I was at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles on Friday for a National Association of Women Business Owners event with over 250 people. This was a speaking event for author and CEO Tony Hsieh as part of his Delivering Happiness Bus Tour. Tony has presented at countless events – but I was about to “pilot” the use of applied improv at this one. I couldn’t help but ask myself (along with a pinch!), how did I get here?!
For those of you who do not know, Tony Hsieh is the CEO of Zappos.com, an online retail company and one of Fortune 100’s Top Companies to Work For 200
9. He is also author of the #1 New York Bestseller list “Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose.” I read this book earlier this year and quickly became obsessed with the message. I may have even told friends and family that Tony was my soul mate (I mean, how could it not be so?!) The book focuses on the culture Tony built at Zappos: employees feel connected to their work and each other, they are encouraged to bring their authenticity into work, and their personal values match the company values (all of which leads to greater happiness). I quickly became Tony’s ambassador and talked nonstop about the book to…well, everyone. In fact, I may be responsible for most of Tony’s book sales in the Greater DC area.
When I heard Tony was speaking at an American Marketing Association event in Washington DC, I bought my ticket in 1.5 seconds. At the event, luckily I had a cough attack that placed me in a one-on-one hallway conversation with Jenn Lim, the Chief Happiness Officer of the Bus Tour (and quite an inspiring leader!) I had just returned from Amsterdam for the annual Applied Improvisation Network conference where my passion was ignited for using improv comedy techniques to foster creativity within organizations.
I talked to Jenn about the connection between applied improv and building a creative culture. Jenn could sense my excitement and suggested I talk to Tony about the idea. I did. Tony may have been more intrigued with my passion than the actual idea at this point but he suggested I attend the social events in DC to get to know the team. I proposed the idea of an applied improv “pilot” in LA to Tony and Jenn shortly following their DC trip. They agreed! Uh oh. I realized that my fear was not that they would say no, but that they would say yes. My new favorite quote came in handy here, “Feel the fear, and do it anyway!”
Nerves notwithstanding, the pilot was a success! I had two goals: create a sense of community in the room and inspire creativity. My not-so-scientific success measures: my inability to get people to sit down after the first “get to know you” activity (sense of community!) and the number of laughs during an activity where people on stage created a story together, one word at a time (creativity inspired!) Oh - and Tony’s fist bump following the event! With limited time, here is what I did:
Tell the Name of Your Story
A big part of Zappos culture is community (Core Value: Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit). Tony opens his home up to Zappos employees during Thanksgiving to promote this value. We are a community in this room today. Let’s get to know each other. Tell the story of your name to a partner. It can be your first, middle, last name, or a nickname. It can also be a nickname that never caught on that you wish would have (maybe Bubbles? Or Killer?) For those of you who are thinking, I don’t have a story here is a hint: Make it up. Tell your partner at the end so they can celebrate your creativity! I want you to stand when you do this. In terms of choosing your partner, look around and the person you lock eyes with is your partner (could be an opportunity to connect with that cutie who you saw walk in the room).
One Word at a Time Story
Another aspect of Zappos culture is creativity (Core Value: Be Adventurous, Creative and Open-Minded). How do we inspire creativity in ourselves and others? There is a concept used in improv comedy called “Accept Every Offer.” This concept does not mean agreement with the idea but it does mean that you hear, see and understand the offer AND you figure out a way to use it. There is a game used in improve called “One Word at a Time Story” where a group of people create a story, one word at a time. Each person must use the word provided by the person before them in order to create the next word. I need 5 volunteers. A couple reminders: keep the pace moving quickly as this is about reacting vs thinking and please provide 1 word (not 2 or 3). I need a word from the audience: What do you think of when you think of the Big Blue Happiness Bus? Debrief: What was the experience of being forced to use the word in front of you? How did this inspire creativity?
Tony poses an intriguing question during his presentations: “What would you be passionate about doing for 10 years even if you didn’t get paid a dime?” This is what you should be doing. Do you know your answer? I am pondering mine as I sit here in the killer delivering happiness T-shirt I have not taken off since the event.
