What's Your Status?

Last night, in improv class, a scene fell off the rails because one of the scene partners did not accept a STATUS offer. The first offer indicated that his character in the scene would be LOW status but he immediately jumped to HIGH status. By not accepting the status, the first offer was blocked and the scene didn't get far.

In thinking about it later that night, it hit me. Like that improv, so much of the problems we have in real-life interactions are due to STATUS issues!

In every good improv - just like life- STATUS comes in to play. You can try to deny it, but, if you're interested in positive communication AND honest you understand that ALL of life's interactions involve a hierarchy -involve STATUS.

In setting out a simple improv scene, let's have a boss (high status) and an employee (low status). Seeing the status SWITCH as the scene progresses becomes fun as we, the audience discover the employee is actually smarter. We watch with glee when the statuses subtly switch as the smart employee outwits the boss. This is great COMEDY -this switch of status. The stuff of great sitcoms and the stuff of great improv.

However, if the status doesn't switch, we have drama. Right? Right! Each character playing their status to the hilt. And drama is closer to real life.

In real-life we continually move between interactions where our status is high and interactions where our status is low. Those who navigate life easily understand this.

Think about it: We all know people who approach each and every interaction by assuming they have the highest status. Those people come across as imperious, aggressive, bossy,  and rude. If/when someone points out their folly -or reveals them to be of lower status than they've taken for themselves, their fall from grace is NOT pretty.

Conversely, we all know people who approach each and every life situation as if they were low status. They come across as weak, ineffectual, and timid. They are the frustrating bosses, the waffling parents, and the indecisive leaders -the people who attempt to defer to them eventually give up in despair.

Where drama (life) and comedy (improv) differ is this: In an improv scene, we start out big, we pick a status to BEGIN the scene with. We understand that we will probably change our status at some point for the comedy of it. In an improv scene, if we start out high status, we understand and WORK in the scene to LOSE status in order to keep the scene funny and entertaining. This approach doesn't work in real-life.

In life, the most self-aware people approach each interaction from neutral status and adapt their status quickly as the situation is revealed to achieve the best possible outcome. Let me repeat that: to achieve the BEST possible outcome.

Those who succeed most in LIFE understand when to GIVE status; when to HONOR those in authority. And when to TAKE status; by giving GRACE to those over which they have authority.

Do you know people who maintain their status no MATTER whether the situation warrants it or not?
Do you know people who gracefully know when to defer and when to lead?
What are YOUR thoughts on status?