Lessons in Risk-Taking and Trust: How Art Illuminates Business and Life

Navigating through the complexities of life, I find solace in art, specifically dance. It's not just a heart and mind cleanser but a beacon of clarity. The lessons one can glean from art extend beyond the stage, offering powerful, memorable, and palpable insights for both personal and professional applications. The way the mind seems to momentarily shut off while watching captivating art, only to be met with newfound clarity when the curtains fall and the lights come back on is a unique experience...

When recently watching a performance at BAM, Corps extrêmes by Chaillot - Théatre national de la Danse, I was struck by this clarity again. The exploration of pushing limits and taking intentional risks provided beautiful and powerful insights that we can all learn from and apply in a myriad of ways.

As someone who has been cautious about taking risks most of my life but understands the extreme importance of them in life and business, I often contemplate the delicate balance of risk-taking. As Mark Zuckerberg says, “The biggest risk is not taking any risk...” but I’ve also watched entrepreneurs over the years take unfocused and unintentional risks at the detriment of themselves, their team, and/or the business. An evening at the theater brought this to the forefront of my mind. I wanted to be angry with the choreographer for the “insane” risks that these dancers were being asked to take (and willingly taking) with their bodies but I couldn’t call this anger to the surface like I expected to happen. What was unfolding on stage was “extreme” as the title suggests, jumping on and off ledges 15+ feet in the air, but yet it all somehow felt safe, calculated, and deeply intentional.

So what did I learn about balanced and successful risk taking through art? The keys lie primarily in trust and intentionality!

Trust:

Corps extrêmes exemplified a profound sense of trust, a critical necessity in any organization and a topic I've been diving into over the past year through following lessons from Frances Frei . Nothing on that stage would have been possible without an unwavering foundation of trust — trust in one another, trust in their own bodies, trust in the crew that built the backdrop, and trust in the choreographer who encouraged them to accomplish these feats.

Frances Frei identifies the drivers of trust (the trust triangle) to be empathy, authenticity, and rigorous logic, all of which this performance provided a visual and artful education on...

• Empathy: The dancers' earnest empathy for one another was evident, even from the back of the balcony. Their intense focus on each other, akin to a shared intuition, left the audience as mere observers in their experience. Their priority was not self-presentation but the care of their fellow performers.
• Contingency Planning (rigorous logic): While uncommon, when a move didn't go as planned – a missed ledge or an unsuccessful jump – the seamless execution of backup plans (A, B, and C), without hesitation, was striking. There was no time for remorse over the “failure” or shame. The moment a dancer missed their landing, the entire company swiftly recalibrated, exhibiting a remarkable level of preparation, teamwork, and communication refinement.
• Connection to Your Own Superpowers (authenticity): Throughout the evening, dancers embraced their unique strengths and showcased them unapologetically. Their authentic approach capitalized on their individual superpowers; balance, flexibility, strength, etc. There was no perceived frustration or resentment for continually being highlighted in this manner, only an understanding for how it strengthened the overall company and big picture.

Intentionality:

Another theme that stood out was intentionality, made possible by focus, simplicity, and patience. The deliberate nature of every movement, from hand placements down to glances, was evident from the start. The opening monologue even spoke about the heightened state that it takes to remain so focused and intentional for long periods of time, but the pay off - beautiful and impactful risk accomplished safely.??

The choreographer's choice of focused and simple movements was clear and necessary to achieve the end result. The simplicity of the movements was captivating because of the intentionality and the intentionality was made possible by the simplicity…? The sense of patience, both from the dancers and the choreographer, was also profound. The choreographer's patience shone through as he prioritized the well-being of his dancers over rushing to climactic moments. He seemed to have a deep sense of understanding of the mental and physical demands on his dancers and favored their sustainability over rushing to peaks, which would have risked jeopardizing their intentionality and grace.

Incorporating these lessons into our business and personal lives, we can take great risks with substantial rewards. But the key is to ensure that these risks are guided by deep-rooted trust in ourselves and/or our teams, and that they always originate from a place of intentionality and focus.

Remember, "The biggest risk is not taking any risk" but the next biggest risk is taking risks devoid of intention..