leadership is art

Born, as we all are, helpless and speechless and dependent upon others for all the necessities of life, we must acquire slowly and gradually the capacities which make life more than a sum of vegetative and animal processes. As the utterly self-centered and uncomprehending infant develops, the chaos which is his world begins to take on order and to mirror the objective world which lies about him. He learns to relate his cries, wails and random movements to what the things, and especially the persons, in his environment do to him. At some point in his growth he grasps the difference between things, which simply affect him, and persons who communicate with him. Throughout the rest of his life he elaborates the distinction. He learns that he must not treat persons as things: this is the dawn of morality. He learns that a more penetrating, a more comprehensive grasp of things enables him to do with them what he could never do by his untutored impulses: this is the dawn of science. He learns, for example, that with the particular tones of his voice, gestures, combinations of words, he can make others aware of what he sees with his mind's eye: this is the dawn of art. Albert C. Barnes

Many of the lines contained within that quotation resound with truth, so please excuse me for including the bulk of it. Written by Albert Barnes, it is an excerpt of a piece concerning his good friend, John Dewey (and shame on me that I can not locate the exact reference at this time).

I wish to focus on one particular truth and place it in the context of effective leadership; a leader knows that with the “particular tones of his voice, gestures, combinations of words, he can make others aware of what he sees with his mind's eye: this is the dawn of art.” An artist holds a special rank in society because of his or her unique talent. An artist has a mystical ability to create work that can evoke/provoke an emotional response.

“The soul never thinks without a picture.” Aristotle

This quotation is attributed to Aristotle in Scott, Jaffe, and Tobe’s (1993) Picturing Excellence in Organizational Vision, Values, and Mission (p.86). The authors contend that imagery is essential for communicating the vision and subsequent mission of an organization. Once an image is manifested, it can be utilized to “remember” the future. Wow, remember the future. Let that concept roll around the brain a little bit.

The ability to create a universal image, with its associated emotional attributes, can serve as more than just a mere goal, it can become a visceral target, seemingly made tangible due to its emotional content. The best current example of the use of imagery is the campaign poster from the last election…you already know what I am going to say…the iconic graphic image of Obama with the simple word Hope. A vision can be a powerful engine to motivate people.

Noted scholar on leadership issues in education, Kenneth Leithwood cites vision as the foremost dimension of his list of five dimensions of transformational leadership. The others being; 2) common goals, 3) high expectations, 4) intellectual stimulation, 5) individualized support. A well crafted vision satisfies the first four dimensions of his leadership attributes. Communication is the key. Howard Gardner’s recent work on leadership identified three intelligences at work in effective leaders: existential, interpersonal, and linguistic. Existential is the deep thinking, big picture stuff, which is the essence of visionary thinking. Interpersonal means that the vision resonates with the staff. It literally places a song in their hearts. Linguistic means the leader possesses the ability to craft the vision. Deep response…emotional impact… these are the seminal characteristics of the work of an artist. Therefore, leadership is art.

You might say to yourself, well I’m not an artist, I’m not particularly gifted in linguistic skills… well first off don’t say that too loud since it is the equivalent to overhearing a waiter whispering to the busboy that he had just dropped your steak on the floor, picked it up, pulled off most of the hairs and dust-bunnies, and put it back on your plate. In other words, never advertise your inadequacies. How was that for a visual image? Not quite the deep-thinking quality, but maybe a bit of an emotional response. However, the goal of a leader is to craft and promote symbolism that is representative of deep thinking, does develop emotional response, and is deemed to be powerful enough to become the stimulus for ‘remembering’ the future.

Make a good day,
Tod

PS. For some practical tips on how to become a PowerPoint artist, see Garr Reynolds work: http://www.slideshare.net/garr/sample-slides-by-garr-reynolds

PSS. Leithwood’s five dimensions of leadership can be found in: Leithwood, K. (1994). Leadership for school restructuring. Educational Administration Quarterly, 30(4), 495-518.

PSSS. Scott, C., Jaffe, D., and Tobe, G. (1993). Picturing Excellence in Organizational Vision, Values, and Mission (pp.73-90). Mento Park, CA: Crisp Publications, Inc.

PSSSS. Shepard Fairey is the artist of the Obama poster: http://creativebits.org/files/Shepard_Fairey_obama-poster.jpg