Leadership Learning

Photo by Mitchell Luo on Unsplash

I was delighted to be invited to speak with rural promoters at the weekend, as part of their Leadership course with the Social Enterprise Academy. I've worked on and off with rural promoters for many years now and I love hearing about their work, what is happening in their communities and why it matters. I consider myself to be a product of rural promoters - if it wasn't for the work I did with the Promoters Arts Network (PAN, now The Touring Network) I wouldn't have the values, the passion and knowledge of the rural creative sector that I have today. 

I shared my journey with them, about the moment I applied to the Clore Fellowship and the circumstances which I've worked through over the last few years. We spoke about serendipity, something I notice a lot in my life - those 'sliding doors' moments when things align to take you on a path towards something which will be important to your growth. 

We looked at the need to invest in culture first, the power of the collective voice, why it matters and the impact of arts and culture in our communities. 

I was asked to share some leadership learning and I wanted to share them again. These resonate with me however I'd love to hear more - what have you learned on your own leadership journey?

Leadership Learning

1. Be curious, talk to people - you never know if they have something to say that will inspire or connect you.
2. Attend events that keep your mind open - networking is important but that doesn’t mean you have to stay within your sector all the time.
3. Find what feeds you - take time out to recharge and feed yourself, whether that is a weekend in London at Galleries or climbing a hill - take the time to remind yourself what inspires and drives you.
4. Just stay in the room - sometimes you don’t need to push on doors to make them open (or close!), it’s ok to just sit with it for a while.
5. Trust your values - think about what matters to you and how that aligns with what is being asked of you. 
6. Be authentic - it might seem obvious but people connect to authenticity. Don’t listen to impostor syndrome when it tells you you aren’t good enough. You are, you are the only one that knows what you know. Be authentic and share your journey. 
7. You think differently - not everyone sees the world the way you do. That doesn’t make your opinions or ideas any less valid. What might seem obvious to you might be innovative to someone else - celebrate thinking differently.
8. What’s the 1%? - The difference between winning a Gold medal and a Silver medal in the Olympics can be less than 1 second. Athletes train to improve by 1% because it can make that much of a difference. Where can you make the 1% difference? What does it look like?
9. Call it out - if you see something which isn’t representative, call it out. A panel made up entirely of men isn’t representative of our society, a ‘National’ company working in the central belt isn’t really national. Raise awareness of how it should change.
10. ​You are not alone - whatever your leadership style, you need people around you - a reliable board, a network of support, team members or volunteers. You can not do everything. Ask for help, delegate and support others too. Even leaders need support.