I kinda got bored with Masterclass after the pandemic. Rich and famous people looking at a camera teaching me what they know so I can be rich and famous, too. (Spoiler alert: it didn't work).
But on my flight home yesterday, I watched Amy Poehler's Masterclass on Preparing to be Unprepared and it was the best one I've ever seen. It wasn't just about improv. It resonated completely with me as a blueprint for how to show up in business and in life.
Keep saying yes
Improv is based on the foundation that every idea deserves to be built on. You should never shut down an idea and cut off the flow of energy, instead adding to it by responding with, "Yes, AND..." Think about this at work. Instead of responding to an idea that we should have monkeys swinging from the light fixtures by calling it stupid, what if you responded with, "Yes, and when the health inspector tells us we can't have live animals in the venue, we can be ready with this backup plan to just build out a really cool jungle theme with photo and VR/AR areas for animal interactions!"
Be a good listener
Two ears, one mouth. Improv is all about paying attention to the cues of the people around you. You have to be a good listener to pick up on their overt or subtle hints that will drive you to the next part in the scene. Use this concept at work to be aware of your surroundings, the political implications and the subtext your manager or coworkers are sharing with you. Use it at home to pick up context clues for what your children are talking about when you can't figure out what a skibidi is.
Find your team
Belonging. It's not just for taglines anymore. When you're on stage, you find the people you can really team up with to create great things together. When you're at work, you know your allies and your like-minded colleagues who always call you higher to do your best. At home, you have your community and your village to keep you grounded. And in your profession, you find your people who know what you're going through and who can help you in your career and as friends.
Find the game
Stop taking everything so seriously. It's not always a competition, but even when it is, the competition is just a game. Be playful. Find the fun in everything you do. It will benefit you, your colleagues, your family, and your work. My daughter hates to clean her room, but we found that she LOVES "transition videos" on TikTok. So when I ask her to make a Transition Video of her room, she get SO excited to do before and after videos to show the mess before and the transition to an incredibly clean room after! It's a game!
Take up space
Physically, own the stage. Vocally, speak up. Mentally, know your currency. You are on this Earth with the rest of us and you can choose how you show up. You can be a follower or a leader. You can be a participant or a lurker. You can watch or you can join. Choose the space you want to take up and commit.
Can’t be halfway in
And that rolls right into taking the leap. Hesitation doesn't only convey to others, it is a mindset that holds you back. When you have a choice, choose to be out or in. Not on the fence. It's okay if you take a stance and you're wrong. You can change your mind. But be all in and open to the possibilities.
Don’t bail on your partners
Amy's number one frustration in improv is partners who give up too soon. Once you've decided to be fully all in, stand by your team. She says her favorite moments in SNL were the skits that went horribly awry, but the actors were ALL IN and fully committed to the fail. She said they were more fun to rewatch with her friends than any skits that actually succeeded. Take the ego out of it and stand by your team.
Don’t worry about being cool
Which leads right into removing the ego. It's the people who worry too much about what other people think that get held back and frozen in place. Amy says, “coolness doesn’t allow for vulnerability and vulnerability is what connects us.” So forget the vanity metrics and the haters and the trolls. Take a stand, chart your own path, own it, and you will won't just redefine cool, you'll transcend it.
Playing with status
Status is real. Bosses, authority figures, worker-bees, peons, there is a real structure to the world around us. But like everything else in life, you have a choice. You can play with this status. Think you're not ready to be in charge? What if you play with that status and embrace the fact that you're the manager now and everyone else views you as their leader? Think you're not ready to be the main keynote speaker? What if you recognize that the audience is there to learn from you, not hope you fail? Amy says status is a choice: “you can challenge it, you can play with it, or you can embrace it.”
If you pay for Masterclass, I suggest tuning in to this one.
If you don't, the next time you're on a Delta flight, scroll to this one! It's in the TV Series section!
Then I decided to apply this framework to our Club Ichi community:
Keep saying yes
Improv is based on the foundation that every idea deserves to be built on. In Club Ichi we say yes to each other and embrace our collective creativity to make us and our industry better.
Be a good listener
Club Ichi isn't a place where people push ideas or solutions on each other. It's where people ask and answer. Learn and share. Vent and support.
Find your team
Belonging: It's not just for taglines anymore. We love seeing people connect and help each other - in their careers and in life!
Find the game
Stop taking everything so seriously. Be playful. We love to break out of the ballroom and have a good time. Humor grounds us. We celebrate small wins AND big wins together.
Take up space
Physically, own the stage. Vocally, speak up. Mentally, know your currency. You are on this Earth with the rest of us and you can choose how you show up. You can be a follower or a leader. You can be a participant or a lurker. You can watch or you can join. How you show up is up to you.
Can’t be halfway in
Communities are built on trust, collaboration, and participation. Data shows that in most communities, less than 1% of members are active contributors, 9% are kind of active, and 90% are lurkers. We're thrilled that in Club Ichi, more than 20% are active contributors and more than 60% open our weekly emails (compared with a 20% industry average open rate). Our community is thriving because our community members are actively engaged in supporting each other.
Don’t bail on your partners
Across the industry we complain about no-shows. I'm proud to say that when people register for our Ichi Academy classes or in-person events, they show up. I think we provide enough value that people trust us with their time, and I'm grateful for that.
Don’t worry about being cool
Amy says, “coolness doesn’t allow for vulnerability and vulnerability is what connects us.” There are no cliques here. We are all warm, welcoming, friendly, and helpful. All of us.
Playing with status
You can be a boss or you can be a guide. You can be a dictator or you can be a coach. You can take on leadership positions within Club Ichi by raising your hand and saying you want to. When we collaborate, we give each other opportunities to play with our status and elevate ourselves.
It's perfect, right??
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