Life is a Team Sport

I’m in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival, where every year I like to see as many as seven performances a day (plays, musical shows, comedians). I may be a nut about this, but every so often I enjoy being absorbed in something other than business and writing for a week or ten days.

Last night I was seated in the front row for “Showstoppers,” one of my favorite improvisational groups. Each night these seven actors and three musicians create an original musical — a different show every time. I’m extremely impressed by their creativity as well as their vast knowledge of musical theater. As a group they present original songs, dialogue, and dance steps on the spot, in styles as varied as Steven Sondheim or Sound of Music (styles chosen by the audience). To succeed, each actor, as well as the musicians, has to be quick and coordinate with the others. If they come up with a good idea three seconds late, the entire project could fail and the audience might begin to walk out.

Last night their improvisation, suggested and voted on by the audience, was set in Hell and titled, by a member of the audience, Sinning in the Flames, a take-off on Singing in the Rain. The audience clapped along to several songs, and laughed throughout the performance.

In the lobby after the show I spoke with Dylan, the narrator. He told me that “Showstoppers” has been performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for eight years, and combined with their touring schedule has performed together more than six hundred times. That’s a lot of improvisation. At the end of September the group is opening on London’s West End, England’s version of Broadway. They are more than excited.

“Showstoppers” is a perfect example of teamwork. Each member of the group has to play off the others, sing a different verse of their newly minted songs, and create dance routines which seem to have been rehearsed and practiced for weeks. Teamwork and timing are critical. The songs have to be sung and dance performed in unison throughout the one hour show.

Teamwork. That’s what life is about, whether in families, businesses, or nations. We work together for the benefit of all.

So here I am in my room at the Edinburgh Sheraton, a well located hotel with a friendly staff and great breakfast buffet (teamwork), racing to finish this blog before leaving for a highly rated comedian who starts his show in thirty-five minutes. But even his one-man show is the product of teamwork. After all, organizing and presenting the festival is an enormous team effort. Each show does need ticket takers.

And my team will take over when I finish writing this blog. Nancy and Joel will help to edit, before I revise, and Kat will add graphics and put this blog up on the Peopletoolsbook.com web site. (Lauren normally does that but she and her husband are here with us in Edinburgh, taking in the sights today.) It’s fun, and effective, for me to work with a passionate and dedicated team, especially when I’m out of the office or, in this case, out of the country.

And I’ll be back at my desk next Monday morning, implementing business improvisations with the ACF and People Tools teams. At my office we each have an important role but, unlike “Showstoppers,” we have the advantage of perfecting our act over hours or days, not just a few seconds. That is certainly a relief to me.

Alan