9.9: Leadership
- Page ID
- 295036
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Leadership cultivation is something that is needed in dance education. In order to produce choreography and productions that resonate with the intended audiences (not just the dancers themselves), leaders are needed to serve in various roles. But leadership is not something that just spontaneously combusts… Leadership requires several key components including knowing your purpose, knowing your role, knowing who you serve, knowing and articulating your values, being authentic and adaptable.
Be Clear About Your Purpose
As a leader in the dance industry, you must be clear about your purpose. Leaders consider the purpose of those around them, but also how that connects to their own personal purpose. Corie Barry, CEO of Best Buy has stated that her personal purpose is to leave something a little better than the way when she found it. In her professional setting, that meant connecting Best Buy’s company mission statement to providing technology for the enrichment of people’s lives. But, for a dancer, how can you determine your purpose? It may be something as simple as dance is my passion, or wake up, dance, sleep, repeat… But how does that serve society? Being a leader and making an impact is having vision beyond yourself.
Sometimes, to determine your purpose, you might just challenge yourself to stay curious. Curiosity is a mindset, “looking around the corner, exploring uncharted territories, and trying to understand the art of the possible” (Hill, cited in Knight, 2023, para. 1). Great leaders have an “outside-in” perspective when it comes to a project, a career path, or membership in an organization, meaning that leaders have the ability to view projects or situations from the standpoint of external shareholders. Thise who have a shared interest in dance are an audience, a customer, or even a competitor. So, having this outside perspective helps leaders to make informed decisions because they consider the broader context, beyond the self or the project at hand, but the ripple effect of your decisions have on society. As a leader, your choices have an impact and purpose.
Be clear about your role
A leader’s key role in dance is to generate energy, momentum, and a shared vision for the project. The project for a dance professional might be a dance class, a piece of choreography, a video, marketing, a production, or a tour. Especially when circumstances are dire, for example, amidst the COVID-19 crisis, college dance education was utilized creatively for well-being and resilience (Bohn & Hogue, 2021). Leaders in dance help others see possibilities and potential. In a study conducted during the pandemic, Li (2021) looked at how creativity and opportunity provided energy, inspiration and hope in response to the global lockdowns vis-à-vis the quick educational adoption of digital dance education via Zoom, Google Teams, Canvas Studio, and other digital solutions. Country singer Dolly Parton is believed to have said “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader”. So, in being clear about your role as a leader in dance, recognize that you will not always be able to control your circumstances, just look at the pandemic. But you can control your mindset. “Your mindset determines whether you generate hope, inspiration, and energy around you — or bring everyone down. So, choose well” (Joly, 2022).
Be clear about whom you serve
Hint: It’s not yourself. As a leader, you must develop a deep appreciation about the complex challenges that those you work with are experiencing. The most essential component of developing a vision for purposeful leadership is to be clear about who you serve. In a position of leadership in dance, you will experience good times and challenging times and no matter the nature of the work or the nature of the times, it is vital to cultivate a supportive and nurturing work environment. True leaders serve the people involved in the shared vision they have presented.
Whether you are a dance educator leading a well-designed ballet class, or a physical therapist guiding a dancer in their healing progress, you are on the front lines serving your students, your colleagues, your audience, and your customers. If you work in a non-profit organization that applies for grant funding for a dance project, you serve your board of directors. Leaders serve the people that surround them. Crucial for a leader to first understand what is needed to do so that you can do your best to support those who are facilitating the construction of your vision, your project, your constituency, in dance.
Be driven by values
Leaders do what is honest, respectful, responsible, fair, and compassionate. Values drive a leader in mounting a dance project or in any professional context, a leader is someone driven by values of doing right, not merely knowing or saying right (Joly, 2022). A leader’s role is to live by values, promote them, and make sure they’re part of the fabric of the dance project. Interestingly, being driven by values also means knowing when to leave when you are no longer aligned with a project on the whole. That might be contention with employees, colleagues, your boss, your board, or the values, purpose, or mission of the employer. Leaders have developed the wisdom to understand the difference between knowing what can be changed, and what cannot be changed.
Be authentic and adaptable
The ability to swiftly respond to different situations in dance milieux is a leader demonstrating being adaptable and agile. Leaders can pivot when needed, and embrace new opportunities and challenges, but “… competence is not enough; people need to trust your character and connect with you, otherwise they will not be willing to take risks with you” (Hill, cited in Knight, 2023). Hence, understanding how people perceive you as a leader is crucial for growth and vision. Leaders seek feedback and remain open to critique.
The best way a leader can be authentic and adaptable is to start by asking colleagues for feedback in low-pressure situations without being defensive. “I’m trying to understand my impact and the kind of experiences I am creating for those who work with me. Can you give me some sense of what I should keep doing, start doing, and stop doing?” It is crucial to be yourself, showing vulnerability, truth, and vision. Being authentic does not mean offloading everything to your colleagues. For leaders, it means showing restraint about the pressure and strain of leadership, until sharing emotions, challenges, and struggles can be helpful to others in solving the problem collaboratively (Knight, 2023). Start with yourself and be the leader you’re meant to be in the dance classroom. Be the change you want to see in the world, as Gandhi guided us. As a choreographer, or any other position you serve when working as a dance professional, it will be necessary to have some understanding of principles of leadership.