On Leadership #2

"Leadership is the ART of empowering others to do the work only they can do."Leadership is art.Art is the process and product of creative activity.Creative activity begins in the imagination, and because it’s grounded in the imaginative capacity of people, it is beautiful and true and meaningful. Beauty is not in the eyes of the beholder of art, but innate in the art “piece” itself because it begins from a beautiful “place".Why does this matter?Because good leadership is fundamentally creative and beautiful. It’s not tough-speaking, power-over, hierarchy. It’s not coercive, threat-based management. It’s creative and nimble. It accounts for plurality and complexity. It’s empathetic and soulful. It’s creative.Like good art, good leadership is an expression of the leader’s true self. And it invites others to show up as their true selves.Like good art, good leadership invites others to engage, to think, to act, and to also be more empathetic and soulful.If it’s not an art, it’s not good leadership.You, dear friend, are a leader.Will you lead artistically, beautifully, creatively?