"Yes, and...!"

I had the honor of facilitating a conversation last week with a board of directors for a great organization.  During part of the session, we were working on some next steps for the agency and I noticed we were in danger of missing some critical ideas because we were starting to wander into the "Yeah, buts."  This is what happens when an idea is presented and the initial response to that idea is, "Yeah, but...." It may be a good idea, but here are all of the reasons why that idea won't work.

When we get into this "yeah, but..." territory it can sometimes shut down the free flow of ideas, so I introduced the group to the central rule of true brainstorming, "Yes, and...!" Interestingly enough, this is also the golden rule of great improv comedy. The "Yes, and..." rule says that any idea or statement can only be followed by the words, "Yes, and...."  It's about joining with and carrying on the conversation, rather than setting up a roadblock or a barrier to the previous idea.

Whenever I use this tool, it's always interesting to see how quickly people pick up on it.  Some will start using it right away.  Someone presents an idea and the next person immediately says, "Yes, and...."  But the real power happens when someone catches themself starting to say a "yeah, but..." and then they correct, and change their thought to a "Yes, and..."  It's quite powerful to watch how quickly it can generate positive movement and the free flow of ideas.

I first learned this brainstorming concept from a seminar I attended with a Disney Imagineer. He was one of the people who actually helped to create the various lands in the original Disneyland, and he told stories about how using this rule in their brainstorming sessions helped them create even more magical worlds than they could have first imagined! 

Ever since then, there have been so many places in life I have found the "Yes, and..." rule so helpful. It made me a better parent, a better life partner, and a better leader.  It also made me realize how often my default is to go toward "Yeah, but...", but how much I want my default in life to be, "Yes, and...!"  I want to be a person who joins with others. I want to be a partner and help move conversations, relationships, and organizations forward, not get stuck in old ways of thinking and doing. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and a place for understanding practical limitations, but I don't want that to get in the way of being someone who is dreaming about possibilities. 

How about you? Are you more of a "Yeah, but...", or a "Yes, and..." person? Are there certain areas of your life where you recognize your default is to see the limitations, and if so, how could you adjust your perspective to apply the "Yes, and..." rule a little more in that space? What would it look like to be a person who joins with those who are around you this week? What impact might that have on them, and you?

Hey! I've got an idea for this week. "Yes, and...!"

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.

The Good of Stress & Discomfort?

Well, it happened again.  Two conversations in one day that pointed me toward a singular idea, so it seems like I'm supposed to share this thought with you!

The first conversation was with a friend who had foot surgery several months ago in which they had some plates installed in their foot. They are scheduled to go back in for surgery to remove one of the plates, because apparently the placement of the plate wasn't allowing for enough stress or tension on the bone, so it wasn't healing properly.  Their exact words to me were, "I guess bones need stress in order to heal correctly."

The second conversation was with another friend and our mutual involvement in a large professional organization. The leaders of that institution are making some very challenging decisions right now that all seem to be motivated by a fear of change and a desire to just maintain the status quo.  Their exact words to me were, "I don't think being comfortable should be our primary goal, because real growth doesn't happen from being comfortable."

I am trying to just let those two phrases sink in.

      Bones need stress in order to heal correctly.

            Real growth doesn't happen from being comfortable.

Here is where both of these are challenging me right now.  I kind of like not having stress, and I can tell you it feels really good to be comfortable! So, my tendency is to avoid stress and discomfort, and to arrange my life so I remove them if at all possible. But I also know that most of the significant growth in my life has happened through times of stress and discomfort, so my instincts to avoid them actually work against the good they bring to my ongoing journey of growth. All of that makes me feel like I am at an impasse. However, I think there may be another way to approach this.

Rather than trying to avoid stress and discomfort (or getting extreme the other way and orchestrating it!), what if I just decided that I wasn't going to be afraid of it when it came. If I am honest, I actually think both stress and discomfort are unavoidable in our lives. I also think we don't have to look for ways to create and bring chaos into our lives because life will bring enough of it to us naturally. What I actually have control over is how I respond to stress and discomfort when they do arrive in my life. Could I look at it directly, name it for what it is, and then ask myself what I may need to learn from this?  How could my approach to stress and discomfort allow me to continue on my journey of growth?

Where are the stress points in your life right now?  How much are you trying to avoid them and what would happen if instead you looked at them directly?  What are the ways in which you are feeling discomfort and how could those be an opportunity for ongoing growth and learning?

Finally, please know, these two phrases really resonate with me right now because I think this is an area where I need to pay better attention to my own growth. So, please don't hear this as a commentary from someone who has this all figured out, but a fellow practitioner on the journey with you!

Here's to not being afraid of stress or discomfort this week (or maybe not as afraid)!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.

Dancing Between Surrender & Control

I had the incredible honor of attending a play this past weekend that was followed by a conversation between the author of the play, the director of the play, the actors in the play, and the audience watching the play! It was quite remarkable. 

One of the themes that emerged in those conversations was the delicate process/dance that everyone had to engage in between holding too much control over the outcomes and surrendering to the beauty of what could be created by inviting others to be co-creators in the process.  For example, the author talked about how he had to surrender his words on a page to the director and her ability to envision sets and images and music that would accompany those scenes. They also talked about how they had to let go of some of their notions of what the characters would be like when the actual actors started bringing their own unique ideas and perspectives to the table. What was abundantly clear was that everyone felt the final outcome of the production was so much better having everyone contribute as co-creators, rather than having a singular image from just one perspective drive the final product.

I'm still thinking about that dance between control and surrender and all of the places in life it applies.  

Parenting feels like a long journey from mostly being in control to a place of mostly not being in control at all!  It's a lifetime of learning how to surrender in a way that allows the beauty and individuality of each unique child to become their own amazing person.

Working on a team feels like another place where this dance is crucial. We may have a collective job to accomplish, and I may have certain areas of responsibility that I contribute toward that objective, but if I try and force other team members to do their part the way I think it should be done, there isn't any room for the uniqueness of each individual to join into the creative process. The outcome would suffer and be limited to my vision of what I think it should be. But, if I am willing to allow others to bring their perspectives and personalities into the process, I am sure the final outcome will be even better than if everyone just did their job my way! 

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the applications I see here in the realm of leadership.  Too often I have seen leaders who feel threatened by the ideas and creativity of people they are leading, so they don't engage in this dance between control and surrender.  Rather than inviting the people they are leading to become dreamers with them about how to go after their common vision, they simply expect alignment with them and their ideas.  You may have heard this referred to as leaders who simply surround themselves with "yes" people - no one to stretch or challenge them.  No one to enter into the creative process with them.  Just individuals who will stick with the program and follow directives. While those kind of leaders are very good at getting the outcomes they want, I believe those outcomes are not as awesome and beautiful as they might be if they were willing to dance more between surrender and control.

What are the areas of your life that could benefit from more dancing between surrender and control? How could believing in a more beautiful outcome from collaboration help you trust others and invite them into the creative process with you?  What would it take for you to create some room for people around you to have more freedom to bring their own perspectives and gifts to the creative process? 

Here's to dancing between surrender and control this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.