion and purpose adventure. Buckle your seatbelt but please remember to take in the view.

Here are some practical tips for navigating the journey to finding and pursuing your passion and purpose.

1. Mistakes are gifts

Something I’ve learned over the past 8 years is to truly embrace the improv principle of: “Mistakes are Gifts”. If we can learn to view what might be considered a mistake, as a gift, there really are no mistakes. Our definition of a mistake, or a failure can be shaped by our mindset — and our mindset is something we can control. What did you learn from each experience, and what lessons can you take with it on to the next stop in your adventure?

My “mistakes” contributed to so many positives – I feel more equipped to take on challenges, I have come to appreciate my breadth of experience, and I actually found my passion because of some of the “mistakes” I made in choosing past jobs.

Increase your bounce-back rate from these “mistakes” and use them as intuitive guides to help shape your path. What gold can you mine?

2. Diversify your dreams

This blog from HBR’s Passion and Purpose series stresses the importance of diversifying your dreams. It may seem silly to treat our dreams as stocks. But what happens if your dream never generates a return?

Keep an open mind as you look to follow your passion. Several years ago I was convinced I would be happy IF I landed a certain dream job. I very much had a “if then, this” attitude. I landed the job after over a year of waiting and paying my dues. Turns out, it didn’t make me happy. What I thought was my passion was just a hobby. Finding your passion doesn’t always include a means to an end. As so many say, the reward is the journey, not the destination.

Diversify your dreams. Find the tools that inspire you and keep adding to your toolbox. Remember that the tools you acquire can be used for a multitude of projects and jobs. Keep searching for more tools, keep adding to your toolbox. And most of all, keep an open mind.

3. Celebrate the small wins

It’s more important than we realize.

4. Practice gratitude in the face of uncertainty 

This quote from today’s HBR article encompasses the grateful, open-minded approach we need to keep on the path:

“develop a folder of gratitude – a constantly updated listed of all the things in life you’re grateful for. Chances are, many of the things on your list correspond neatly with your underlying passions. Then, take your list and amplify these passions with intelligent experiments. Test and invest in your areas of interest, and cultivate the joy of learning from failure. Finally, just like any investor worth their salt, double down on winners. If something strikes a chord, reallocate more time and energy to it. View your dreams as organic and ever-changing, and you’re much more likely to be pleased with the outcome”

Remain flexible, adaptable, open-minded and most of all curious. Set your intention and keep moving one foot in front of the other. There may be multiple paths, but the unknown is as exciting as it’s ever been.

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TOOL: Listening

28 Feb

So far we’ve added these important tools to our toolbox:

1. Empathy

2. Connection

3. Play

4. Strong Offers

5. Obvious instead of clever statements

What happens when you don’t feel listened to? What are the consequences?

One of the greatest tools an Improviser possesses and a tool that builds empathy, connection, along with trust and support is the ability to really, truly, listen.

To listen as an Improviser means to be fully present, in the moment, and to pay attention and observe everything that is being said and done on stage. It means to take care and support our partner because what they have to say is crucial to making sense of the unknown, and to co-creating a scene together.

Professional development training which infuses experiential training allows participants to build their listening muscles and increase these skills through habit-building and tie-back to real-world scenarios.

An improviser is also skilled at active listening = not merely hearing, but being affected by what they hear.  Improvisation guru and famed instructor and performer Rebecca Stockley teaches this mantra:  ”everything my partner says is fascinating”. Repeating this mantra reminds us to be affected by what our partner says and to not let any offer or idea pass us by or be easily dismissed.

It’s true that for many of us, we listen better once we’ve said what’s on our mind. Unfortunately, if we are concentrating on what we’re going to say, we’re not listening as actively as we could. Adding some Improvisational tools to our training toolbox helps us to stay present in our conversations, add an element of give-and-take, relinquish control and to build listening muscles that extend beyond roles of customer service, sales, and leadership.

Listening is a skill that directly affects our ability to communicate and collaborate.

Not only are these tools must-haves for our toolboxes, but they can also be applied and “built upon” in a myriad of ways.

Begin with a strong offer, and then listen actively to build connection and empathy.

Now… what did you say?

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The U.S. Needs to Make More Jobs More Creative – Roger Martin – Harvard Business Review

27 Feb

The U.S. Needs to Make More Jobs More Creative – Roger Martin – Harvard Business Review.

Some gems:

we have to rethink how we utilize workers in our advanced economy. We fear that job structuring and classification becomes entirely self-sealing for many American workers. Once a job is defined as routine, it becomes routine and the individual in it doesn’t exercise judgment or decision-making. That employee then becomes by definition low-productivity and both can’t be paid much and is easier to think of as a candidate for off-shoring.

If instead, the employee was asked to exercise judgment and decision-making in order to innovate and enhance the productivity of the operation, then the possibility for higher productivity, higher firm performance and higher wages exists.

… But I believe that America can influence the slope of the line of increasing creativity-oriented jobs by leaning toward creativity; giving workers the encouragement and space to innovate; utilizing the most of their brain, not the least of it.

 

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How to celebrate Leap Day literally

27 Feb

Let’s pretend, just for a moment,  what would happen if “Leap Day” branded itself, hired a marketing team and became known around the world as a “magical extra day dedicated to taking leaps, jumps, risks and chances”.

Sure, some TV shows may make fun (I’m looking at you beloved “30 Rock”), but what a day this could be: a day dedicated to all the things we wanted to do, but were too scared and so many of the experiences we’d like to have but kept putting off or piling the excuses on instead.

If taking risks and chances were celebrated and encouraged, or even mandated,  instead of feared… what leaps would you make?

Yes, sometimes these leaps are forced upon us, and when this happens we don’t often want a “leap day” to remind us that we should really be taking more chances.

Maybe instead, what we need are reminders about all of the great, unexpected, sometimes challenging, yet always rewarding learning experiences that come from taking leaps. If we can change our mindset, we have the power to accept, encourage and embrace leaps and change.

If this could become our mindset, I’d vote for Leap Day to be celebrated every year, or every month, or even every day.

When we leap, we can choose to focus on what could go wrong, or what could go right. When we leap and don’t know where we are headed, we can learn to embrace the unknown, respect it, and yes, even enjoy it.

After all, change is necessary.  Complete control is impossible. Our happiness, and perhaps our success as individuals and as companies depends on our ability to make friends with the unknown.

Celebrate leap day. Use your instincts, trust, patience and hard work to navigate the uncertainty and the feeling of risk, no matter how small. I can tell you… you’ll face the next day stronger, smarter, more confident, and yes, a day older.

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What’s the drill – February 24: One game, many applications

24 Feb

“A game is just an excuse for a debrief”, says Thiagi – game and performance training guru.

Here’s a great game to play which will lead to fascinating debriefs regarding leadership development, communication skills training,  and team-building.

“Ball”  is the name of the game, and it’s one any group can play. I first learned “ball” in my Foundation 1 improv class at BATS Improv in San Francisco. Since then, I’ve played ball to begin almost every single improv class I’ve taken.  Beyond it being a ton of fun, it’s also a great physical warm-up and a way to foster a group mind.

To play, all you need is a plastic or koosh-like large ball.

1. Grab your group and stand in a circle so that everyone can see each other.

2. One person starts with the ball and hits it in the air.

3. Each time the ball is hit/touched by a member of the group, the players count together in unison (1, 2, 3, and so on). The goal of the game is to keep the ball in the air without it touching the ground. Everyone must count together out loud, and a player may not hit the ball twice in a row (like the rules of volleyball).

4. If the ball falls, or if a player touches the ball twice in a row, the game resets and counting starts over again at 1.

5. The goal is to work together as a team and see how high of a number your team can get to.

Try this game with your team and see how you do. What strategies did you use? Most importantly, what can this game teach us about leadership, communication skills, commitment, and team-work? Check in Monday for some results.

 

 

 

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Tips for delivering feedback like an Improviser

24 Feb

Delivering and receiving feedback is an art form in and of itself. We can’t always control how the feedback we give will be received, but we can control our approach to delivering the information.

Learning the principles of Improvisation can not only help us stay present and adapt to the information we receive in conversation, but also provide useful tips on our feedback approach.

1. Start Positive

  • It may sound obvious, but how many of us start our feedback session with a positive?
  • Help set a positive tone for your meeting
  • Starting positive is not about stroking an ego, it puts your team in the right frame of mind to hear the feedback that will follow
  • Starting positive establishes connection and builds trust
  • Reminds employee you are both working towards the same goal

2. Be Specific

  • Improvisers stay away from vague offers because it doesn’t help move the story/conversation forward
  • Be specific in your feedback and praise so that the receiver is as clear as possible
  • Are your offers vague, closed, or open?
3. Know your objective
  • Stay focused on the goal  - ask yourself, what do you hope to get out of this meeting?
  • Tie back to the objective as much as possible
4. Make your partner look good
  • As improvisers, our number one goal on stage is to support our partner. We do this by actively trying to make our partner look good. We achieve this through focused listening and maintaining an open dialogue as much as possible.
  • It reminds us we always have our partners best interest in mind
5. Adjust your approach to failure
  • When delivering and receiving feedback consider your approach to the dreaded term of: “failure”.. Can we learn to view failure as a learning opportunity instead of an error that we can’t recover from?
  • What behavior are we modeling?
There is an art to giving feedback, and it can make all the difference  in getting to desired results, establishing trust, and building a connection with your employees.

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HR Roundtable: What Hinders Effective Training & Development?

23 Feb

HR Roundtable: What Hinders Effective Training & Development?.

Great read, and even better reminder that humor and storytelling are learning devices that help us retain information.

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What’s the drill – February 23: Can you name the 7 types of intelligence?

23 Feb

Did you know that humans have seven different types of intelligence? According to the theory set-forth by Professor Howard Gardner of Harvard University, we each have (at least) seven types of intelligence:

  1. linguistic intelligence (thinking in words and using language)
  2. logical-mathematical intelligence (quantifying and working with hypotheses)
  3. kinesthetic intelligence (acquiring physical skills)
  4. spatial intelligence (three-dimensional thinking)
  5. musical intelligence (working with pitch, rhythm, timbre, and tone)
  6. interpersonal intelligence (interacting with others)
  7. intrapersonal intelligence (understanding one’s self)

What’s the drill for today reminds us we use more than linguistic and logical intelligence at work, yet training initiatives typically only focus on these first two types.

We need to be exposed to training that involves and engages all of our intelligences so that we are better equipped to navigate our every day lives.  Luckily, experiential training accomplishes this task!

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Leadership is an inside out job – Management Innovation eXchange

22 Feb

Leadership is an inside out job | Management Innovation eXchange.

“What if, instead of stuffing people with curriculum, models, and competencies, we focused on deepening their sense of purpose, expanding their capability to navigate difficulty and complexity, and enriching their emotional resilience? What if, instead of trying to fix people, we assumed that they were already full of potential and created an environment that promoted their long-term well-being?” 

Three fundamentals of adult learning

22 Feb

One can surmise adults are busier, more stressed, and saturated with more information than ever before.

So, when tasked with creating adult learning initiatives, here are 3 fundamental concepts to keep in mind:

1. Make it matter to them - if you want people to change their behavior, they have to understand what’s in it for them. Make the learning relevant, specific, and directly applicable.

2. Build time for self-learning and self-reflection – Adults don’t like to be told to change their behavior – it is a threat to their status (and one of David Rock’s social triggers). If you want people to change, build interactive learning experiences that lead adults to discover for themselves that change is important, and how they can achieve it personally.

3. I do, we do, you do – If adults have to teach others, they are more likely to do it themselves. Create active (not passive) learning environments and help the learning stick by giving participants responsibility for communicating the learnings to others. Provide adult learners with opportunities to be in charge of their own learnings to build accountability, self-reflection and the new insights and connections that follow.

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Defining the value of Applied Improvisation in 4 words

21 Feb

What if I asked you to define your mission, or the value of your product in 32 words? How clear, concise and deliberate could you be?

Next, could you define it in 16 words?

8 words?

4?

How about 2?

Here’s the kicker – not only must you create this definition in a limited amount of words, but you must agree on this final definition as a team. And… you only have 2 minutes per round.

This activity was created by performance training guru Thiagi, and it is an activity my Applied Improv Network colleagues Chris Sams, Cheryl Gould and I worked on together yesterday afternoon to help us define the value of the work we do as facilitators and trainers.

First we started by defining creativity. We each silently composed 32-word definitions and then shared them out loud. Hearing the ideas of our team members helped us to go back and individually create 16-word definitions. We repeated the process, then created 8 word definitions, 4-word, and together decided on one 4-word definition of creativity.

Creativity = Freedom to think differently.

Our next challenge was to define Applied Improvisation. Here are our results:

8 word mission : Maximizing organizational potential by enhancing communication, teamwork, trust.

4 word mission: Adapt, innovate, lead, collaborate

This activity allowed us to model the behaviors that Improvisers use on stage. We had a clear, defined objective, and worked together to agree as much as possible. The debrief in between “rounds” was full of eye-opening discussion, brainstorming and respect. We were able to weave in common themes,  while being open and non-judgemental of our team members ideas.

It also forced us to take what could be broad and generalized definitions and turn them into succinct, action-orientated value statements.

Try this with your team to help define your mission or value. Rallying around a common purpose is one of the keys to employee engagement, and the clarity of this purpose will only aid your success as a difference maker.

What’s the drill – February 21 – What is creative leadership?

21 Feb

“The role of a creative leader is not to have all the ideas; it’s to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they’re valued”

- Sir Ken Robinson, renowned creativity and innovation thinker and author

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What’s the drill – February 20 – How to delight your customer

20 Feb

What’s the drill for President’s Day is inspired by a product made of steel and concrete, and a lesson in how to surprise and delight your customer.

The Bay Bridge is one of the most well-known bridges in the United States – it connects San Francisco with Oakland in Northern California, and an average of 270,000 cars pass through it every day,  making it the bridge with the highest volume of commuter traffic in the region.  The bridge was set to be closed for repairs the entire Presidents Day weekend – and was to be closed until Tuesday at 5am. Traffic in and around the neighboring area was by no means pretty, and folks were surely inconvenienced by a disruption to their routine — after all, swimming the Bay is not a popular option.

Surprisingly, it was announced the Bridge would re-open a full day-and-a-half ahead of schedule, easing the commute home from the long weekend, and lessening the strain on weary travelers.

In short, this project accomplished something many do not – it under-promised and over-delivered.

Under promise and over-deliver – a tool which can be used to delight customers, bosses, co-workers and clients.

Set realistic expectations, increase your effort and efficiency of your work to raise your reputation, leave a positive impression, and surprise and delight your customer.

Although choosing a bridge is quite different from the more difficult and non-routine choices we make every day in selecting our products and services, this unexpected announcement increased gratitude and hopefully dissipated some of the frustration.

When you are updating a product, keeping a customer on-hold, or creating employee engagement programs – how can focusing on exceeding expectations alter mindsets, and hopefully consumer habits? I’d argue we focus too much on meeting expectations and not enough on exceeding them.

 

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What’s the drill – February 17: “No” stops the flow

17 Feb

In Improv-speak we say “no stops the flow”.

We can apply this phrase to the flow of information, ideas, the story, and often times the momentum of not just what’s happening on-stage but also in meetings, discussions,  or brainstorming sessions at work.

Of course we must cannot say yes to everything, and there are occasional benefits to saying no.

Here are some of the reasons why “no” is often our default response:

  1. It’s easier
  2. It’s a habit
  3. Makes us seem smart
  4. Pressure to contribute
  5. helps us avoid risks
  6. trained to find the problem
  7. Want to play devil’s advocate

The good news is we can train our brains to be more open and positive and judgement-free, as long as our environment supports this way of thinking.  Shifting away from a “no” mindset allows for freedom of expression, innovation, creativity, team building, support, trust, and a workplace where employees feel encouraged to contribute.

See if you can assess your own habits and tendencies for the rest of the day. I’d love to hear what you found!

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How learning to improvise can make you a better leader

17 Feb

When the stakes are high, when the pressure is on, how do you react?

Do you embrace change and new ideas or tend to shy away?

How do you inspire a team?

These are just a few important questions and challenges being posed to those on the cusp of a leadership role.

To train new leaders to inspire a team and encourage innovation, we can take many lessons from the training of an Improviser and directly apply them to the challenges of your organization:

Here are some training tools:

Encourage openness by starting positive and embracing a “Yes, And” mindset – You never know where the next good idea is going to come from, but we may not be trained to stay open to them.  We as a society can be too quick to reject each others ideas and criticize before we understand the idea.

After all, innovation springs from connecting ideas together.

Promote the value of group success –  by adopting the improv principle of “make your partner look good”. Lead by promoting the value of group success and reward groups for their achievement. In the long run, this mindset provides everyone with the incentive to learn and grow.

Learn to Listen and Empathize – What seems like common sense often takes more practice and skill. Active listening builds connections and trust and fosters a collaborative work environment. In addition, remembering key contributions and conversations of your team contributes to a feeling of being heard and valued at work.  Knowing your team allows a leader to better understand how to inspire and motivate each team member.

Adapt – become more comfortable with the unknown – Improvisers learn to live in the present, and to accept whatever comes their way on stage. The skills of listening, openness and putting the group first aids their ability to deal with the unknown because they feel completely supported on stage, free to take risks, and equipped to embrace failure.

As leaders, we cannot control the outcome of every initiative, but we can control how we react to what comes our way.

These personal skills and attributes help leaders lead efforts of innovation and change, which are key for any company seeking to avoid complacency.

Which one new skill can you work on today?

What is levity, and why it matters more than ever

15 Feb

In The Levity Effect: Why it Pays to Lighten Up, Adrian Gostick and Scott Christopher argue that levity is a must-have tool for your workplace toolbox.

Levity, they argue, helps people work better. For example, it helps people pay attention, eases tension, and enhances a feeling of connection. These factors certainly can contribute to a happier and healthier workplace, and a more engaged one at that.

Increasing levity, and in turn, engagement can have a large effect on profits. We know the cost of disengaged workers:  the Gallup organization has found that disengaged employees cost the U.S. economy roughly $416 billion last year, primarily through lost productivity.

It seems the workplace could benefit from levity, or happiness training.  Now, the question is how. Is there such a thing as levity training?

We can re-train our brain to be more positive, can we train ourselves to be more light-hearted in the stress of day-to-day work, pressures, deadlines, and a difficult economy?

It may not be as hard as it seems. I’ll offer a few tips below.

We know that laughter and humor, for example, release dopamine (and decreases the stress hormone, cortisol) in the brain which regulates mood, motivation, attention and learning. Findings from research at Stanford indicate that humor can have positive effects not only on mood, but also on motivation and learning.

But it’s not just about the laughs. Just like we often dispel myths about Improv training, it’s important to clarify what levity means. The authors stress levity is really a sense of lightness. Just like formal Improv training, it’s less about being funny and more about being able to have fun, and see the humorous side of everyday situations — especially difficult ones.

Improv and levity training can look like this:

  1. Creating a more positive mindset
  2. Building connections and trust amongst groups and teams
  3. Increasing your capacity for gratitude and the gifts of others
  4. Being more present – to appreciate and recognize everything and everyone around you
  5. Increasing confidence to make building connections with others more natural
  6. Turning mistakes into gifts
  7. Adding more play into day-to-day work

We are in charge of our own happiness and how we measure it, but the environment in which we work can do more to increase workplace levity and contribute to more positive experiences at the office. It is worth taking the time.

Gostick and Christopher include a quiz about workplace levity. Take this quiz and see how your workplace measures up. If it falls short, what small changes can you initiate?

New employees are made to feel welcome.
Meetings are positive and light.
We have fun activities at least once a month.
It’s common to hear people laughing around here.
I can be myself at work.
We have a lot of celebrations for special events.
When brainstorming, we like to have fun.
My boss is usually optimistic and smiling.
Customers would call us fun to do business with.
I have a friend at work who makes me laugh.
We have a good time together.

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The power of a “small win”

15 Feb

It’s truly amazing how a “small win” (making progress in meaningful work) can turn a day around instantly.

But, can we train our brains to search for more small wins? Absolutely. I believe sometimes it’s just a matter of perspective.

Why do I bring this up? Lately I’ve felt the love for my work being tested in many respects and I’ve relied much more on my Improv training to look for more small wins. I admit,  when you have big dreams, it can be easier than we’d like for them to feel so far away.

Improv training has helped to shift my perspective on what a small win can be and what it looks like. After all, it is a vague definition to start with.

An Improvisers Mindset includes:

  • Viewing everything as an offer
  • embracing “failure” and finding the lessons in it
  • letting go
  • commitment to an objective
  • turning a mistake into a gift
  • viewing a problem as an opportunity for change
  • starting positive
… and overall being a lot kinder to ourselves and our choices. If I view the world and my work this way, I can find many more small wins, no matter how small…and maintain the motivation to do the work I love.
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