Recently I was reading Ten Poems to Change Your Life, by Roger Housden. I thought it was perceptive and thought provoking. At one point, Housden describes what he says is the artist's prerogative. ," To forge paths in regions where others are usually too cautious to tread: to illuminate depths of human experience that are somehow familiar to us all, yet which, for most of us, remain beyond the reach of expression."

When I read this I was struck by the thought that this phrase could also describe a leader's prerogative.  Great leaders are like artists in that they also bravely go in new directions and encourage and motivate people to follow their lead by tapping into common human experiences.  Much like the artist, a leader must find ways to express their own humanity and encourage others to do the same in order to inspire purposeful and dedicated action.  I have often heard and I have even used the expression, "the art of leadership." And, so I wondered, what exactly do we mean by this expression?

Often, we are tempted to think of leadership in terms of specific tasks and actions that can be scripted and delivered to people thus making them effective leaders by following the "leadership rules." While I am sure many leaders have been successful and effective concentrating solely on tasks and strategy in the past, I wonder if this mindset produces the best people to navigate the plummeting profits, decreasing budgets, aging workforce, complex technological issues, layoffs, and outsourcing that is the unfamiliar and global business world of today and tomorrow.

There is no question that decisiveness, clear direction and swift action are called for in times like these, but I suspect that the most successful leaders of the future will be the ones that view leadership more as an art form where communicating vision, embracing paradox, valuing self-reflection, and demonstrating authenticity are equally important. These artful leaders recognize that their most powerful asset is their inclination to move towards the depths of human emotions and connectedness, even in a business setting, even when it seems like the hardest thing to do. However, doing it is the only way to provide the confidence and openness where true leadership happens. And, let's not forget that much of art expresses the whimsical, the joyous, and the beautiful, so let's not get too down when talking about expressing emotions.  The art of leadership ensures the illumination of common goals and aspirations and finds a way to manifest them with anticipation and energy.

Leadership as an art begins to expand our view of leadership to contain the flexibility and fluidity needed a world of increasingly complex issues and difficult challenges. It requires a willingness to risk being vulnerable and to continually self-manage our own emotions and motivations.  It demands the ability to stay present, focused, and self-aware even in the midst of chaos. A lot of times this is not easy and it can feel downright uncomfortable, but sometimes it is necessary to break down old barriers that prevent us from moving forward, forging new paths and seeing new possibilities. And oftentimes, it is much more rewarding, exciting, and enjoyable than we could have ever imagined.

Authentic and artful leaders understand that they can only bring out the best in others by searching within and cultivating their skills of listening, questioning, observing, and following. They know that connecting genuinely with others in the present is the way to generate trust and credibility in the future. Through their capacity to be all of the above, they empower others to do the same.  Many of these abilities have been considered intangible things that were difficult, if not impossible, to teach and I suspect this is how the myth of the "born leader" came to be. It was much easier and safer to declare that people either had it or they didn't and boy, did that let a lot of us of the hook!

The good news, from my point of view, is that research has repeatedly shown that leaders can in fact, be “developed” and this includes the artful leader who is full of courage, emotional intelligence, and profound presence. Interestingly, I combine working with horses and people to order to build leadership skills and believe it is one of the best ways to teach people how to embody the art of leadership.  In their interactions with horses, people learn  their own unique ways of expression that best motivate and guide others collectively to accomplish daring goals with intent and clarity. The horses are remarkable in their ability to reveal leadership as a way of being, rather than of doing and the result is a truly a form of art!