Nick Sirianni’s Improv Playbook: The Blueprint for a Championship Team

What the 2024/25 Super Bowl Champions can teach us about team dynamics and leadership

When you think of Nick Sirianni, head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t improv. But if you take a closer look at how he’s built one of the most dynamic teams in the NFL, you’ll see that he’s (maybe unknowingly) been using the core principles of improv to create a culture of trust, adaptability, and excellence. And that’s exactly why the Eagles aren’t just a collection of talented athletes—they’re Super Bowl champions

To be clear, I don’t know Sirianni from Adam. I’ve never met him, never been in the same room as him, and never got into a back-and-forth with him on the sidelines.

But I do know teams. I know what creates effective teams and drives authentic collaboration and from my view (albeit through a tv screen and car radio), Coach Siranni is implementing a playbook similar to those that we use with companies and organizations on a regular basis. 

Three years ago, when Sirianni was hired, the narrative in the media was harsh. Journalists and talking heads were critical of his non-traditional approach to coaching. He was using metaphors of watering gardens and celebrating Rock, Paper, Scissor tournaments (fun fact, we begin most workshops with a similar tournament). As the world critical of Sirianni’s style of leadership because it didn’t feel familiar and fit a mold they had come to expect, I was sitting back and waiting for these roots to take hold and this garden to grow.  And here we are…

So, let’s break it down. Here’s how Sirianni’s leadership mirrors the principles of applied improvisation, the same principles we live by at Unscripted Productions.

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Radical Acceptance and Contribution

Improv starts with saying "Yes, and..."—radically accepting what’s in front of you and building on it. Sirianni doesn’t walk into the locker room demanding players fit his mold. He embraces who they are and finds ways to maximize their strengths. Look at how he tailored the offense to Jalen Hurts’ unique skill set rather than forcing a system that didn’t fit. Offensive Coordinator, Kellen Moore, deserves credit here, too. That’s radical acceptance in action. From the outset, Sirianni and his staff had no interest in forcing a system. They focus instead on understanding the specific talent they had (acceptance) and then creating an environment around that talent to empower it to thrive (contribution). Even more contribution? That’s every player knowing their role and showing up ready to give their best because they know they’re valued.

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Make Your Team Look Good

In improv, your job isn’t to be the star—it’s to make your scene partner shine. That philosophy is at the heart of Sirianni’s coaching. The Eagles thrive because the players buy into a team-first mentality. Whether it’s the offensive line giving Hurts extra time in the pocket, or wide receivers making key blocks to extend a run play, everyone is invested in making each other look good. That’s why you rarely see finger-pointing when things go wrong. Instead, you see accountability and a collective effort to improve. Almost every interview in the past two weeks and post-game witnessed players shining light on their teammates and drawing attention to collective success. No one wanted the spotlight unless their team was beside them.

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Make Offers and Accept Gifts (with Authentic Gratitude)

A successful improv scene is built on offers (or gifts)—ideas and actions that move the story forward. And when a teammate gives you something, you don’t reject it; you run with it. Sirianni has fostered an environment where players aren’t afraid to speak up, suggest adjustments, or challenge each other.

AJ Brown is probably the best example of this. Think of how many times the media tried to paint a narrative of toxicity around Brown. They even completely misunderstood him reading a book on the sideline and tried to turn it into defiance. Last night, we saw Brown frustrated after a blown play due to miscommunication. He was fired up. He and Siranni were jawing back and forth. Majority reaction to that moment, “Ohhh here he goes. What a selfish player.” A more accurate response: “Look at how much psychological safety exists on this team. There is healthy space for people to get frustrated and be human.” And what happens a few plays later? AJ Brown scores a touchdown. 

Sirianni doesn’t just listen to the voices around him—he integrates these contributions into the team’s strategy, showing authentic gratitude by giving credit where it’s due.

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Mistakes are Fumbles; Fumbles are Opportunities

At Unscripted Production, football has inspired our use of “fumbles” instead of “mistakes” in our language. In improv, there are no mistakes—only unexpected gifts. That’s exactly how Sirianni approaches setbacks. Take the last season, for example. The Eagles endured a historic collapse at the end of the season as the limped into the playoffs and exited in the first round.

So what did Sirianni do? He went to school on that experience (fumble). He focused on missed opportunities during that stretch and then looked at what opportunities existed moving forward. The team made some changes in order to amplify the leaders who were focused on the team. He leaned into the team’s strengths, he looked in the mirror and focused on his own strengths and weaknesses. He gave up play-calling to allow him to tap into his actual superpowers: team chemistry, creativity, empowerment, etc. 

We saw it again week 5 of this year. The team was 2-2 going into the bye week. And how did they spend that week “off?” Self-assessment. Where were the fumbles and how do they become opportunities? They changed their strategy to focus on the run, they put players in better positions to succeed, they healed some injuries and went on a 10 win stretch.

Rather than dwelling on failures, Sirianni treats them as learning experiences, helping the team bounce back stronger. Just like in improv, the key is embracing the fumble and using it as an opportunity to create something even better.

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Bring a Brick, We’ll Build the Cathedral Together

Great teams—and great improv scenes—aren’t built instantly. They’re the result of everyone showing up, day after day, bringing their authentic selves and their best. Sirianni doesn’t demand perfection; he asks for effort. The team spends countless hours in practice working on the fundamentals– punching out the football, two handed catches, securing the ball before making a move. Why? Because you can’t build a cathedral without bricks. You can’t create a Super Bowl Champion team with all the shine and none of the substance. 

Each practice, each rep, each game is another brick in the cathedral. The Eagles’ success isn’t about one superstar—it’s about the collective commitment to growth. When everyone buys in, the result is something bigger than any individual: a championship-caliber team.

In Nick Siranni’s world, everyone knows their gifts. No one spends time wishing they had someone else’s gifts, they focus on their own. They strengthen their own and then they focus on how those gifts can stand alongside a teammate’s gifts so that a foundation is created for others to stand firmly supported by the gifts around them. 

This is the epitome of selflessness, it is the definition of the 2024/25 Philadelphia Eagles, and it is the blueprint for success. 

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The Takeaway

Nick Sirianni might not be studying improv exercises in his free time, but his leadership style is a masterclass in the principles that make improv (and great teams) work. By embracing radical acceptance, making teammates look good, encouraging contributions, reframing mistakes, and committing to the long game, he’s created a culture where players don’t just perform—they thrive.

So, whether you’re leading a team on the field, in the office, or anywhere else, take a page from Sirianni’s (and Unscripted’s) playbook. The best teams aren’t just built on talent—they’re built on trust, adaptability, and a shared commitment to something bigger than themselves.

And if you want to see how these principles can transform your own team dynamics, well…you know where to find us.

The Improv Advantage: How Applied Improvisation Builds High-Performing Teams

In a recent study conducted by Ron Friedman and ignite80, researchers found that only 8.7% of teams qualify as high-performing, with trust-building behaviors being the key differentiator. Essentially, trust is the secret sauce of high-performing teams. The study highlighted five key identifiers that were consistent among these high-performing teams. The researchers noted that teams that displayed trust:

• Were intentionally collaborative

• Were proactive in sharing information

• Were able to share credit among multiple team members

• Engaged in productive disagreement

• Were proactive and creative in addressing tension and resolving conflict

  
  

But here's what's fascinating: this list of identifiers reads like a lesson plan for an improv class. Applied improvisation – the intentional application of improv principles to business (and other) settings – offers a structured yet playful pathway to developing these crucial team behaviors.

Let's look at each of the five key behaviors identified in high-performing teams and explore how applied improvisation serves as a blueprint for cultivating these behaviors on your team:

Intentional Collaboration

High-performing teams don't leave collaboration to chance. Perhaps the most significant skill gleaned from an applied improvisation workshop is collaboration. Participants are introduced to a "yes, and" style of creation that makes space for all ideas to be heard and cultivates an incubator where the best ideas can be collectively nurtured and rise to the top.

Proactive Information Sharing

High-performing teams maintain transparency without managerial prompting. In improv, this behavior is cultivated through the principle of "make your partner look good." Improvisers quickly learn that success comes from the continued sharing of necessary information. When business teams practice improv exercises, they develop a heightened awareness of what information others need to succeed and build habits of proactive communication.

Credit Sharing

The research shows that elite teams naturally distribute recognition. In our team dynamics workshops, participants are led through a series of "energizers" that highlight the value of spotlighting the people around you versus craving the spotlight for yourself. Applied improvisation dismantles the notion that we can be good at everything and that everything is "for us." It allows team members to focus on their specific knowledge and skills in a way that serves the entire team. Unscripted's workshops unpack this concept in our principle, "Bring a brick; we'll build the cathedral together."

Productive Disagreement

High-performing teams view disagreement as a path to better decisions rather than a threat to relationships. Improv training uniquely prepares teams for this mindset through exercises that teach "embracing failure" and "finding the game." When teams learn to treat challenges as offers and practice turning constraints into creative opportunities, they develop resilience and adaptability in the face of conflict.

Proactive Tension Resolution

Elite teams take initiative in addressing interpersonal tension. Applied improvisation builds this capability through exercises that require immediate adaptation to unexpected situations. The improv principle of "be changed by what happens" teaches teams to address tension in real-time and view relationship maintenance as an ongoing, active process.

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Beyond Individual Behaviors

What makes applied improvisation particularly powerful is that it doesn't just teach these behaviors – it creates an environment where practicing them feels natural and enjoyable. Through structured and intentional participation in myriad activities and exercises, teams experience the immediate rewards of trust-building behaviors rather than just intellectually understanding their importance. This is one of the many things that sets Unscripted's team dynamics program apart from traditional "team-building" activities and training programs. While throwing axes can be fun and an escape room is exhilarating, the value diminishes the minute the event is over. A communication, collaboration, or leadership seminar might be educational, but there is no application. An applied improvisation workshop for team dynamics has lasting impact. The skills, concepts, and mindset developed over the course of a workshop go back to the office with you.

Consider a typical applied improv session: Teams might participate in an exercise where they collaboratively tell a story one word at a time. To succeed, participants must:

• Actively listen to others

• Share leadership dynamically

• Make quick decisions while considering the group's needs

• Address mistakes with humor and resilience

• Build upon others' contributions

  
  

These same behaviors, when transferred to the workplace, create the foundation for high-performing teams.

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The ROI of Improv

While some might question whether "playing games" is the best use of valuable time, the research is clear: high-performing teams don't emerge by chance. They're built through intentional practice of specific behaviors. Applied improvisation offers a unique advantage by making this practice engaging and memorable rather than another theoretical framework to be forgotten.

As organizations continue seeking ways to develop high-performing teams, applied improvisation offers a proven methodology that directly addresses the behaviors that matter most. Through structured play and guided reflection, teams don't just learn about effective collaboration – they experience it, embody it, and ultimately transform it into their default way of working together.

This blog was written with AI editing assistance

Order In Chaos: Improv and the Scattered Brain

I’ve been grappling, recently, with a self-diagnosis of adult ADHD (or ADD because… nothing hyperactive over here). Most of it began with a social media algorithm finding me and then attacking me relentlessly. My phone's microphone was likely eavesdropping as Ted Lasso was telling me to be like a goldfish because they have short attention spans. Nonetheless, I bit at the social media bait.

I took a series of online quizzes, read articles on my news feeds, took more quizzes, and started to become more convinced that I likely was dealing with ADHD and had been for most of my life. 

Bittersweet Balance

I was equal parts concerned and relieved. 

Concerned because any new diagnosis can be unsettling and the uncertainty of treatment, if any, is daunting. I called to schedule an appointment with my primary to discuss but it is 2024 so… wait time is approximately 2-4 years.

I was also relieved, though. Some clarity hadn’t existed before. Habits, behaviors, and tendencies began to make sense under the new lens of ADHD. Weirdly, I felt seen. Things I had always written off as shortcomings and laziness, now actually had an explanation. I now had a better understanding of why:

• I continue to throw my once-worn clothes on a chair that sits immediately between both my closet and hamper

• I start big idea projects and rarely finish them

• I work on upwards of ten things at once

• I leave kitchen cabinets open

• I struggle to schedule appointments and meetings

• I struggle to remember appointments and meetings that I do schedule

• I have a terrible memory

• I have a difficult time processing, connecting, and compartmentalizing my thoughts 

• Organizing my time is nearly impossible and then I get overwhelmed because I don’t have enough time

• I procrastinate

• I inadvertently ghost people

• I avoid and/or cancel too often

• At any given point, I have upwards of 30 browser windows open

This is my Brain

I recently explained my brain to my wife this way: 

Imagine you are working in a grocery store and there’s an end-cap of cans that need to be organized so that the labels all face the same way. You begin adjusting all of the cans and they look amazing but every time you get to the end of one row, you look back and all of the labels are scrambled again. That is my brain. The can’s are ideas. I can see every ideas and I know what it is. I even know what direction it needs to go in and how it needs to connect with all of the ideas around it. The more progress I make, though, in organizing those ideas… the less and less I can see the connections. The more frustrated and hopeless I end up becoming. 

Now, at the age of 41, I feel so far behind. I got by on so many things… mostly luck. I now wonder where I could have been and what else I could have accomplished if either 1) my brain worked differently or 2) I had built up the skills to understand the unique way my brain does work. 

At the same time, I don’t dismiss the reality that most, if not all, of my life’s adventures have come as a result of my big idea focus, my lack of concern for the details, and my uninhibited willingness to explore, take chances, and a journey toward destinations that are complete unclear and unknown. 

This is my Brain on Improv

So often, when I receive feedback from students and have conversations around improv and what brought them to improv, a similar phrase comes up, “It’s therapy for me. Only cheaper.”

I feel that.

Improv continues to be a force for good in my world. It serves almost as a portal of escape while simultaneously grounding me completely in reality. It allows me windows of time to leave my insecurities behind, to step away from the neurosis and distractions. In addition, when I am improvising or teaching improv, the chaos makes sense… the cans’ labels line up. 

This is not a unique or groundbreaking insight. Improv is often described as making order of chaos and, in doing so, is seen as a reflection of life.

As improvisers train, learn, and rehearse two things that they are taught to identify are 1) patterns and 2) the game of the scene. 

In short (and at risk of completely diminishing the complexity of improv as a skill and art), the game of the scene is the unusual, foolish, strange, or even unique that presents itself as a scene develops. Patterns, on the other hand, are just that… the repetitions of phrases, choices, gestures, etc. that begin building structure and consistency to a scene. 

So, improvisers – like humans – are living in the unusual (chaos) while finding the patterns (order) that allow the scene (life) to thrive.

And Chaos Ensues

For now, I still await an appointment with my primary and a potential ADHD diagnosis from an actual medical professional. The plan of treatment will remain unknown. In the meantime, though, I happily fill my prescription of regular doses of improvisation and order amidst the chaos.