Have you ever thought about running your business like a Broadway show?
Not in the jazz-hands sense. In the “we perform at a world class level every single night, no matter what breaks, who is missing, or what chaos erupts backstage” sense.
In this episode of Impactful Teamwork, I spoke with Broadway dresser Teri Pruitt, who has worked on iconic shows like Wicked, The Lion King, Miss Saigon and more.
What she shared about backstage life is basically a live masterclass in high performance, trust and teamship.
Here is the blog breakdown of that conversation, and how you can apply Broadway leadership lessons in your business.
1. The Show You Never See: Hidden Teamwork That Makes It All Work
When we watch a Broadway show, we see the stars, the lights, the magic.
What we don’t see is the army behind them.
Dressers, swings, understudies, stage managers, props, set, tech, wardrobe. On Wicked alone, Teri told me there is a 14 person dressing crew, plus swings who cover when others are out.
And here is the kicker.
On almost every performance, the exact same group of people has never done the show together.
Illness. Injuries. Holidays. Life.
Yet the audience still experiences the same standard, the same wow, the same “how on earth do they do that?” show.
Business takeaway:
If your performance depends on a few heroes always being there, you do not have a team, you have a risk.
Ask yourself:
- If three key people were out tomorrow, would the “show” still run at the same standard?
- Is your backstage structure as intentional as your front stage promises?
2. Building Trust Fast With People Who Change Every Night
Most leaders complain about onboarding taking months.
On Broadway, new swings and covers have to be ready to go in a matter of performances, not quarters.
Teri explained how they train:
- First, new dressers shadow and watch.
- Then they run the track while Terry follows them.
- After that, they are on, alone, responsible.
Her line to them is brilliant:
“I’m going to let you stumble, but I’m never going to let you fall.”
That is trust in action. You are allowed to learn, but you are not allowed to fail alone.
Business takeaway:
This is the culture of experimentation we talk about in theory, lived in practice. You cannot develop capable people if you never let them carry the weight.
Reflect:
- Where can you let your team “stumble” safely, while making sure they never hit the floor?
- Are you holding on to work because you do not trust, or because you have not trained?
3. Problem Solving In Real Time: Plan B, C And D
This bit made me laugh and wince at the same time.
Example one:
An actor’s boot zip completely broke in a quick change. He had to go back on stage. No time for repair, no spare that fit. Terry grabbed gaffer tape, taped the boot internally so he could dance safely, then coordinated backstage to source another pair for later in the show.
Example two:
There is a goat character in Wicked who wears a tail. One night he went on without it. The stage manager flagged it. Teri had already created a backup goat tail in a box stage left from a previous incident, so she grabbed it, fixed it, and got back to her original cue on time.
That is not fluffy “be agile” talk. That is real time improvisation built on experience, foresight and systems.
Business takeaway:
Things will break. People will forget. Systems will glitch.
The question is not “how do we prevent anything from ever going wrong?”
The question is “how quickly and gracefully can we recover when it does?”
Try asking:
- Where are the “zipper breaks” in your business that you keep pretending will not happen?
- What are your backup tails, taped boots and plan Bs that mean the client never feels the wobble?
4. From Me To We: Teamship, Not Ego
Backstage on Wicked sounds a lot like a healthy herd to me.
Teri described it this way:
- Everyone knows their role.
- Everyone is watching the whole system, not just their bit.
- If someone is in the wrong place, you “shove with love” to get them safe and in position.
- You might be “responsible mainly for three actors”, yet you see the entire acting company as your responsibility.
Yes, there is hierarchy, there are stage managers and supervisors. But there is also this deep sense of shared responsibility. The show belongs to everyone.
That is pure teamship. Collective accountability.
Not “my department”, “my silo”, “my ego”, but “our performance”.
Business takeaway:
Your team does not need to be nice. They need to be honest, committed and willing to shove with love when something is off.
Consider:
- Are you creating a culture where people can call things out quickly without drama or blame?
- Do people feel responsible only for “their bit”, or for the whole experience you are delivering?
5. Consistency Without Killing Creativity
Wicked has been on Broadway for 22 years.
There are also productions in London, on tour, in Brazil, in Asia, in Australia. Different theatres, different casts, different cultures. Yet if you go to see Wicked in London or New York, the show feels the same.
How?
Because the creative team has:
- Clear scripts, choreography and costume plots.
- Associate directors and choreographers who go out and set up each version of the show.
- A strong footprint that can flex slightly to local constraints, like whether the theatre can take trap doors.
This is the holy grail many businesses are chasing.
Consistency of experience, with space for local adaptation.
Business takeaway:
You cannot scale chaos. You can only scale clarity.
Ask:
- Where do you need a stronger “production bible” for how things are done?
- Where are you over-controlling and killing local innovation, instead of setting guardrails and letting people adapt?
6. Give Them An A: Start From Trust, Not Suspicion
The moment that really landed for me was when Teri talked about trust.
Her advice for leaders was simple and radical:
“Give trust until trust is taken away.”
She linked this to Benjamin Zander’s book The Art of Possibility, and his famous “Give them an A” story. He told his music students they all had an A at the start of the semester, then asked them to live into it.
When you start from suspicion, your people are busy proving they are not untrustworthy. That is a waste of energy.
When you start from trust, you invite their best.
Of course, sometimes trust is broken, and you need boundaries, consequences and hard conversations. Terry shared a moment where she had to escalate a persistent problem to her supervisor very directly. That was not drama, that was protecting the integrity of the show and the people depending on her.
Business takeaway:
Trust is not naive. It is a strategic choice about where you place your energy.
Reflect:
- Do new people in your team feel like they start with an A, or like they are under suspicion?
- Where do you need to have the courageous conversation you have been avoiding to protect the “show”?
Key Takeaways: How To Bring A Bit Of Broadway Into Your Business
Here are some practical actions you can take this week:
- Audit your backstage.
Map who and what it really takes to deliver your “show” to clients. Where are the hidden heroes and the fragile points? - Create safe stumbles.
Design one area where a team member can take ownership of a task, with you shadowing and supporting rather than controlling. - Build your Plan B list.
Identify three critical failure points and create your “backup goat tail” solutions now, not when the curtain is already up. - Practice shove with love.
Encourage your team to call things out kindly but clearly. Celebrate the person who protects the team by speaking up. - Experiment with “Give them an A”.
Choose one person or project and consciously start from trust. Tell them what A-level contribution would look like and invite them into it.
If your team operated more like a Broadway company, where everyone is clear, prepared, trusted and collectively responsible, how different would your daily experience feel?
That is the invitation from this conversation with Teri
Stop trying to run a perfect, tightly controlled show in your head. Start leading a living, breathing ensemble that can adapt, improvise and still deliver something remarkable, performance after performance.
So, over the next week, what is one small “Broadway move” you are willing to make in your leadership?
Show Notes
00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction
00:34 Teri’s Broadway Background
01:50 Teamwork Behind the Scenes
03:53 Challenges and Problem Solving
05:14 Building Trust and Rapid Training
08:08 Collective Responsibility and Team Dynamics
11:43 Handling On-Stage Mishaps
16:08 Learning and Iteration in Theatre
18:43 The Long Road to Broadway
19:32 The Importance of Trust and Levity
21:35 Handling Ego and Conflict
24:26 Consistency Across Global Productions
27:46 Lessons from Theatre for Business
31:32 Closing Thoughts and Farewell
You can connect with Teri at https://www.linkedin.com/in/teri-pruitt-a2b341101/
