Hello all! We are in a series called What does improv have to do with change management? In this series, I’m sharing some of the lessons I’ve learned so far from improv class that have direct application to my work as a change management practitioner. Last week’s post was Effort is ugly. This week’s lesson is….

Take the gifts you are given

My improv instructor often talks about listening to and being present with our scene partners to be aware of the gifts they give us to help build a scene. I one scene my partner had just said something about sacrificing their dream to help make mine come true. I was so busy planning the next thing I was going to say that I didn’t even hear them. As I started to say what I had planned to say, my instructor stopped the scene and asked me what my partner had just said. I couldn’t tell him. Had I been present and listening, I would have been able to receive the great scene building gift my partner provided.

When I think of change management work, this reminds me of feedback. Throughout an initiative we ask people for feedback at various times. This lesson makes me wonder, though, how often we are really present/listening to the feedback/good gifts we get compared to how much are we just preparing for the next thing we’re going to say or do?

How many times do we stop what we’re doing, consider the feedback we’ve received, then let it influence our next step vs. asking for feedback because it’s something you’re “supposed to do to make people feel included”? Also, if you actually do end up doing something with feedback, how often do you circle back and let people know what was done with their feedback?

The more we stop, listen, and truly let feedback influence us….the better the change will go.

The more we stop, listen, truly let the feedback influence us, then follow up and let people know what happened with their feedback, the more people will actually be involved in the change process (vs. just feeling like they were) and the better the change will go.

Closing thoughts

I want to hear from you! What steps have you built into a change initiative to help yourself stop, consider the feedback you’ve received, let it influence your next step, then circle back and let people know what you did with their feedback?

Please post your thoughts and comments below. Let’s help each other become the best change management practitioners and enthusiasts we can be!

Thank you for reading. I won’t be posting next week, but will be back with a new post July 9. Until then, take care and keep up the good work!

Mike