William Wu Personal Blog

During the holiday travel, I ran into a fascinating book Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up by Patricia Ryan Madson.  It highlights a lot of what I consider essential for building up a great culture of a young company.

The book argues that human beings are improvisers by nature.  All conversation - indeed, all natural speech, if you think about it - is an improvisation.   Improvisation “is a way of doing things that emphasizes a flexible mind and a sense of humor; it is not a scientific method.”  Observing from her teaching experience as a Stanford drama faculty and head of the Stanford Improvisers, Ms. Madson describes her improvising group, ”everyone seems to say ‘thank you’ often, and ‘I’m sorry’ slips naturally off the tongue.  We smile and laugh a lot. . . . We make mistakes, sometimes whoppers. We correct them or we capitalize on them.  We notice how much others are doing for us.  We have fun. We screw up; we apologize. We get on one another’s nerves sometimes. We move on. We create life and art together.” Image how a wonderful esprit de corps that a young company can learn from!

13 maxims, as presented in the book, summarize how the principles learned from improvisers can be applied to entrepreneurs as well:

First Maxim: say yes

Saying yes is an act of courage and optimism; it allows you to share control instead of saying no to attempt to control the future.  This yes calls upon our capacity to envision, to create new and positive images.  

• Become a “can-do” person.
• Look for the positive spin, for what is right.
• Substitute “Yes and” for Yes but.” 
• Add something to build the conversation.

Second Maxim: don’t prepare

The point is to let go of our ego involvement in the process. Sometimes the habit of excessive planning impedes our ability to see what is actually in front of us. The mind that is occupied is missing the present.

• Attend carefully to what is happening right now. 
• Allow yourself to be surprised. 
• Trust your imagination. 
• Fear is a matter of misplaced attention. 

Third Maxim: just show up

So often it is our presence alone, rather than some special ability, that makes the difference.

• Motivation is not a prerequisite for showing up. 
• Use rituals to get things going. 
• Change your vantage point and refresh your mind. 
• Be on time for the sake of others.

Fourth Maxim: start anywhere

When you don’t know where to start, begin with the most obvious thing, whatever is in front of you because all starting points are equally valid. They begin where they are, often in the middle.

• All starting points are equally valid.
• Begin with what seems obvious.
• Talk to you audience. Don’t give a lecture.
• Trust your mind.

Fifth Maxim: be average

When you try to be perfect, the result is often to jinx it.  Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of good.

• Close enough is perfect.
• Dare to be dull.
• Think “inside” the box.
• Celebrate the obvious.

Sixth Maxim: pay attention

What we notice becomes our world.  Enjoy those moments when your attention is aligned with your actions.

• Shift your attention from yourself to others.
• Keep on waking up.
• This moment happens only once. Treasure it.
• Avoid multitasking. Attend to one thing at a time.

Seventh Maxim: face the facts

Life is about balancing, not about being balanced.

• Accept other people as they are. 
• Work with what you have been given. 
• Insecurity is normal. Count on it.

Eighth Maxim: stay on course 

Use the litmus of purpose when overwhelmed with feelings or confused about a decision.

• Every improvisation has a point.
• Keep an eye on where you are going.
• Ask often: “What is my purpose?”

Ninth Maxim: wake up to the gifts 

Our natural sense of entitlement can be an obstacle. If we experience something as ours, we won’t see it as a gift.  We need to see the contributions of others in bold relief and to recognize our interdependence. 

• Who or what is helping your right now?
• Make a point of thanking those with thankless jobs.
• What are you doing to give back?

Tenth Maxim: make mistakes, please

Do something risky and challenging, something out of your comfort zone, where mistakes are possible (and likely), and to proceed boldly.  Knowing that mistakes are inevitable, and admitting them freely, demonstrates courage and character.

• When you screw up, say “Ta-dah!” and take a bow.
• Mistake? Focus on what comes next.
• Become a confident mistake maker. Lighten up.
• Admitting a mistake shows character.

Eleventh Maxim: act now

What we do gives us more information about how to proceed. The doing itself becomes the teacher and guide.  The goal is always doing appropriate action, occasionally this can mean no action while being watchful for others to act before proceeding.

• The essence of improvising is action.
• Act in order to discover what comes next.
• You don’t need to feel like doing something to do it.
• Sometimes not doing is what is needed.

Twelfth Maxim: take care of each other

Give up criticizing. Listen attentively. Pay attention to your partner’s story. Look for ways that you can advance collective dreams and interests.

• Make your partner look good.
• Kindness is essential during chaos or a crisis.
• Always put positive thoughts into words and action.
• Deliver more than you promise. 

Thirteenth Maxim: enjoy the ride

Enjoy your life, seriously.  We need to be reminded of our capacity for delight and pleasure. Finding wonder, remembering how to play, . . . these are the things we all yearn for.

• Find joy in whatever you are doing, including ordinary tasks. 
• Look for ways to play. Play is essential to human growth. 
• Learning is enhanced when we lighten up.

Planning is necessary (see my other blog on planning), but over planning is no guarantee that things will turn out error-free.  As the book concludes, “Improv points to ways of being more and better alive, ways of cutting through our patterns of procrastination and doubt. It is up to each of us, however, to make the move. . . . a life of meaning and value is achieved through purposeful action. Risk is involved. Feeling insecure is natural, expected - part of the territory“.

Although improvising is not a magic pill for success, it, in a way, reflects the spirit of Zen that teaches how to be in harmony with the nature flow now, to work together moment by moment without a known formula, and to have fun!  To re-quote Charles Darwin’s famous saying,

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives…In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.”

You can read a free chapter of this wonderful book here.  There are also videos from youtube available and here is a shorter video for your reference.