Thoughts - January 2007
 
The Improvisational Leader - Listen to the Thought Pod
 
"Life is eternal, perpetual becoming, or it is nothing. Becoming is not a thing to be known or controlled. It is a magnificent, mysterious odyssey to be experienced. At bottom, desire to command and control is a deadly, destructive compulsion to rob self and others of the joys of living."    Dee Hock in Birth of the Chaordic Age
 
For some time I've been struggling to be more conscious of Presence - my state of being as I'm more mindful of the present. More recently I've become present with Thankfulness - my thoughtful presence that allows my gratitude to flow for what has been, what is, and what ought to be.
 
I love improvisational comedy. I was a big fan of A Night at the Improv and I still watch Whose Line is it Anyway. I've often wondered how these talented men and women perform so confidently. By accident (or providentially) in some of my general study, I read about an improvisational secret; whatever happens to your character is okay.
 
In an improvisational routine, the first comic starts with her character and the few initial instructions she was given. As she begins to take on the character, the second comic enters with the additional character and takes the act in an entirely new direction. Each character begins to absorb what is happening to them and together form the events into a masterful dance toward the desired outcome of humor that is improvised.
 
As my presence and thankfulness began to intersect, I thought more about Character - the role I need to play for successful performance of a present task. And I wondered what implication all this had for us as leaders.
 
In my own experience, it means practicing confident presence. This begins with a commitment to be with the task.  I will be in the moment with whatever is immediately before me, understand the character, the role, required to achieve the task, and roll with what happens to, and around, this character.
 
This approach has given me another level of confidence in moving at the right pace to a desired outcome. Not having to be in the mode of "command and control" keeps me confidently moving to the eventual, and right, outcome - the one that ought to be and one that is not limited by any fearful need to look good or be in control.
 
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©2002-2007 Jeff Brunson & BasicApproach
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