The Arts and Leadership - WHY?

A great leader learns from many different fields literature, art, music, history geography etc. By acquiring knowledge from these fields a great leader gains the creativity and innovation, necessary for creating a successful business environment, and to develop into someone who is more aware and ready to face the business world's fast - changing dynamic environment. The arts break ground and bring human consciousness to a new level. It opens doors to thought, invention and communication.

In an excerpt from her "Untitled: Art & Leadership" (Kinneret-Zmora-Dvir Publishing, 2014, translated from the original Hebrew by Seree Zohar), Iris Lavy looks at the ways art can inform leadership.

It is commonly accepted that art represents the world of the spiritual, while business represents that of the material. But they can be more similar than not. Indeed, at a time of constant change and turmoil in so many industries, the business leader can learn much from the artist.

Changes in markets, technology and competition require organizations to switch from managerial modes of running the business to leadership models in which organizations act boldly with vision, imagination, enthusiasm and creativity. These traits can be borrowed – even inspired – from the world of art and artists. Like the artist, the leader must draw on her or his unique personality, values and vision. As with art, business leadership must arouse creative energy, provide inspiration and promote self-expression and out-of-the-box-thinking.