There is a certain artistic flare that is the signature and calling card that accompanies every leader through the large and small tasks of leadership. Artistic flare separates and identifies leaders; it is your brand, your feel, the vibe and buzz that you create, and is visible among the every day details and in the wildly conceptual.
The problem with art is that it is hard to qualitify and measure. There is a gallery close to where I live that keeps a steady rotation of mixed media, canvas, photography, and even some writing of local artists to showcase and sell their work. It is a small little gallery that I find myself wandering into every week or so to take a quick look.
As the summer was turning to fall and I was doing some writing in the park I decided to take a break and walk into the gallery. Among that day’s selection of art was only one piece that just mildly interested me and held my attention for only a moment. Objectively, I could admire the time, technique, and color used in each of the pieces but…and this is a big but…what it didn’t do was make me feel. And because it didn’t make me feel it didn’t make me buy. The same is true for a dancer; you can teach most anyone to raise their right arm and move their feet in the right sequence but if there is no feel and vibe attached to the movement its not dancing; its simply choreography.
But that’s not to say that the choreography won’t fool anyone. And what I am definitely not saying is that, just because I didn’t feel and buy the art, that nobody else would. Somebody will. In fact, everyone buys something. If everyone bought the same art we could easily mass produce and sell it at any big blue and yellow maze that doubles as your ‘storage solution’ store.
Your art and your leadership will only be attractive to some. Your leadership success and failure is not dependant on your perfected time and technique but on the flare and vibe that you add to it. Some of us paint eccentrically in forms and shapes that inspire contemplation. Some of us paint real-life stills that reflect reality and insist on response. Some of us paint the future, other the past, and some just dance!
Focus on your genre.
Your medium.
Your style.
Make me feel your leadership.
It will connect.
And people will buy.
What is your vibe? Your leadership art and style?
-Jer
tags: art, leadership, art of leadership, advertising
13 comments:
Thanks bro,
I needed that. Sometimes I feel that church ministry often weeds out artistic minded leaders. I WILL NOT BE WEEDED!!!
What you're saying is so true. One way to "make me feel your leadership" is to love and be lovable.
After all it was Benjamin Franklin who said, "If you would be loved, love and be lovable." -Benjamin Franklin
I'm trying to figure out what my vibe/medium and style are. To be honest, from what I noticed, it's not consistant as of yet, I think it's still being molded as I learn and grow.
I wonder how God will make it look in the future, and how I will embrace what God wants to make it look like...
Hey Rob - glad you enjoyed it! Its fun creating a persona of who you are and how others view you...and yes, as you say Steve, it is something you grow into...and grow out of into something different.
I think their are alot of people who cringe slightly at leading with a flare that singles anyone out.
Wow. I like the metaphor, my leadership guru friend. Clearly, one of your flares is leading those who lead...I hope you continue to pursue it to whatever level makes you happy.
...speaking of leading, I lead myself back into a climbing gym this week. I bought myself the blue-donut-of-forearm-pain, to help me reach my former status. Looking forward to chillin' next week.
Peace
I think the trouble in many cases in our leadership challenges is that people are unsire of the leader they are and therefore take a template of leadership from somewhere else, and in doing so decapitate their own leadership and discovery of who they are.
Secondly, I think there is a huge false humility that people portray that says 'I am nothing and must be invisible to succeed.'
the answers to the following questions may change tommorow.
what is my vibe: people, life, diversity, and naturally supernatural.
what is my leadership art and style:
consistant growth, passionate people, justice, leaders and joy... and black and white photography.
"Secondly, I think there is a huge false humility that people portray that says 'I am nothing and must be invisible to succeed.'"
Agreed...
Where did this kind of statement come from? It must have been some kind of backlash to something...?
Jer
Backlash? I am not sure what you mean... This is simply an observation that I have seen in many leaders... Try an experitment by praising a few leaders on their leadership skills, and flavor and see how many deflect that away and not actually recieve it.
There are a few too many 'cliche' phrases used when you do this.
Yeah - I know Mark. I hear ya...we see it all the time...but...How do you know when people are deflecting praise away out of their sense of false humility or deflecting it out of their geuine thankfullness to others, God,circumstances, or whatver?
i don't know if this answer hold much philosophical weight...but in real experiences i think you can detect bullshiz.
a person who is screwed in their sense of humiliy seems to oooooooze this false "vibe.."
a person who has a genuine deflection for the thankfulness to others, god, etc. doesnt 'feel' off...
perhaps a bit of a emotive annalysis.. but it works frequently.. or so THEY say.
wow,that was something I needed to hear, funny how you come across stuff when u need it
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