Fake Collaboration: An Improv and Workplace No-No
TBD The Improvised Musical
February 2025
In improv, there's a fun theory that every performer falls into one of three categories: Pirate, Robot, or Ninja. Pirates bring bold ideas and high energy, Robots follow logic and structure, and Ninjas adapt, making choices that best serve the scene and overall show.
There's a lot to talk about there, but here I want to focus on the improv Pirate. While new ideas and energy are necessary to any good improv show, many Pirates also have the tendency to push their own agendas forward. They may ignore input from their scene partners, or ignore details established in previous scenes when they don’t fit their personal vision for the show. When working with a Pirate, teammates are often forced to jump aboard their runaway train (ship?) just to keep the show moving. This fake collaboration often results in missed opportunities, distrusting teammates, and crappy shows.
Early in my career I realized the effect of fake collaborators in the workplace. I managed an amazing team of customer support representatives at Uber. One day, a senior colleague approached me about using my team for a special project and said he "wanted to know my thoughts." Excited to collaborate, I agreed to a chat. But after hearing the details, I quickly realized the project wasn’t a good fit. It involved soliciting (where it wasn’t allowed), working outdoors in winter, and operating outside my team's normal hours. I politely declined and explained my reasoning, assuming that was the conversation he was asking for.
Then something odd happened. He ignored my reasoning and reiterated why he wanted the project to happen. I acknowledged his points and restated my concerns, trying to be clearer. But he continued to press forward, disregarding my input. Finally, it clicked. He wasn’t really asking for my thoughts.
"You’re not actually asking for my opinion, are you?" I said.
"No," he admitted. He was pulling rank.
"I see. I'll get them scheduled."
Even years later, I still feel a pang of frustration when I think about that exchange. Not only was the conversation confusing, and inefficient, I was impacted by the hurtful dismissal of my real life scene partner. An unexpected Pirate. Then, when I was right and the project was wholly ineffective, and my team ended up feeling alienated by being pressured to do the work no one else was willing to do, I was angry and distrustful. The anger quickly faded, but the distrust didn't. Business continued as usual with that senior manager, but often with caution instead of the eagerness that was once there.
My colleague likely thought he was doing the right thing by saying he wanted my thoughts. But in practice, fake collaboration was more hurtful than helpful. Just like in improv, pushing your own agenda at work, without a willingness to truly collaborate leads to distrusting teammates, and missed opportunities.
Looking back, that experience was a powerful lesson. In improv, when we truly listen and work together, we create stronger, more engaging shows. At work, especially in leadership, when we openly collaborate, we foster respect, and a more functional workplace. The good news? True collaboration is a skill that can be learned and practiced, and when we commit to it, we make everything, our teams, our performance, and our relationships, stronger.
