“Just fall.”
You’re standing on your office desk, with your back towards the ground. A swarm of colleagues are watching you and cheering you on. To your right, you spot your boss, way behind in the crowd, nodding his head with a disapproving glint in his eyes.
“Fall! Fall! Fall! Fall!”, they yell in sync.
The carpeted floor behind you, a thick nylon carpet, ironically does not look welcoming at all. There is no one to hold you, just spectators.
Take a deep breath in, close your eyes and decide.
Would you fall?
Now picture the same scenario, but with your team standing behind you. Having entwined their hands in a way that you wouldn’t hurt yourself, they beam a reassuring image of safety. Your boss stands among them, while all your other colleagues cheer you on.
As you look behind at your team ready to hold you, your boss says “You’ll be okay. Just fall.”
Would you fall?
The second scenario sounds more appealing, doesn’t it? Only because you know you’re safe. It all boils down to that. Your ability to trust your team enough to fall, or rather your team just being there for you when you do.
If you have been to a theatre workshop, you’ll be familiar with the trust exercises that are part of the everyday drill. One of them is to fall from a higher platform, back faced towards the ground, like lead singers in concerts. Only you aren’t famous and there are just about five people holding you.
After doing theatre for 5 years, I gained quite a different perspective on leadership and trust. Here are a few of the lessons I learnt.
‘Where art thou, boss?’
There is no theatre without Shakespeare; we had a production of “The Tempest” once. There’s a notable scene when Ferdinand, the charming prince proclaims his love for Miranda, a beautiful young woman. While doing so, he offers her his hand.
There’s nothing like Shakespearean romance. Now, how dull would such an intense scene seem if while saying their dialogues, Ferdinand was worried about his mic falling off and Miranda about how her face looked to the audience? They wouldn’t be involved in the conversation and well, so much for love.
Don’t just say your lines, listen to your partner and have a conversation. Listen and Communicate.
Communication in a team is extremely crucial. It can save plenty of time, for your team and yourself. Focus on listening to your team members, correlating your need with theirs and then respond. For starters, it will ensure that you’re on the same tangent as your team.
‘Turning a blind eye to someone’
This one time, our theatre coach took us to the streets, quite literally. He paired us in twos; one of us was blind-folded and the other was the guide. The instructions were:
1. Listen to your partner’s voice and let them guide you.
2. Do not touch each other, unless it’s crucial.
3. Don’t die.
We had to cross a road with bustling traffic, walk along a footpath with a drain gap and shop for something in a supermarket.
The experience was beyond thrilling, but I had to trust my partner enough to believe she wasn’t going to leave me stranded on the street. Gain trust and everything else will follow.
Employees find it easier to work with a manager who is good at what he does and encourages others to do their work efficiently. Corporates run on hierarchies, your willingness to take the blame for your team in front of the ladder of bosses will make you a better boss.
‘Stealing someone’s thunder? Don’t rain on their parade.’
It was an ‘Introduction to Gibberish’ class. We were learning to act with gibberish. Before we got to the fundamentals of it, the instructor asked about twenty of us to walk around the room, randomly.
He said, “Keep walking until I say stop. When I say stop, turn towards the person closest to you, look into their eyes and pay them a compliment. A genuine one.”
The energy in the room, went from 1 to 10. All it took was a couple of compliments. When someone complimented me, I smiled and said thank you. Then we went about walking, paused again and I complimented someone else, and they smiled.
Compliments, the well-deserved ones, let people know that they are doing a good job. It only encourages them. Acknowledge someone’s contribution. To start off, consciously try using phrases like “we are a team”, “what do you think?” or even a simple “I trust you can” will reinforce an incredible amount of confidence in your subordinate.
‘That’s all, folks’
If you still find it hard to work with your team, ask them to fall with their backs towards the ground and catch them.
It’s fun as well.
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