Can two little words change your career forever?

Yes… and… here’s why…

Improvisational theatre, or improv for short, is a form of live theater.

In this setting, the plot, characters, and dialogue of a game, scene, or story are made up in the moment.

What you are watching on stage is created spontaneously by the performers.

The most important rule of improv is: 

“Yes, and …”

It’s the fundamental pillar of successful improvisation.

Everything is created on the spot during improv. It’s imperative to say “yes” to whatever your fellow actors bring to the table. Then, “add on” to it.

If you are not listening to your scene partner, you are missing most of the scene. Thus, you won’t be successful.

“Yes, and” reverses the common “no but” thinking. It improves creativity and collaboration.

What does improv have to do with my career, and how can it change my job?

Your career can benefit from the principle of “yes, and.”

Saying “yes, and” can help remind you that each moment in your career is a choice. Each moment in life is also a choice.

You are reacting to what comes at you every second, every day.

It’s the small moments in your career and life that add up to a lifetime of moments.

• Every new project signifies a moment in time.
• Every new idea is a choice.
• Each relationship presents an opportunity for you to say “yes” or “no” to them.

If you say “no” to something or someone, you will inhibit your ability to collaborate and innovate.

However, if you say “yes, and,” you create trust, creative juices start flowing, and collaboration improves with your colleagues.

Why “yes and” works

Personal and professional growth requires taking risks by saying “yes” to things.

In today’s hyper-connected world, success and personal development drive innovation.

To be innovative, a company should be nimble enough to adapt quickly to disruptive change.

Innovation can happen when everyone in the company is committed to personal growth.

It only happens when employees at a company are constantly growing and changing. They take on challenging assignments. They learn new skills and build on new ideas.

“Yes, and” can open doors and create opportunities.

It can change your career.

Opportunity sometimes knocks gently, and it doesn’t wait for the right timing. When you say “no” to others, you shut down progress and innovation.

“Yes, and” opens up positive possibilities and invites your colleagues to partner with you. It fosters collaboration and growth.

People will be attracted to you by your willingness to say “yes, and.” The idea of “yes, and” may seem simple to you.

Words have power

“Success is simple, but isn’t easy because it demands execution, not intentions.”

— Orrin Woodward, New York Times best-selling author

Try saying “yes, and” for a while. You’ll see it is hard to carry out, and you can slip back to the default of “but.”

The word “and” feels very different from the word “but.”

When we say the word “but” in a sentence, we are invalidating everything we said before the word “but.”

No matter how positively we said something before the word “but,” people will concentrate on what you said afterward.

They will most often forget what you said before the word “but.”

Successful people ask themselves: “How can I say ‘yes, and’ to this?”

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Transform your career with a ‘yes, and’ mindset

Let’s dive into 10 reasons why “yes, and” will help you change your career.

1. You say “yes” to excellent opportunities

“Yes, and” will help you see the value in different options more often than you did before.

“If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you are not sure you can do it, say yes. Then learn how to do it later.”

— Richard Branson, an English business magnate, investor, author and philanthropist

The word “yes” is inviting. It’s empowering. You want to do more when you say “yes.” You’ll create more.

Most importantly, you’ll live more. If you say “yes” to a new project at work, it can take you out of your comfort zone. This can help you grow your career in a new way.

You’ll never know where that new project will take you and your career.

Looking back 10 or 20 years later, you’ll thank yourself.

That “stretch” project took you outside of your comfort zone. It all started with saying “yes” to more things.

2. Listening skills

When you say “yes, and” to others, you’ll listen more deeply, more fully, and more actively.

As work becomes more collaborative and interactive, learning better ways of incorporating other people’s ideas is increasingly important.

Instead of squashing your colleagues’ suggestions when you disagree, challenge yourself to use the “yes, and” approach.

This will help you really listen to what you are saying “yes” to. It will also help you really consider the idea.

Then, you’ll be capable of adding the “and” to it.

Being a good listener is about making others feel heard.

You’ll be capable of communicating more effectively with others because you really listened carefully to their ideas. You took the time.

This leads to better relationships.

This leads to a better understanding of your colleagues and their ideas.

Ultimately, it makes you more effective in the workplace.

3. Brevity

“Yes, and” in improv rewards succinct, direct, and straightforward talk.

Enough said.

4. Empathy

Empathy is the ability to step into another person’s shoes.

It helps you understand the other person’s feelings and perspectives. It will help you guide your own actions.

When you say “yes, and,” you’ll see things from other people’s points of view.

Empathetic people have an intense curiosity about others. Emphatic people find other people more interesting than themselves.

By adopting the “yes, and” approach and mindset, you’ll communicate better and empathize more with others.

“You can only understand people if you feel them in yourself.”

— John Steinbeck, an American author

You’ll ask better and smarter questions.

The “Yes, and” approach will help your colleagues feel they matter and they’re respected.

The hope is that they’ll reciprocate the consideration and adopt a collaborative mindset.

5. Bravery

With a “yes, and” approach, you’ll become more comfortable with people watching you and being brave.

You invite possibilities, the ability to learn what you are capable of, and how far you can go.

“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore.”

— William Faulkner, an American writer

When you freely say yes, you create a risk-tolerant environment. You encourage innovation by trying new things.

You use the successes and failures as learning opportunities.

Just ask Shonda Rhimes, an American TV producer.

“I tried an experiment. For one year, I would say yes to all the things that scared me. Anything that made me nervous, took me out of my comfort zone, I forced myself to say yes to.

Did I want to speak in public? No, but yes. Did I want to be on live TV? No, but yes.

Did I want to try acting? No, no, no, but yes, yes, yes.”

“And a crazy thing happened: the very act of doing the thing that scared me undid the fear, made it not scary.

My fear of public speaking, my social anxiety, poof, gone. It’s amazing, the power of one word. “Yes” changed my life.”

— Shonda Rhimes

You may not be ready to commit to an entire year of “yes, and.” Nonetheless, it can be one of the best decisions you can make for your career. It will change your career forever.

6. Be present

To make “yes, and” work, you must be present.

• You’ll worry less about the future when you are present in the moment.
• You will really enjoy and feel the moment.

Being present is meditation without meditating.

When you are present, you are calm and know what you want.

“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.”

— Alice Morse Earle, an American historian and author

You focus on what you are doing now and don’t think about anything else.

7. Ingrained habits

It becomes second nature when you say “yes, and” often.

You’ll be ready to say yes to things you may not feel prepared for in your career.

Ask American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright Tina Fey.

Her aha! Moment is a powerful story of her ingrained “yes, and” habits.

Here’s a modified excerpt:

“We’re offering you a job here at Saturday Night Live — can you move here within a week?”

“Ummm, yes I can.” — Tina Fey“

You haven’t been here that long. Do you want to move up? Try to be one of the head writers.

“Uhhh, yes, okay, yes, for sure.” — Tina Fey

“Do you wanna do ‘Weekend Update’ with Jimmy [Fallon]?”

“Yes, thank you, of course!” — Tina Fey

“Life is improvisation. All of those [improv] classes were like church to me. The training had seeped into me and changed who I am.” — Tina Fey

The things she learned in her improv classes became part of her life.

They helped her advance in her career at Saturday Night Live.

8. Clearer opinions

You have opinions all the time. With the internet, you can do research online.

You talk to your colleagues and friends, and question facts.

You may not realize your opinions until you ask, “How can I say ‘yes, and’ to this request?”

By using the “yes, and” approach, you’ll become clearer in expressing your opinions.

It will make your opinions more valid, honest, and effective.

9. Self-confidence

Take the opportunity as a compliment. Harness the confidence other people have in you.

Self-confidence is directly linked to success. You’ll have more energy, and your inspiration will come from within.

Every time you express your opinions. Each time you stand for something.

Every time you take a risk and go outside your comfort zone, you build confidence.

“Life is a lot more fun when you say yes! It’s amazing how that one little word can lead you on an incredible adventure.”

— Richard Branson, an English business magnate, investor, and author

Confidence is a fundamental quality of leadership. To build confidence, practice saying “yes, and” to grow the confidence that lives inside you.

10. New perspective

In group meetings, you want to have a feeling of control.

You want to be right.

Saying “no” to others may give your opinions more weight. Yet this may not encourage others in the group to work with you.

By saying “yes, and,” you can hear and see other people’s perspectives.

You’ll be more open, and others will want to work with you. A new perspective will help you abandon your fears.

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.”

— Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple

When you take the “yes, and” approach, you affirm to others that their ideas count.

You show that you are paying attention to them. They matter to you.

You are giving them the “green light” to trust you. This empowers others.

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Bringing it all together

Saying “yes, and” won’t be easy. It will mean moving past your default “no” mentality and pushing yourself outside your comfort zone.

With “yes, and,” you embrace new challenges and face fear head-on.

The key is to use the “yes, and” approach in everything you do.

This mindset is powerful. Just ask Tina Fey.

It will change how you interact with your colleagues and friends, and how you approach your career and life.

“Life is an improvisation.”

— Tina Fey

Try out “yes, and” for a while. See how it can change your relationships. It can transform your work.

Ultimately, it can change your career forever.

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