Make Others Look Good

A core principle in Improv is to make others look good. Scenes build better when Improvisers talk about someone else in the scene besides themselves. If you help others look good, you’ll look good in return. I find this works in Improv and in business.

While reading my galley copy of THE BIG MOO, I read a brilliant piece about Chevy Chase and Bill Murray which personifies the Make Others Look Good Improv principle.

"Chevy Chase has built his career around two words: “me” and “now.” He was the first Saturday Night Live player to regularly use his name on television (“I’m Chevy Chase … and you’re not.”) and it made him the show’s first star. He as the first to be featured solo in magazines and the first to leave the show for the movies.

Bill Murray was Chevy’s replacement on the show. Bill got off to a very slow start. He hardly ever showed up on television. The writers didn’t want to write for him, because they were comfortable with the stars they already had. Bill suffered for months.

Instead of throwing a tantrum, Bill chose to focus on the rest of the cast. He became friends (or lovers) with many of them, especially Gilda Radner. Over time, he built up a reputation as someone who could be counted on and trusted. When he was on camera, he wasn’t the only one. If he build his career around two words, they were “us” and “later.”

Bill took the same approach to his movie career. The result? Murray’s recent films couldn’t be more different than Chevy’s …"

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Bloody brilliant observation, eh?

Comments

[Railing K]

Ehh.... you're stretching it a bit here, John. What about Robin Williams? If there ever was a "me me me" comedian who rendered others invisible, he's the guy, and his career has as much longevity as anyone. I'd venture to say Bill Murray's second era can largely be attributed to the fact that his looks have softened into lovable, unthreatening mensch-ness. This means he can make out with an 18-year old Scarlett Johannsen without it looking creepy. Let's not pretend there's any business lesson here.

[Adrian Savage]

Even if the show-biz example might be questioned, the point is a good one. Prima donnas abound in the business world, but they're not usually so popular.

Of course, it depends whether popularity is the objective. You could easily argue that prima donnas often deliver results better than team players, mostly because they spend little or no time curbing themselves so they don't show others in a bad light.

In the end, what people do -- and how others judge them -- depends on their personal values. If you value kindness and warm relationships, egotists look like devils. If you value achievement and exceptional ability, egotists are readily excused because of the results they deliver.

[johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)]

Railing K ... Robin Williams is like the MICHAEL JORDAN of comedy. Williams is so good, so talented, and so dang funny he makes 'rules' obsolete. Just like Jordan did in hoops. Williams' comedic skills transcend any and everything. (Soupy Sales’ comedic sales transcend nothing.)

Regarding there not being a business lesson to be learned from the "Make Others Look Good" Improv principle ... question for ya, do you like working with the "me me me" project manager or for the "me me me" boss?

I would rather work with and for someone who is about "us us us" and not about "me me me."

That said, I'd rather have Bill Murray as my boss than Chevy Chase. Dig?

[Patricia Ryan Madson]

The thing to remember is that IMPROVISERS use this rule: "Make your partners look good." COMEDIANS almost by definition aren't interested in this. Most improv groups are looking for players who can collaborate, not simple be funny. This distinction is key. Those, like Chase, who aren't interested in "us" may well make it as stand-ups. They won't thrive in the community of other players. Give me Bill Murray's attitude any day. I agree with John that I'd rather have him as my boss any day.

[Railing K]

I wouldn't want any well-known actor as my boss. And yeah, nobody likes working for a jerk. But we all knew that.

Maybe my real complaint here is how people lap up pretty much anything Seth G throws out there. Much of what he says is very good, some brilliant. But let's just see how far we can take his approach:

"Major League pitcher David Wells has built his career around two words: “me” and “now.” He was a spotlight-grabber on the Yankees, with a taste for nightlife and tabloid pages, claiming he pitched his perfect game drunk. Bernie Williams, on the other hand, has an effective, not-showy style that lifts the whole team. On a ballclub with a famously fickle boss, he has had a strong, decade-plus run, because he makes others look good."

"North Korea has built its international reputation around two words: “me” and “now.” Leader Kim Jong Il is always drawing attention to himself, demanding more from others, and making his partners in multi-party negotiations look bad. Sweden, on the other hand, is well-loved and has long been respected as a team player in the multinational organizations. Sweden is successful because it makes others look good."

Just because he namechecks an actor we all like doesn't mean it's relevant.

[Laura]

Interesting comparison, John, and very true about those two men.

I remember a number of years back, Chevy Chase was filming a movie in a park near my house, and I was walking through. Chevy was taking a break and saw me walking around and came up and said hi. He thought I was trying to get his autograph. But actually, I had no idea who he was - I was only 13 and hadn't been exposed to a lot of movies. When he realized I was not in fact after an autograph, his tone changed and he said condescendingly, "Don't you know who I am?" I remember blushing beet red and stuttering out, "um, no, well, maybe I should, sorry..."

Guess he's always been about "me me me," even if it means embarrassing a young kid.
Which has nothing to do with the business lesson involved here, but it just reminded me of that. I guess the business lesson would be simply that nice guys don't always finish last.

[Jen]

I think that the main idea behind the story is getting lost in semantics. Remove Bill and Chevy and, frankly, Seth Godin, from the equation... and you still have a basic improv principle - make your partner look good. And even more fundamental is HOW one goes about doing that. Good improv, like good business, good advertising, and good relationships, is built around REALLY listening to what is being said around you.
Whoever writes it, and whoever is being used in the example, it boils down to that same pesky respect issue. If your messaging respects your consumers, rather than proclaiming how clever you are... they're just more likely to listen - the respect makes them feel better about your product... which makes you feel better about your bottom line. And in improv, well, respect just makes things a whole lot funnier!

[Śrem]

ha ha huh :)