I go to elementary school during the week and make up things with my friends on the weekends. Maybe I should clarify. I’m an adult. I am a principal at an elementary school and I also perform with the improv group Four Day Weekend.
I have been both an educator and a comedian for more than 20 years. When I first started in those professions, I thought I needed to keep them separate. Over time, I noticed my comedy beginning to seep into my education style. Once I became a school leader, I realized that applying the tenets of improvisation didn’t detract from leadership but rather strengthened it.
The longer I have lived in both worlds, the more I have realized that the skills that make a strong improviser are often the same skills that make an effective school leader. Listening carefully, building on the ideas of others, supporting the people around you, and knowing when a moment of humor can ease tension all play a role in both environments.
In this biweekly column, principals and other authorities on school leadership—including researchers, education professors, district administrators, and assistant principals—offer timely and timeless advice for their peers.
One of the foundational principles of improvisation is a concept known as “yes, and.” The theory is that no idea is a bad one. What is said on stage is accepted and then built on by first agreeing (the yes) and then building on that idea (the and).
I found out early on in my administrative career that saying no is rarely the best answer off the stage, either. In my first year as an assistant principal, a teacher approached me after the first day of school and suggested we reorganize the bus line for a smoother release at the end of the day.
I had already developed a new system and had rearranged those bus signs numerous times in an effort to get them just right. So I said no. Not for any particular reason other than I had worked on it enough and didn’t want to deal with it anymore.
But when the teacher explained why he thought his system might work better, I did the second most important thing to do in improvisation. I listened. And you know what? He was right. We made the change. It worked better.
That moment stuck with me. In improv, saying “no” stops a scene’s momentum immediately. The energy stops, and the scene has nowhere to go. Perhaps more importantly, the scene partner you just said no to feels shut down and becomes less likely to bring more ideas to the table if that person doesn’t feel supported.
The same thing can happen in schools. When leaders respond to ideas with an immediate no, the conversation ends before it ever has a chance to develop. Sometimes, the idea truly can’t be fleshed out or it’s not the right time, but starting with “No” guarantees that nothing new can grow from the moment.
A “yes, and” mindset approaches things differently. It acknowledges what someone has offered and looks for ways to build on it. Instead of asking, “Why won’t this work?,” the leader begins asking, “How can we make this work?” That small shift invites collaboration and signals to teachers and staff that their ideas are valued.
Another principle of improvisation is simple but powerful: Make your partner look good. On stage, an improv scene rarely succeeds because of one performer trying to steal the spotlight. It definitely doesn’t empower the performers around you. The best scenes happen when performers actively support one another. That might mean setting up a partner for a laugh, reinforcing an idea they introduced, or helping guide the scene so everyone looks successful.
Leadership in schools works much the same way. Effective leaders are not trying to be the most visible or the most celebrated person in the room. They aren’t trying to show they are the smartest. Instead, they are constantly looking for ways to help the people around them succeed. When teachers feel supported and trusted, they are far more willing to take risks, try new strategies, and bring their creativity into the classroom.
In improv, performers know that when they help their partner shine, the entire scene becomes better. In schools, when leaders focus on helping teachers succeed, the entire learning environment improves. Leadership becomes less about directing every moment and more about creating the conditions where others can thrive.
The lessons I have learned on stage have made me a better leader. I laugh a lot at school and tend to find humor in almost everything. That doesn’t mean I don’t know when to be serious. A performer has to know their audience and have a strong sense of timing, and I have spent years honing those abilities. We want schools to be fun, happy, creative places for students, but it is just as important that the adults experience that environment as well. As it turns out, some of the best lessons in leadership begin the same way every great improv scene does, with two simple words: “yes, and.”
