Fri, July 09, 2010 - 3:04:07

Michael Scott Can’t Teach You Much About Management, but Steve Carell Can.

Last week, The Office star Steve Carell announced he would leave his role as Scranton branch manager Michael Scott at the end of next season. Although his character’s management style can teach the rest of us little about the keys to success in the business world, it turns out the actor actually can. In a recent New Yorker interview, Tad Friend explains that many of Carell’s professional achievements are due to the actor’s immense talent, but his career success can also be attributed to his reputation as one of the industry’s nicest guys.

Friend writes, “Off-camera, Carell holds doors, waits in line, always has a friendly word, and never calls attention to himself.” As an actor who has made a name in Hollywood by becoming an indispensible member of ensemble casts performing largely improvisational comedies, Carell has used NICE to build relationships on and off stage.

In fact, the simple characteristic of being nice lends itself perfectly to Carell’s improvisational, team-centric brand of comedy—and surprisingly you can apply many of the rules of improv (as outlined by the Pan Theater’s David Alger) to your advantage in the business world.

Don’t block: The first rule of improv is to say “yes and…” which allows the scene to progress, instead of “no,” which breaks the actors’ natural flow. The same holds true in business, where we believe you can “yes your way to the top” even when what you really want to say is no. The key is to find something else to say yes to. For example: A computer-phobic coworker always asks you to help spiff up his presentations. Although you are happy to help, it’s eating into your time. So, instead of giving him an outright no, say yes by offering up a great online tutorial that showed you how to become a techno whiz.

Focus on the here and now: One of the most important rules of improv is to pay close attention to everything that is going on around you. That means listening carefully and taking note of people’s body language and subtle facial gestures. In comedy, doing so can help you get a laugh; in business it can help you make a deal.

Concentrate on characters and relationships: In improv, one of the best ways to change the tone of a scene is to concentrate on the relationships between characters. In business, focusing on the relationships coworkers have with each other can transform an office from a place of contention to a place of collaboration, which can lead to increased productivity—and profitability.

Posted by Linda and Robin