Aesthetic Intelligence by Rochelle Mucha

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Leading in Times of Recession

Once again, Dickens classic introduction to The Tale of Two Cities captures our times: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times….” In both uncertain economic times as well as at the height of a boom, effective leadership makes the difference between survival and extinction. Leaders need to take care of themselves, as well as their organizations and members. During economic downturns, and massive layoffs, it is to be expected that ‘employees’ at all levels are ‘distracted’ by worries and fears for themselves and their families and friends. Research tells us that when under stress, people tend to close their minds to new ideas, and ten to reach for the same levers we have pulled in the past. However, research also tells us this is not a thriving course of action.

More than ever ‘leading in times of recession’ demands that leaders have open, broad based and inclusive conversations. Dialogues that are transparent and let surviving employees know the ‘real deal’. Creative debates that invite new thinking to solve new problems and seize new opportunities. These kinds of leadership conversations are characterized by presence ( being in the moment, available and accessible), authenticity ( intentionally becoming the role demanded by this time, this audience, and for this purpose) and synthesis ( the ability to integrate and act in real time) - - these kinds of leadership conversations are Artful Conversations, fueled by Aesthetic Intelligence. What kind of Artful Conversations are you having today?

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The Power of Choice and Control

Decades ago, I learned a valuable lesson from the ‘special’ young children I worked with. These were kids from disenfranchised neighborhoods, who by seven years old were ‘labeled’, deemed difficult if not impossible, and in many cases discarded. The lesson I learned was the power of ‘Choice and Control’. Determined to make a difference, and reach these young folks, I improvised all the time. I was willing to try anything. One day, I simply handed over the ‘chalk’ to the leader of the select group of eight. And that transference led to dramatic changes. The leader transformed the group, redirecting energy to learning. Now I am not suggesting this was simple or quick, but you get the idea. Once empowered to choose whether to ‘learn or not’, the kids seemed to make the preferred choice. I see this across organizations and classrooms, large and small, young and old. Discovering how to ignite the intrinsic ownership in others creates all kinds of possibilities. This discovery process is driven by an attitude of experimentation, and improvisation; an attitude of presence and authenticity; an ability to engage in artful conversation. Discovery for self and others is strengthened by Aesthetic Intelligence. What have you done to engage and empower others? What examples and evidence do you have of the power of ‘Choice and Control’?  

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Observe, Discover, Intent, Produce

These four words, “observe, discover, intent, produce”, capture the essence of leading educators and business leaders who are lauded for their creative leadership. Peter Senge defined this process as characteristics for his U Model (presencing, sensing and realizing). Important to note is the critical attitude, skill and behavior is being present, for without that, you ‘seeing’ is always compromised by habitual ways of being and thinking. And being present is the foundation of Aesthetic Intelligence. How can you tell if you are ‘really present’? You can figure out the answer by asking some of the following questions: Do you leave conversations surprised? Do you leave conversations energized? Do others leave conversation with you energized? These are just a few of the items on the Aesthetic Intelligence assessment that illuminate just how present we are in any interaction. If you answer these questions infrequently, then you are likely not very present. To be present is to be deeply aware and listening, a state when we have suspended our routine thoughts and allow for the emergent. The emergent is the source of surprise, energy and creativity. A state of inquiry, not advocacy or defense. Alan Webber, founder of Fast Company said: “A visual representation of my experience would look like a semi-permeable membrane that keeps accepting signals. Stuff comes through and stuff goes back out, and there’s a constant dialogue with your environment. I f you’re open in relation to your idea, the universe will help you”. Two of the oldest activities in mankind is science and art and both are dedicating to investigating reality. More of both in business would be an asset. How present are you? How do you know?

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Play, Work, Lead

           There is a reason why 98% of two year olds consider themselves to be creative, and only 2% of twenty-five year olds hold onto that claim, and the reason is not their potential, but the external environment that suffocates the natural bias for curiosity, play, and exploration. Unfortunately, our natural bias for creativity is stifled and atrophies over time producing unimaginative adults that are afraid to think and often intimidated by the unknown or different. I am blessed to have two delicious granddaughters, age six and four. I love to play with them. I learn so much and I have so much fun. We play store, put on shows, delve into arts and crafts, pretend we make facial products, hunt for worms, and well, the list goes on and on. The other day I told them that I really like children so much better than adults.  And their simple reply, “Adults don’t play”. Aesthetic Intelligence demands the presence to be in the moment, to truly suspend our judgments. It is this posture, an artist’s posture that sets the stage for “play”. It takes a stubborn person to remain an artist in a society that values conformity, and it will take the same courage and tenacity of organizations to create a culture where adults can reconnect with their innate artistic capacities.             Plato said, “You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” How do you play? How do you encourage play?

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Leaders Evaluated by What Will Be, not What Is

Last week, during the second Presidential debate, Barack Obama responded to one of the queries by saying something like, ‘a President must bring the leadership skills to confront what will be, the unknown and even unpredictable events of the future’. This statement resonated with me. Think about it. It is easier to come up with resolutions and remedies for a current crisis. But true leadership is judged in hindsight following performance in situations that were unknown at the time of selection or election. This is true for the incumbent President Bush and how he will be remembered for his actions related to the Iraq War, and the current Economic Crisis. These political examples are not meant to polarize, but rather serve up the question on leadership, your leadership. What makes you prepared to lead for what is unknown? What skills would that require? Who do you know, personally or professionally, who demonstrates such skill?  Answer these questions and likely, you will see that leaders for a ‘future’ are present. They are absorbing an entire landscape and in real time, integrating and synthesizing. They preempt and/or diffuse crisis, all the way, staying in character, believable with the various constituencies they serve.
            What are your stories? Are you a leader for the future?

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Leaders and Judgment - A Moving Target? I think not.

There are few that are untouched by the current and escalating economic crisis here in the USA, and abroad. Even the deepest of pocketbooks are paying attention. Even those with the most secure of ‘jobs’ are distracted. To say that things are uncertain would be an understatement. To say that things are predictable would be absurd. Yet, these are the times that leaders in all walks of life must make decisions. And it is at times like this, that the essence of leadership, and judgment, is revealed. Let’s be straight. You cannot teach judgment, no matter how many decision making and strategy courses you take. No matter how many letters follow your surname. Judgment in good times and not, requires a temperament, one characterized by calm, not cool; thoughtful, not mind less; intellect, not book smart; and most important, synthesis. When all around you is moving in rapid motion, in all directions, and with so many aspects to consider, the ability to synthesize quickly, and act appropriately in real time proves critical. It will make the difference between survival and failure, legacy and extinction. Judgment demands presence, to be in the moment absorbing and digesting the entire landscape. Judgment demands authenticity, to embrace the role that is required at this point in time. Judgment demands Aesthetic Intelligence (presence, authenticity and synthesis). We are seeing this played out on the political and organizational stage as never before. In turbulent times, the masses are looking at the judgment of their leaders more closely. Who is looking at you? What are you doing? Who are looking at? What are they doing?

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It Takes a Village......

There is no lack of articles and pundits to remind business leaders that innovation, and thereby, creativity, remain the critical capacities that divide winners from losers in this ongoing, fast paced global economy. Usually, these is a list of ‘to dos’ – what you, as the leader, should do to create an environment that attracts and nurtures creative talent. These attributes include things like: find and hire great talent; tap on employee ideas from every function and level; and enable collaboration. These and others, strongly suggest that creativity and innovation emerge when diverse disciplines are thrust together in open arenas where exploration and experimentation are the norm. What is being described is the culture of the world of the arts, an aesthetically intelligent culture, that proves a welcome haven for the ‘intersection’ of disciplines, as lauded in the recent text,  The Medici Effect. It appears, it really does take ‘a village’ to be creative, innovative. How are you bringing a village together? What thoughts and advice can you share?  

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PIXAR, Collective Creativity in Action

Creativity, and its coveted byproduct, Innovation does NOT result from an event. Sustained innovation accompanies a culture of innovation. Pixar is one company that has consciously created a culture of sustained innovation. Their culture is defined by a few fundamental principles: lasting relationships matter, talent is rare and management’s job is not to prevent risk but to build the capability to recover when failures occur. Pixar is attuned to quickly identify any flaws that could destroy their culture.  Some actions Pixar has taken to construct an environment that nurtures trusting and respectful relationships, safe interactions and unleashes creativity include: finding talent and granting talented folks creative ownership;  establishing a Braintrust, which provides a forum for directors to explore early ideas and gain feedback from seasoned directors and leaders; conducting   daily feedback and post mortem sessions to ensure final work is on target; creating a physical space that forces comingling by placing common needs such as cafeteria and post office in a central place that will traversed by all; and, eliminating barriers to sharing ideas across functions and levels. What are you doing to create a work environment characterized by collective creativity?

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Would you play a one-string guitar?

You don’t have to be a guitar player to know that a musician would not opt for a one-string guitar, in lieu of the standard six-string instrument ( original article, Virginia Griffin and inspired by Ian Prinsloo, former Artistic Director at Theatre of Calgary). The magic in making music and listening to music comes from the rich harmony of notes and chords. Talented artists mix and mingle the guitar strings to create a range of rhythms and melodies. Fewer strings would compromise the music and render the guitar barren. The six strings of a guitar parallel our six senses. So I pose, why do ‘humans’ often opt to utilize one sense, when we have six? Why just hear, when you can see, smell, taste, touch and of course, intuit? Why settle on being ‘rational’, when you can embrace what is relational, emotional, and physical? Imagine the richness of experience that awaits you, if you consciously employed the senses available to us. Performing artists are immersed with the senses daily. Their work is dependent on it. Their world is configured by it. Are you leading playing a one-string guitar? Why? Walk around your office space several times. First focus on seeing. After awhile add seeing and hearing. Then pay attention to the smells and the taste in your mouth. How did your experience change? What possibilities do you think await you if you choose to play all six strings?

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Everyone Shampoos

         There was a time when a ‘beauty salon’ was a noisy, bustling, relatively small space packed with women in curlers, adorned by large metallic hair dryers and lots of chatter. Not anymore. Today, salons are designed to create an experience. Smooth jazz replaces verbal din. Mirrors and chairs are tastefully placed to heighten the senses. Increasingly men populate salons with equal engagement, rendering the demise of the beauty salon and barbershop. But some things do not change. There are the owners. The reception folks. The washers. The master cutters. And the go fors. The class lines at most salons are as striking as any large professional services firm is. Enter Aria.  I like many folks am attached to the person who touches my hair. Our relationship has become tacit. Mechelle, owner with husband, Matthew, just knows what I need when it comes to my hair. Over the years, I have watched Mechelle and Matthew, move from working for someone, to opening their own place seven years ago in Alpharetta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. Getting your haircut and colored leaves a lot of time available to observe. I am often a fly on the wall. Watching with awe and amazement. There are no silos at Aria. Everyone Shampoos. The staff is much like an ensemble. All focused on the same thing, client service. Aria’s mission is simple, ‘To Serve”. Clients are greeted with a warm hello. Something to drink. A neck massage. There is little or no down time for clients to idly wait. And though there are ‘roles’, client service usurps every time. Everyone shampoos. There are two levels of hair stylists, and Mechelle, master styler, cognitively switches her ‘chair’ every few months, to ensure that there is no such thing as position power. Visit their website, and the only place you will see their names as owners, is in the press release section. There are weekly team meetings to share best practices, lessons learned. Don’t like your hair when you get home, well then just come on back, and Aria will redo until you are pleased. Want to try a new stylist, for whatever your reason, no problem. No one’s feelings are hurt. Everyone is on the same page. Service trumps individual ego. I have often tried to get inside Mechelle and Matthew’s head, probing to find out why they do, what they do, with such ease, grace, and success. Largely on instinct, coupled with learning, they have created and continue to sustain an enviable culture where everyone has their eye on the same goal, team play is a given; feedback is embedded; experimentation is welcomed, not punished; individuals are passionate and proud.  Aria is a culture where self-interest and collaboration, structure and freedom stand side by side. An Aesthetically Intelligent culture. A place where everyone shampoos. What about your place? What do you do as leader to create this type of environment/ What could you do?