Ann Daly Arts Consulting LLC:
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Leadership Development
So you want to be a leader.
Leadership is the word sliding off of everyone’s lips these days, all the way from the cultural sector to the corporate world.
What does it mean to be a leader?
I recently gave a women’s business conference keynote, “Finding the Leader in You.” I also spent several days with a think tank on arts leadership sponsored by the Americans for the Arts. Those experiences have got me to thinking.
If you want to be a leader, here are my top ten pieces of advice:
- Think big
Our greatest need isn’t for leaders in the arts, it’s for leader of the arts. How can you prepare yourself to speak knowledgeably and comfortably not just about the arts, but about how the arts intersect with the rest of our culture and its most pressing issues?
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Read widely
Unfortunately, and for understandable reasons, our field tends to be insular. Leaders, however, are drawn to big and new ideas (read on). As such, they are hungry for information, trends, and conversations from everywhere in our world — not just in the arts. Get curious.
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Create new ideas
Ideas are the essence of leadership. If you aren’t someone who generates new ideas, then you can serve the field well and significantly as a manager. We are suffering from a shortage of great managers, too.
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Get past your passion
Passion is necessary, but it’s not sufficient. Reread # 1, # 2, and # 3.
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Connect with your ambition
It’s a good thing. Ambition is passion with an actual plan — and a fighting chance to accomplish your vision.
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Lead from where you are
What are you waiting for? You don’t need to have “director” embossed on your business card in order to exercise your leadership.
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Don’t depend upon your job description
Most job descriptions are lists of technical functions that have nothing to do with you as a leader. You need to fulfill those functions, of course, but you also need to go well beyond them to become a leader.
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Build your own platform
Use your job, whatever it is, as a platform for thought leadership. Write articles, help plan conferences, speak to local groups. The point is to share what you learn on the job with your larger community.
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Ask for help
You likely have a mentor on the job, so why not cultivate a mentor for your larger career as a leader? You might even identify a mentor outside of the arts, to get a broader perspective on what it means to be a leader.
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Embrace power
Another good thing. Power is the ability to achieve impact. And isn’t impact--contribution and change — what you’re aiming for? So learn how things get done in your institution, your profession, and your community, then adapt your strategies accordingly.
Best,
Ann
July 2007