Three Things

Three Things! Three scary things! Spider, crocodile, Halloween! Three Things!

Three Things! Three capital cities! Paris, London, Timbuktu! Three Things!

We stand in a circle pumping our fists to the rhythm of the words, our voices getting louder and our laughter ever more raucous. It’s my first improv class. Ten people playing games that have us feeling terrifyingly exposed. An instructor that thankfully knows what he is doing, while the rest of us really don’t.

I came to improv fortuitously. A little taste of it at an event last year left me wanting more. I was intrigued by the creativity, playfulness, and laughter. The way in which we were able spontaneously to create something out of seemingly nothing. Most of all, I loved how it made me feel: energized, light, free.

I signed up for six-week series. Each week we learned new games, new skills. Ten people quickly became a team that supports, respects each other, having fun, allowing each other to shine.

Playing Three Things in our first class was a pivotal moment for me. One person names a category, and the next person must name the first three things that come to them related to the category. As the pace picks up, your brain can no longer keep up. You just blurt out whatever comes to you. There is no time to plan what you want to say or come up with something clever or unique. What I realized is that it is about trusting that somewhere inside of you is a creative spark, and the practice is to find and express it.

Clearly, improv is vastly different from the world of business. There the stakes are higher, our responsibilities are more complex, and the impact of our words and actions is far reaching. Yet, what I came to appreciate is how improv helped me identify ways in which I limit myself or seek safety, as well as ways in which a shift in mindset or an act of courage can enable me to step into a more expansive version of myself. And as an executive coach, this is the core of the work I do with my clients – having expansive conversations; sitting with questions we haven’t considered before; expanding our identities beyond the (often small) box we have put ourselves in.

Let me share three things I learned through the experience:

The most senior leaders hold onto a beginner's mind.

Improv has shown me not just how delightful it is to be a beginner and not know what I am doing. More important, it has revealed that this mindset can lead to the most valuable insights. When I release myself from needing to know, I open myself to growth and unlock new approaches. 

Messing up is essential for creativity.

In improv, a mistake holds creative potential. We don’t stop or correct because there is no wrong answer. We keep going. We build upon what just happened, take it in a new and potentially unexpected direction. Messing up adds to the fun and interest. Feeling free to make mistakes increases our capacity for imperfection and emboldens us to stretch into new areas.

Play and success go hand-in-hand.

I grew up in a game playing family. And then I became an adult. It took an improv class for me to realize the extent to which I have neglected the art of playfulness. Play triggers the release of endorphins, which boost our mood and relieve stress. We know from being around children, that play allows us to tap into our creative minds and sparks innovation. Yet somehow, as we grow up, we seem to grow out of play. Improv has for me been a welcome return, and I feel lighter and sharper as a result.

At any stage in our career, and especially when we are at the top of our game, we can feel we have too much to lose to try something different. It can be tempting to stay with what we know and what has helped us to our current level of success.  The practice of improv has been a way for me to step out of my comfort zone, to stretch and grow in new dimensions. As an executive coach, I talk with my clients daily about these kinds of questions. Are you ready to challenge your thinking and move in new directions? If so, how?