An age old battle in improv that I believe resonates well with challenges we experience in the business world is the question of whether a team should have a coach or a director (in which case it should be called an ensemble). In addition there's the third option of the self coached team, which I will call committee from here on forward.
Role
- Director: - "Mold" to vision.
- Coach: - "Catalyst", bring out what is there.
- Committee: Rotation, everybody takes turn coaching the team.
Pro's
- Director: Clear vision, outside perspective, result orientation
- Coach: Most common, improve individual skills, goal defined by team.
- Committee: Cost effective, everyone has skin in the game.
Con's
- Director: More restrictive, more static, "done" when objective achieved.
- Coach: No "stretch goal".
- Committee: Cements status quo, high frustration potential.
Well suited when
- Director: Production quality ("broadway material"), time of fundamental change.
- Coach: Always (even in parallel with director), experimenting with new ideas, time of continuous change.
- Committee: Familiar format with experienced cast.
I see strong parallels here with projects I have worked on. There are projects where the very detailed and methodology driven approach is appropriate. In other cases, the more laid back, catalyst type project manager will be more successful. (My experience suggests to consider the self managed approach only in cases of low complexity with an experienced team.)
Let me talk a little bit about one term I used upstairs, which I believe is instrumental: vision. This is a term that you will find in management literature on "leadership", usually in combination with another term: voice. The leader has a vision and he has a voice to inspire others to follow his vision. This is what the director does. Often still in a collaborative way (remember we are still talking about improv, so when the rubber hits the road the team is on its own!). Take Second City, the famous Chicago Theater that gave us the likes of John Belushi, Dan Akroyd, Gilda Radner, and many more. At Second City the director will come to rehearsals with a vision, but the cast comes up with the content. (It is still "their show".)
A coach on the other hand is best defined as in Timothy Callway's "the inner game of tennis" ? he helps bring out what is already there, by helping others to find their voice. This is as noble as it is difficult, especially when dealing with an entire cast of actors (or professionals for that matter). While I believe I fall in the second category (don't most of us? Think that -I mean) I can fall back on methodology and process when necessary. I think that especially in times of great uncertainty people hunger for clear guidance. If it is not provided, then the most insecure, the most risk averse, those that can worst handle uncertainty and change, will assume leadership roles. Because they think they have to (compare dog training literature!)
So, the coach needs to provide enough guidance to keep the level of leadership at a comfortable level for the team (the composition of the team of course becomes important here too!). Not too much, but not too little.
One exception: In times of paradigm shifts ? for example a team moving from short form to long form improv or moving into more sketch like formats ? a director may be called for. If (s)he knows the territory! Beware of providing structure for its own sake! It is quite easy to fall into this trap. Humans love structure, the more uncertain, the more unfamiliar the situation the stronger that urge. Yet, as Peter Drucker, the great management thinker, correctly observes ? we live in the day of the knowledge worker. The boss does in all likelihood not know better what needs to be done than the knowledge worker.
There is one more observation about coaching I want to talk about. In Improv, there is a monster called the "rules of improvisation": don't ask questions, don't block, don't play children, don't play old people, don't make jokes. I could go on for pages. You get the idea. Anything you observe about these? Right. They all begin with a don't. In my experience "don't's" are a bad instrument for coaching. A coach should help an individual or team discover what works. Help them find it out by themselves. (For extra credit: what would a director do? Right, the director should come prepared with a set of "do's".) Don'ts do not tell you what to do but that what you have been doing doesn't work. Nice, so now you're paralyzed. You stand on stage thinking "I should not talk about this", and "shouldn't I be making stuff up instead of thinking what not to do?". Or even "did this other actor just ask me a question, man this scene sucks"- From there on your scene will spiral on downward because you are "in your head" and worrying instead of acting in the scene.
In conclusion, there is no one answer, but some observations to be made:
- Provide the appropriate level of leadership for your objective
- Provide a little more if you are going through great changes
- Make your advice actionable and positive
- Help team members (and the team) find their own voice
Henrik Kiessler is currently global Manager for CRM at a large Pharmaceutical firm. He lives in Vienna, Austria. He likes to improvise, currently with ImproX http://improx.fesch.at
The book Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway by... Read More
The effective coaching of employees by their line managers is... Read More
I know you probably have heard of the movie, "The... Read More
Have you ever thought about how sheep get lost? Even... Read More
Can you recall a time where you utilized silence to... Read More
Of the 60,000 people who lived to be over 100... Read More
Personal or business coaching has helped thousands change their lives... Read More
The idea for this month's newsletter came from an unlikely... Read More
While working with a client several months ago, we went... Read More
Often our clients refer someone to us for Executive Coaching... Read More
1. Know your purposeAre you wandering through life with little... Read More
'Have you read the Art of War?' someone asked me... Read More
A few weeks ago at a "Leadership from the Ground... Read More
All of us would love to have personal power ?... Read More
A few months back I had a disturbing dream. In... Read More
Have you ever laid in bed trying to fall asleep,... Read More
I have often heard motivational speakers say that the word... Read More
We have all heard the expression, "Where your heart is?,... Read More
Have you ever noticed how the way you feel about... Read More
Tracey started her video production company 2 ½ years ago,... Read More
Successful people have always had clear, focused goals that guide... Read More
My sister is a woman now beginning her thirties. She... Read More
Settling is about not embracing what is best for you,... Read More
If you know who I mean when I say Kwame,... Read More
That one guy at work that always has to be... Read More
Have you ever wished yourself away? I am not referring... Read More
When I asked my client, Amanda, what she would do... Read More
The purpose of life is to live a life of... Read More
The other day I decided to skip cooking dinner and... Read More
People have a difficult time letting go of the past... Read More
Use all of your brain to be your most effective."Running... Read More
If you are anything like me, you may have noticed... Read More
Most of us know that assertiveness will get you further... Read More
1. Pretending You Are Interested When You Are NotDo yourself... Read More
An age old battle in improv that I believe resonates... Read More
If you are anything like me, you may have noticed... Read More
"Tell me what company thou keepst, and I'll tell thee... Read More
The other day I decided to skip cooking dinner and... Read More
Athletes the world over have coaches. Yet, workers whose very... Read More
Is it possible to make a strong "business case for... Read More
Helen Keller once remarked that there was one thing she... Read More
As a therapist, I often suggest to clients that they... Read More
Work addiction is very common in our society today, yet... Read More
Managing cash flow is every small business owner's most important... Read More
Quite often I am in contact with people who discuss... Read More
Do you have a self-development toolbox? Do you have a... Read More
So many people go through the motions of trying to... Read More
If you've been around the Internet for more than two... Read More
In my work with individuals and couples, I see many... Read More
Life coaching has become fashionable in recent years and there... Read More
If you do any significant amount of driving, a simple... Read More
I heard a story recently, and wanted to share it... Read More
Michael was raised in a home where anger was used... Read More
"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want... Read More
Often while talking to people about my coaching practice I... Read More
I know what you're thinking? "Here I am, completely stressed... Read More
Would you agree that today most of us have the... Read More
I'm almost always a calm and collected person. Or at... Read More
Many years ago my grandfather, had a small farm and... Read More
Feeling disappointed? It's time to float.The time-honored approach to disappointment... Read More
I talk and write a lot about Life Design ?... Read More
What's the alternative to making decisions?Allowing someone else, or circumstances,... Read More
Three years ago, Paul left his corporate job to launch... Read More
Improve Your Life! How to Hire A Coach.A reader writes,... Read More
As the title states, "Become an Information Filter and a... Read More
Why should you bother to spend your valuable time learning... Read More
Coaching |