How To Apply the Three Rules of Improv to Succeed in Business

Years ago, when I was an executive at a credit card company, senior leadership offered "high flyers" the chance to work with an executive coach. I leapt at the opportunity. Others turned it down. “I just don’t need it,” they said. Why? I thought to myself. Are you perfect? Do you have nothing left to learn? That’s like a comedian saying they’ve already told all the good jokes. It would have been smart if the company realized that turning down a learning opportunity is a huge red flag, then insisted that those very people get two coaches each.

Anyway, the process was run in a very professional way. I received thirty-five resumes of executive coaches, all located in the area so that meetings could take place in person. I selected three resumes, then had my executive assistant and best friend also pick three without knowing my choices. We overlapped on two, so I met both those people in person and picked one: Mary. She was an excellent coach, asking probing questions, and helping me understand how to succeed in the overwhelmingly male-dominated business environment. Out of a couple hundred executives at the card company, I was one of only a handful of women.

The best advice that Mary ever gave me was to stick to the three rules of improv comedy, which I can recite perfectly to myself in any situation: accept all offers, make everyone look good, and first thought best thought. No rules should be used ad absurdum, and obviously if a strange man says “Get in my car, little girl,” running away is the best choice. However, these rules have certainly helped me in my career and continue to do so.

Let’s start with accepting all offers. When I have been looking for a new opportunity, it is often the ones that sound unlikely or come from left field that turn into the next position. When I met one CEO through an introduction (accepting all offers of introduction), he said, “I want to hire someone to carry out this role, but I don’t have buy-in from my team yet, so I am not sure how long it will take.” It was not a publicly-posted position. A few days later, he flew down to see me, and shortly thereafter, I had a new job.

Other times, the position I have been offered has been well below my experience or capabilities. I had confidence that my skills would be recognized quickly, I would be promoted, and it would work itself out. I joined a prestigious consulting firm a couple of years post-MBA when I already had three years of experience in consulting prior to my MBA, and another two after it. I was told by the head of recruiting that I had to start at the “new MBA” level because “We always do that with new hires.” I accepted, as I was in a new city and needed a job. Within a year, I was working at the level above as a project leader, and then promoted to that new level after eighteen months, something that usually took three years.

Another time, I joined a company as chief operating officer, again because I needed a job. To start, only marketing and operations reported to me, even though I had been chief executive officer of a bigger company before that. Within a month, the founder-CEO moved two of the business lines to report to me, and said “By the end of your first year, you will be responsible for all nine of the businesses.” Three months later, he decided to move them all to me early.

Now, every time I decline an offer – because of course there are times to do this, such as if you feel the planned company or vendor or supplier has ethical issues – I do a doubletake and ask myself if I am sure, or at least as sure as one can be in this ever-changing world.

The second rule of improv may be the hardest to achieve: Make everyone look good. We are in a competitive world, and there can only be one number one. However, when we look, for example, at the sporting world, we most admire the players who are respectful of their competitors. The Nadal-Federer rivalry springs to mind. If you leave a place where you hated your work experience, even if it was truly a horrible place to work, if you tell your potential new employer this in interviews, their first thought will be: “I wonder if they will say this about our company when they interview for a job after us?” It is not a selling point. Whereas if you focus on the new skills you want to learn in a new job – and I don’t mean “I want to learn what it’s like when my thinking is valued” or “I want to learn how to work with managers who are not abusive” – then you are presenting yourself as someone in search of constant improvement.

The urge to tell someone they are wrong is a human desire, but it won’t help you succeed in business. I have found the phrase “That’s interesting, tell me more” works well when I have received utterly stupid feedback from a boss. It doesn’t involve lying, so it adheres to my rules of integrity, and while they "talk themselves out," I can see what slivers of useful advice there might be. There are great phrases to use that do not compromise your integrity, such as “Thank you so much for taking the time to give me this feedback. I can see you have thought hard about it.” That doesn’t mean you agree with them. Or “I appreciate you giving me feedback to help me fit in with the culture here.” Truthful, and it doesn’t mean you are saying you like the culture. Have a list of stock phrases ready, and try to vary them.

There are many times when it is easy and fun to make those around you look good, such as when the team has a great success. As Dale Carnegie, the super-famous author of the mega best seller “How to Win Friends and Influence People” said, “The sweetest sound to anyone’s ears is the sound of their own name.” Ten times more so when it is said in front of others while describing something they achieved. Never miss an opportunity to give others credit – but not at your own expense. I feel I should add this because you don’t want to be disingenuous. So, if you say “We would never have had this great success if Fred had not done that brilliant analysis on our cost structure,” then you are indicating a weakness in yourself (and the rest of the team). Maybe Fred should be promoted to your role and run your area, not you. It’s not me saying this – it’s your boss in the room, silently in his head. It is funny that it is considered extraordinary that Mira Andreevna, who just won her second WTA 1000 event in a row (having never won any before, though, well, she is only seventeen) thanked herself at the end of her thank-you speech, after thanking the audience, her support team, the ball kids, and so on. She thanked herself for believing in herself and being able to handle all the pressure. This out-loud public reminder of her own contribution to her success will serve her well in terms of her own resilience during any difficult times ahead. It’s funny that in business we’re told to “be humble,” while in sports we cheer for confidence.

The last improv rule, first thought best thought, is the one I struggle with the most. I like to notice my thoughts. When someone comes to me with a new idea, my first thought is “That’s never going to work, because if it had, someone else would be doing it.” Now, I notice this thought and ask myself “What do I have to believe in order to think this will work?” and then discuss that with the person, and ask them to come back with more information. We all meet people where, in the first moment, we attribute instant likes or dislikes to them. Many times that initial reaction changes over time as we get to know them better. So, I use being aware of my behavior under this rule to regulate myself and prevent any defensive pessimism (which we can use to manage anxiety and provide a sense of control) stopping new ideas from being tested.

At very tough moments in my life, my mother would say, “Treat it as a game.” That sounds like strange advice, but if you use it, it can help prevent paralysis and allow for smart decision-making. Imagine a pilot flying an airplane that has a sudden serious issue thinking to themselves, “Oh my God, this plane could crash, other planes have crashed with this issue, help, I may never see my family again, I am responsible for two hundred people on this plane and their safety!” In the moment, if the pilot says “I am playing a game called 'landing a plane with a serious issue' and I win the game by landing this plane safely,” they increase their chance of success because they are free to think clearly and rationally.

So, when the next business challenge hits, imagine yourself not in a boardroom but on stage at an improv club. Accept the offer, make everyone look good, and trust your first thought. Because the truth is, the business world really is a comedy set-up — and the best leaders are the ones who are ready to play their line perfectly.