Leadership Framed by Art

Organizations need to think like the artists known as Modernists.

In the middle of the 19th century, artists started shedding the structured, hierarchical rules of the dominant art academies. Artists in previous eras – such as the Renaissance or the Baroque periods – aimed to depict their subjects with life-like accuracy. In contrast, the Modernists embraced revolutionary ideas and techniques. They focused on groundbreaking creativity rather than on imitating the past.

Innovation drives business success today. Organizations must adopt a Modernist attitude to handle the “Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity” (VUCA) that characterize modern commerce. Just as Modernism spawned many art movements, companies must deal with many diverse strategies, even as they all aim to lead in innovation and to succeed commercially.

Start by making a planning sketch.

Sketching is standard practice for artists developing the composition for a new work. Likewise, good leaders take the time to consider multiple possibilities before establishing a mission and path for their business...