But why go with my answer when we have the author of Improv Wisdom here to share insights and practices. Tom Peters, one of the top management speakers/consultants has included Patricia Madson as one of his cool friends for her thoughts and insights that can help managers!

It is my pleasure and honor to introduce Patricia Ryan Madson to you. Ms. Madson wrote one of my all time favorite books, Improv Wisdom: Don’t prepare, Just Show Up.

Patricia was on the drama faculty of Stanford University since 1977. I encourage you to read through this interview and to use the creative lens of improvisation principles articulated by Patricia to see how you can elicit, foster, and enhance employee engagement in yourself and others.

Patricia can you briefly explain the subtitle of this book (don’t prepare, just show up) it seems so counter intuitive to how most people see work and life.

You are right that the injunction, “Don’t prepare, just show up” flies in the face of conventional wisdom. And, this is precisely why it is useful. The real emphasis of the two phrases is on the “Just Show Up” part. When you think about it, preparing may actually keep us from getting things done. It is not uncommon to spend our lives “getting ready to do stuff” instead of actually taking the plunge.

The key thing, in improvisation is to START THE SHOW. GET THERE. Move your body to the place where it is happening . . . then, the action can begin. When our minds are absorbed in the act of preparing, (in planning ahead, in crossing all our “t’s”, etc) we are not available to the present moment. We are missing out on what is happening right now, right here. And, it is precisely the here and now that is our locus of power. I advise players (and this includes professionals as well as students) to substitute ATTENTION for preparation. Become an expert on THIS MOMENT.

Planning can become an end in itself. Don’t let this rob you of the power that comes from engaging in real time with all your senses. (The second and third maxims in my book give a more thorough explanation. of this advice. )

In the book you have 13 fabulous maxims ranging from say yes to enjoy the ride. Do you personally have a favorite maxim or a maxim that is most helpful to you?

Yes, I think my favorite is maxim 9: “Wake up to the gifts.” It is so easy for my mind is to see the problem, notice the flaw, ruminate on what is wrong with the situation. This maxim is a splash of cold water to remind me to realign my perspective. And, I don’t just mean “positive thinking” . . . I mean that it is important to train the mind to actually see the specific gifts that are present and around us all the time.

If you are like me , I NOTICE (and sometimes curse) the driver who rudely cuts me off in traffic. But, I can go for years without taking notice of all the courteous drivers who obey the laws, stay in their lanes, drive safely and even allow me to merge onto the freeway. When others drive safely, I BENEFIT. So, in some real way, ordinary traffic is a gift to me. When I start looking for the ways in which I benefit from the acts of others I open up a new world of privilege. It is easy to see what is wrong. It sticks out. Can you find a way to notice what is right, who is helping, who is making your path smooth? “Waking up to the gifts” is ultimately about seeing our lives (both at work and at home) from a new perspective–a realistic perspective– which is not egocentric.

There is a book with the wonderful title: Thirsty, Swimming in the

(by David K. Reynolds, an American anthropologist). I see most of us as being in this pickle. We are literally surrounded by the things we are seeking. When we “Wake up to the gifts” we are able to counter the nay-saying mind, the selfish mind, the mind that is only self-interested.

It strikes me that “employee engagement” has as a fundamental goal developing habits of mind and body that increase our awareness of others. Waking up to the gifts invites you every day to notice how much others are doing for you. Look for the specific ways that you benefit from the work of others. Further, when we see the gifts it becomes natural to say “thank you.” Saying thank you a lot is the mark of an attentive manager and employee. (or parent or spouse . . .)

It seems to me that many disengaged employees say no, not just to work but to their organization and maybe even themselves. Is there an authentic way they can begin to say yes to work and engagement?

I’m afraid that you are right in this. Just earning a paycheck may be what some of us are doing. . . rather than “making a contribution” or “doing useful work,” or “making a life”

For the disengaged I’d say: “What have you got to lose? Why not see what happens if you change your attitude instead of just thinking about changing your job? Apathy becomes its own reward. It is all too easy to look outside of ourselves and blame “the company” or “our boss”, “the economy” or even “the times we live in.”

I would suggest “stop finding fault and casting blame” and see what happens if you look at your job to see “what you are receiving from it?” Make a list of all the things you receive from your position being an employee. Include material things (paycheck, benefits, etc.) as well as other kinds of benefits–such as a having a desk and a computer– being part of a support system– having job training– etc. See how long you can make your list of “what you receive from working where you do.” Avoid any sarcasm or negative jibes.

Engagement is about connecting to what you do . . . to your purpose. I tell a story in the book about a waitress who was full of life–full of enthusiasm and pride in what she was doing in a small sandwich shop. She was alive inside her job, taking every opportunity to serve, to do her job well. Her smile will stay with me for a long time. I don’t think it would occur to her to ask that her job “be fulfilling.” Instead she GAVE MEANING to what she was doing. This was inspiring. I think many of those disengaged workers are truly, “Thirsty, swimming in the lake” . . . if they could only wake up to it.

To me, one of the strongest improv maxims is take care of each other. One way I heard it expressed in improvisation is that we are here to make the other person look good. Do you have a recommended activity to help people in the workplace take care of each other?

A great way to “take care of each other” is to acknowledge each other’s work. NOTICE what others are doing and comment on it favorably. I’ve never met a worker who gets enough appreciation. You can never say thank you enough. In addition pay attention to what others are doing, and if there is something YOU can do to support their work or fill in a gap– just do it.

Improvisers do this all the time: they see something that “needs to be done” and they just do it.

Not because it is “in their job description” but simply because it helps the work move along. It needs to be done, and I saw it. Step out of the pigeon hole of “what is my job description?” Work for the greater good of the company, for the welfare of your colleagues, and ultimately at the end of the day, I’d predict that you will find yourself “engaged.”

And, don’t worry about “burnout”. It isn’t work that burns people out . . . it is RESENTING the work you are doing. Do the job well. That the best way I know to create a fulfilling work life.

Patricia your book is loaded with try this exercises to move the reader beyond word consumption to active engagement. What are you trying these days to stay engaged with your current work focus?What a wonderful question. I am trying to be a better partner to my husband. I am attempting to listen more carefully and more honestly when he is talking about a subject that i don’t have a personal interest in. I want to support him instead of turning away to things that interest me. This is a challenge. I don’t always do it well.

Also, now that I am retired I have a lot more discretionary time. I’m pursuing a passion of mine: botanical art. I have included a picture of an apple I just did with colored pencil. And, your readers should know that even with all the “improv wisdom” in my pocket,

Drawing by Patricia Ryan Madson

I am sometimes engaged fully and sometimes I’m not. But when I find myself off the track I have some tools to get me back on course. I really appreciate the chance to chat with your readers. I want to wish everyone good fortune as they face the challenges of daily life. Aren’t we lucky to live in a world where we can help each other become happier at what we do. May you all “enjoy the ride.

*****

To learn more about Patricia Ryan Madson and Improv Wisdom visit her website www.improvwisdom.com I also encourage you to click here to read the interview she did for Tom Peter’s cool friends series.

Inspire yourself. A major inspiration for employee engagement comes from within.  Are you relaxed enough to perform at your best?

Dr. Saul Miller wrote a wonderful little book in 1990. I encourage you to read it if you want to feel freer, lighter, more alive and at ease.

Each of us has a personal connection to an unlimited supply of energy.

With each breath relax and breath in some of that energy.

Focus on drawing in power.

The outbreath will look after itself.

From: Dr. Saul Miller - A Little Relaxation: on being more alive & at ease.

Zen is a practice, psychology, religion, and way of life. I have read Zen books and articles for over 30 years ranging from the poetic and peaceful insights of Thich Nhat Hahn to the raw zen of Chuck Norris.

To practice Zen is to be engaged.

Here is a short excerpt from Thich Nhat Hahn’s, Peace is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life. I have reread this book a number of times over the years and it remains a classic on how to live mindfully. When we are more mindful we are more engaged. I loved his statement that there is no way to peace, peace is the way.

Perhaps there is no way to engagement, engagement is the way.

From Peace is Every Step:

Twenty-Four Brand-New Hours

Every morning, when we wake up, we have twenty-four brand-new hours to live. What a precious gift! We have the capacity to live in a way that these twenty-four hours will bring peace, joy, and happiness to ourselves and others.

Peace is present right here and now, in ourselves and in everything we do and see. The question is whether or not we are in touch with it. We don’t have to travel far away to enjoy the blue sky. We don’t have to leave our city or even our neighborhood to enjoy the eyes of a beautiful child. Even the air we breathe can be a source of joy.

We can smile, breathe, walk, and eat our meals in a way that allows us to be in touch with the abundance of happiness that is available. We are very good at preparing to live, but not very good at living. We know how to sacrifice ten years for a diploma, and we are willing to work very hard to get a job, a car, a house, and so on. But we have difficulty remembering that we are alive in the present moment, the only moment there is for us to be alive. Every breath we take, every step we make, can be filled with peace, joy, and serenity. We need only to be awake, alive in the present moment.

In future percolators I will offer you some more percolated cups of Zengagement.

Perk Ups

1. Wake up with engagement. Can you see your life and your work as a gift?
2. How engaged are you in reading this article or has your mind wandered off to the next task, link, or thought? Spend more moments not just mere moments in being exactly where you are and nowhere else.

Photo Credit: Random Zen-Like Art by http://flickr.com/photos/cameradawktor/222328905/

Technorati Tags : employee engagement, zen, Thich Nhat Hahn, David Zinger

Engaging our jobs intelligently and without resistance does not require that we redefine our entire approach to our livelihood. We can engage our jobs sanely and openly without giving up on success or disregarding our feelings or ambitions. What is required is surprisingly ordinary: simply to be who we are where we are, to subtly shift from getting somewhere fast to being somewhere completely. By taking such an approach, we discover not only a larger view of work but also a basic truth about being human: by genuinely being ourselves in the present moment, we naturally become alert, open, and unusually skillful.

From Michael Carroll

Awake at Work, page 7.

They vastness between engagement and disengagement:

Work generally takes up a third of the time available for living. Work is a strange experience: it provides some of the most intense and satisfying moments, it gives a sense of pride and identity, yet it is something most of us are glad to avoid…84 percent of American men and 77 percent of women say they would continue to work even if they inherited enough money so they no longer needed a job…when people are signaled at work they endorse the item “I wish I was doing something else” more than at any other time of the day.

From Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life,

Chapter 4 - The Paradox of Work.

What do you think?

A promise made is a debt unpaid.  ~Robert Service

Perhaps you participated in a values clarification exercise or you tried to apply your organizational values. Maybe you created a lengthy list of your personal values. After you played the training game, studied the organizational values or wrote your list — what did you do then? For many people this was where a focus on values both started and stopped.

Get value from personal values by transforming them into promises.

I just finished reading Mike Morrison’s: The Other Side of the Card: Where Your Authentic Leadership Story Begins. It is a short yet excellent book. I found the book fully engaging.

Here is a testimony to how engaging the book was —I was reading it on a plane coming home. The plane landed — you know the drill — everyone leaps up and waits to get off.  I was one of the last people off of the plane even though I was sitting near the front because I was so engrossed in the book I didn’t realize everyone had exited. I was still flying with the concepts from Mike Mossison’s book.

I highly recommend Mike’s book. One section that really stuck with me was to recast values as promises. Morrison said: Personal values are the promises we make to ourselves and others.

I encourage you to reflect on your values. Once you are clear on a few key personal values change the word value into promise. Do you keep your promises?

Here is my promise:

I promise to engage in work and connect with others as I ignite engagement and connection in them.

Get engaged:

1. Read Mike Morrison’s book and learn to leverage the other side of your business card.
2. Be a card. Flip over a business card and use the “white space” on the back of the card to write out your most important promise. Make it your business to value your promises and promise your values.
3. If you are a leader, I highly recommend visiting The Other Side of The Card website and requesting the free download on Icebreakers and Exercises Mike offers as a guide for leaders at all levels.

Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future, making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible.  ~Hannah Arendt

This site is devoted to the principles, practices, lessons, ideas, news, and tips involving engagement in the workplace and personal engagement. It will be the first site you will visit if you are interested in engagement. The site will help you assess engagement in the workplace, examine what organizations can do to build full work engagement, learn the role leaders play in enhancing engagement, and learn valuable lessons in becoming more fully engaged.

Today’s key point is from Patricia Madson’s book, Improv Wisdom. I love this short book packed full of wisdom and tips to transfer wisdom from improvisational theatre into everyday living. Patricia’s fourth maxim is: start anywhere.

To be honest, I was searching for the perfect way to begin this site. I thought about outlining Gallup’s contribution to engagement. I considered a lengthy discussion of how to define engagement. I thought of outlining the costs of disengagement. I thought perhaps I should begin with the metrics of engagement. Or I could start with a discussion of the differences and similarities between engagement and motivation. I became so reflective on how to start the site that I did not start it. Patricia begins her fourth maxim with this powerful quotation from the diary of Anne Frank:

How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment; we can start now, start slowly changing the world! How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make their contribution toward introducing justice straightaway…And you can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness!

Get Engaged

• How would you define engagement?

• How engaged are you?

• What can you start right now to strengthen engagement for yourself and others?

• What would you like to learn from this site?