How do you develop your leadership style and vision as an arts administrator?

To develop an effective leadership style and vision as an arts administrator, you must cultivate self-awareness to understand your own strengths, values, and vision for the arts organization. Immerse yourself in the local arts community to grasp the current landscape and unmet needs. Research best practices of esteemed arts leaders to gain insights into diverse leadership approaches while refining your own. Engage your team and community stakeholders to collaboratively shape a shared vision and refine strategies. Continually self-reflect and gather feedback to evolve your leadership approach in service of the organization's mission and community.

It's vital to objectively and independently assess one's leadership style and vision as an arts administrator. It's crucial to ensure that your vision, mission, goals, and track record are in perfect harmony with the mission statement of your arts organization. This alignment is what connects you to the bigger picture, making your work meaningful. It's essential to evaluate your accomplishments and obstacles based on quantitative and qualitative data. Using this data can objectively highlight your strengths and weaknesses. Understanding yourself better will help you make the most of your strengths, work on your weaknesses, and recognize your motivations, passions, and challenges.

Recognize the strengths in your team and how your own skills add to and overlap these strengths, and use that insight to help determine how to prioritize your time. Arts leaders come from all sorts of backgrounds and have worn many hats - but just because you can do something for your team doesn’t mean that someone else can’t do the same thing. Coming from a tech background, it’s sometimes easy for me to want to step in to help our backstage crew in a pinch. Once I started honestly asking myself if this was the most effective use of my time, I began to prioritize the tasks that I was uniquely suited to and handing my full trust over to my team to accomplish the rest.

As part of this it is important to recognise what it is about working in Arts managment that excites you. Doing this can help you identify positions you should be putting your energy into getting, and those you should leave well alone. You might love going to the theatre, but hate producing a show. Where does something you love become a chore instead of a passion? Whatever your buzz, being honest with yourself about what motivates or excites you, and recognising your specific passion can help prevent burn out and keep you work out what you really want to do, and keep you positive in your role.

Mindset: Take time to reflect on your experiences and accomplishments as an arts administrator. Identify specific instances where you felt particularly effective, achieved positive outcomes, or received positive feedback. Seek feedback from colleagues, team members, or individuals you work closely with. Ask them about your strengths and what they value in your contributions to the team and organization. Continuous learning and self-improvement are essential in a dynamic field like arts administration.

Participate in conferences, workshops, and seminars where industry leaders share their experiences and insights. Take advantage of networking opportunities to connect with these leaders and ask them questions! Become a member of arts-related professional associations or organizations. Many of these groups provide access to resources, mentorship programs, and events where you can learn from and network with established leaders. The easiest way is to connect with them is to follow arts leaders on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, or other networks. They share their insights, articles, and experiences, providing you with a contious source of learning.

It is easy to stay in your silo within your department, company, or industry. Gather insight from a wide range of people - across departments, companies, and cross-sector, both from those with more experience and those just starting. Break down those walls and talk to people! There is so much to learn.

Understanding yourself better will help you make the most of your strengths, work on your weaknesses, and recognize your motivations, passions, and challenges. Experiment with tools such as personality tests, leadership surveys/polls, self-reflective journaling, feedback from peers and superiors, surveys like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, tests like the Emotional Intelligence Test, professional coaching sessions, and holistic skill evaluations. Remember, it's not just about the tools; it's about the people. Welcome feedback from different levels of your entity. Their insights can be invaluable in your journey of leadership development, providing you with a strong support system. What's worked for me is empathetic servant leadership.

I agree, but this work isn’t done in a silo. Arts leaders, like any other organizational leader, must have a strong set of core values. However, it’s also important to engage your team and seek their input and guidance on the values of the organization. Since we pride ourselves in being creatives, we must bring creativity to how we communicate with and support our teams. Have we asked for their input on our organization’s values? Great! We also need to live them out and create cultures where we acknowledge our colleagues when they demonstrate a core value in action.

Start by reflecting on your personal values. Consider what principles and beliefs are important to you. But also understand the values of the organization you work for or aspire to work for. Align your values and goals with the mission and vision of your organization. They should contribute to the overall objectives and purpose of the organization. Remember that values and goals are dynamic, and it's essential to revisit and refine them as circumstances change. Regularly assess your progress, adjust your goals as needed, and ensure that your values continue to guide your decisions and actions!

Compassion is the unsung hero of impactful leadership in arts administration. By truly listening, we build trust, motivate agency, and unite teams around a shared mission. A compassionate approach fosters collaboration, breaks down silos, and creates brave spaces where creativity, in it's various forms, is unbridled, amplifying artistic impact.

It's crucial to listen to the young people on our teams and act on their ideas. Too often we dismiss the young because they are new to the work. They are our best connection to what's most relevant and they hold the keys to developing our organizations' future stakeholders.

Our budgets reflect our values. Are they truly core values if we aren't intentional and strategic about them? Prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in your budgets. Make sure you can financially support your employees seeking professional development. Make sure your actions and funds align with your values, not just your marketing department.

Take on leadership roles and responsibilities within your organization or community to gain practical experience and apply theoretical knowledge in real-world contexts. Volunteer for committees, task forces, or special projects that align with your interests and allow you to lead initiatives, collaborate with others, and make decisions that impact the arts community. Solicit feedback from peers, supervisors, and stakeholders to assess your leadership performance and identify areas for improvement. Actively seek constructive criticism, listen attentively to different perspectives, and reflect on your experiences to refine your leadership approach and adapt to changing circumstances.