Let’s face it, being a Product Manager is a tough job. Every day can bring new, unexpected challenges: Maybe it’s a new defect in your product, or you have an unhappy client, or maybe your developers just told you that really important feature is going to take 6 months to build. Those are the days when Happy Hour can’t come soon enough.
I was looking for a new activity to take on in my free time over a year ago, and decided to sign up for an Improv course at The Second City in Chicago. I thought it would be fun, with the hope it might help me with my public speaking skills. 15 months later, I have completed their Improv program, performed in numerous shows, and have developed a taste for comedy sketch writing. Little did I know I was stepping into a new hobby that has done wonders for my professional life.
Here are a few areas where Improv can help you become a better Product Manager:
Improv helps you become a better listener
Deep listening is crucial to be a successful improviser. Names, places, and relationships are all being made up during an improv scene. An improviser needs to listen carefully to everything being said so a scene can have continuity. It can be really awkward if one player starts saying they are at a rodeo, and the other player responds by saying they’re a pirate on a ship. It doesn’t make sense and you start losing the audience.
Those listening skills become really important as a Product Manager. Developers may present you a compelling explanation about the feasibility of a feature that could affect product direction. Sales may be describing a potential new feature that could be a business growth opportunity. Listening closely to end-users will help build understanding of the problem they are really having, and help avoid building exactly what they asked for. (Which we know can be exactly what they don’t really need.) I have found my listening skills have improved and allowed me to focus on the problem space to develop a better solutions.
Improv helps you go with the flow
By it’s nature, everything is made up on the fly while improvising. There are no lines to memorize, scripts to read, or stage directions to follow. An improviser can’t control what someone is going to say. However, what they can control is how they respond to what is happening in the scene. Thinking quickly and responding to the unexpected, instead of pausing or freezing, can lead to some funny and compelling moments that will keep an audience engaged.
In my first Product Management role, I realized pretty quickly how much was out of my control in developing products. I could plan all I wanted, but I wasn’t writing the code, determining the corporate strategy, or updating regulations. I found a lot of success in the role came from how I responded to those unexpected situations. The improv lessons helped me embrace the unexpected, and allowed me to go with the flow to keep the product development moving in the right direction.
“Yes, and…”
“Yes, and…” is the classic line that is taught early in improv classes. At it’s core, the line is meant to acknowledge what your teammate said or did, and then to build on it. This acknowledgement leads to a more continuous and compelling scene. Going back to the pirate example, giving a “no” back to a teammate and going a new direction can cause the audience to be confused and lose interest. Worse, the trust is lost between teammates on stage.
As a Product Manager, I will not pretend I have all the answers. In fact, I encourage all of my teammates to speak up and share their ideas with me. My Support and Services team has shared client feedback that helped me avoid releasing a feature that would have not been used. My QA testers have come to me and explain a requirement I had written would have broken the workflow in a different part of the application. My developers have offered suggestions that improved the solution I was working on and delighted clients. If I didn’t listen and “Yes, and…” my teammates, I would not have near the amount of success I have had in my product work.
Improv makes you a better teammate
Improv is not stand-up comedy, it’s a team activity. The best improv teams will work together as a team to provide a fun and interesting show. It is noticeable to an audience when someone is trying to take over the show, and it ruins the energy for everyone. One of my instructors would hammer home that everyone in an ensemble should like each other to put on successful show. It’s meant to be fun! And it’s hard to have fun if you aren’t getting along with other members of the ensemble.
All of those skills I listed above: listening, going with the flow, and “Yes, and…” will make you a better teammate and more of a joy to work with. As a Product Manager, I rely heavily on my soft skills to influence and motivate my teammates to make sure the right solution is built for our clients. Throwing my ego around or getting frustrated does not serve me well, and frankly, no one wants to work with that. I have worked with insecure or egotistical PMs in the past, and have found it just drains the motivation of the development and design teams.
A former manager of mine once told me, “Friends build products, co-workers write requirements.” I have found a lot of truth in this statement in my career, and I continue let my improv experience help me grow as a team player.
Finally, it’s just a lot of fun!
I’m not going to tell you that you need to take an improv class to be a successful Product Manager. That’s a little silly.
I will say, that it has been a ton of fun and I have made plenty of new friends on this journey. I have grown both personally and professionally and I would highly recommend it for anyone.
In fact, I recommend you “Yes, and…” my suggestion…
“There are no mistakes, only opportunities.” — Tina Fey