Diversity and Leadership: Lessons from Art and Culture

I recently visited an Art Gallery and there were so many fascinating art pieces on display some of which made me wonder what really transpires in the mind of an artist as they create this art. The African section was especially more mesmerizing to me as it brought out a clear realization that Art is interwoven with our Culture and History. For example, one of the pieces on display reminded me of my own experience growing up. In our home, we had a piece of skin (Kirebeita) that used to double up as a chopping surface and at the same time used a dustpan. Those who grew up in a similar environment will resonate with this. I look back and wonder how we managed to stay healthy when the back of your chopping board was dustpan. Story for another day!

What also became apparent to me during this visit, was the fact that art can be also woven in with leadership. Here are some of thoughts around the lessons that art can bring into our leadership journey.

We are all gifted differently.

The gallery had many sections with varied art pieces under display. Looking at these pieces of art just blew me away. There were sculptures, wooden pieces, paintings, finely curved pieces of bronze, silver, fabric and all manner of materials. I thought about how diversity is a topic for discussion in many organizations today and I imagined how the Art Gallery would look like if it lacked the variety of art that was under display.

?Each of us has a story.

Each of the art pieces had a description along with the name of the artists beneath each piece. Some pieces also had a longer description while others offered very limited information. Some displayed the name of the artist while others read Artist unknown. ?And I thought about our own lives; Each of us has a story that we can either choose to tell others or not. As an individual, how do you show up? As leaders, how do we remain cognizant of the told and untold stories of our teams?

?Life is interwoven.

For the gallery to offer its customers a complete experience, it displays a combination of history, culture and art. In the same way, individuals are made up of many different facets that define who they are, and we need to appreciate this. For most of us, we are able to show up fully allowing others to experience the full person such that when life hurts on one side, it affects how we show up and equally who we are.

?When we live life in this manner, we remain authentic. How does a leader connect with teams authentically? We always talk about work life balance but from where I see it and from this art experience, I believe it is more of a work-life integration.

?We all have an opportunity to stand out from a crowd

There was one particular piece of art that caught my attention. It was a piece that showcased the metamorphosize of a woman courtesy of exposure and education done by Wangechi Mutu, a Kenyan woman who had studied and lived in America. I connected with this piece as I realized that I am constantly emerging from one season to another just like the woman depicted on this piece of art.?I am sure each one of us can find different aspects of our lives that we puzzle in together to make us who you are in the different seasons of our lives.

That aside, this piece may also go unnoticed by the next art enthusiast. So it is with leadership, certain leaders will notice certain people while others will notice a completely new sets of people within the same environment.

Use your leadership to help others stand out. It is our differences that make us stronger.