Leadership Takes the Stage

I recently guest-blogged on the Lead Change Group’s site, exploring leadership themes from the world of theater.  Here are two excerpts:

Playing the Part of Leader

You can learn the behaviors of a good leader, and act like one, but until you truly feel and believe in what you are doing, your “audience” may be left unconvinced, uninspired, and wanting more.  By “audience” I mean anyone within the leader’s realm of influence – peers, direct reports, managers, customers, stakeholders.  Like a realistic actor, the character-based leader engages his mind, heart, and soul in an authentic portrayal of the part.  He’s not merely acting the part. He is leading.

What can leaders learn from the best actors about how to be authentic?

• Know your back story
• Improvise
• Beleive it
• Read the reviews
• Change roles

To read more, visit  Playing the Part of Leader.

Leadership ASAP

Can you lead a team in a hurry?  In today’s lightening-fast business world, effective leaders who achieve swift results through others have the advantage.  What does it take?  I’ve led and overseen lots of project teams.  They don’t all succeed, and the ones that do have a few things in common.  Theater ASAP is an annual event where a group of writers, directors, and actors produce original theater in a 24-hour period.  Imagine if you had to lead a team in your organization to create something and deliver it to a customer with only 24 hours notice, could you do it?  What would it take?

Here’s what makes Theater ASAP work:

• Talented players
• Clearly defined roles
• A dedicated and shared purpose
• Clearly defined outcomes
• A hard deadline

To read more, visit Theater ASAP.