Governance, imagination and leadership

Artistic creativity provides a lens for me to view the world.

This perspective embraces the interwoven nature of how we experience the world and creates connections between unlikely pathways. It is a process of enhanced pattern recognition. But something that has the potential to create the unexpected, rather than an algorithm honed to present the most likely outcome. 

Creativity is all about energy. It is about finding how to navigate the energy in a space to move towards the best outcome. It might start with a check-in or a provocation that encourages you to think differently. A playful moment of connection. 

But if I said: 

Describe your current role as a colour, flavour and song, how many people would actually feel comfortable and confident to provide an off-the-cuff answer? How engaged with your sense of imagination do you think you are?

For people in leadership roles, as well as for those in governance roles, some of the biggest challenges in how you navigate this potential: how do we balance risk and imagination? How can we really explore new ideas? 

Looking at the world currently, it really feels like there is an imagination deficit in leadership. We are in a space of replication. Too often, it is a step (or leap) back into past versions of things. 

It can feel like society is a covers band. A cosplay of what the future could be, rather than shaping something truly new. Occasionally, there is an example of incremental combinations adjusting us forward, but in general, the feeling is that there is a shift backwards. 

A shift back to things that we did before. And maybe that is the storytelling and framing that is taking place around us, but to de-prioritise creative imagination in a new, different and ever-changing world seems unhelpful. 

Of course, acknowledging the past can be useful. From a musical perspective, we can sample the old songs and find inspiration in the past to make something new. But we need our remixes to be new and bold, not just a nostalgic cover of a bygone era. We need to embrace the transforming prism of human imagination, rather than poorly attempting to be a mirror for the past, trying to replicate something that used to be fresh but has become familiar and safe. 

The creative sector provides us with some fascinating stories about how new and imaginative become familiar. Stravinsky wrote a ballet called Le Sacre du Printemps, or The Rite of Spring. When it was released, this was a huge leap forward for both music and ballet dancing, and some reports suggested it caused near riots. People were not happy. It was a step too far. 

Now, over 100 years later, it is widely considered to be one of the most influential musical works of the 20th century. It is familiar and intriguing. And many of the sounds inform film scores today.

So how can we collectively embrace the big leaps forward in the work we do? 
How can we hold space for this type of imaginative thinking in the boardroom?

Because of the way some of the systems work with funding and timeframes, there can be a process of being afraid of embracing imagination. If we really want to “do” systemic change, we need to come to terms with how we balance regular shiny achievable things, with long-term unexpected, slow strategic work. 

We also need to acknowledge the things we can control. While we might not have the capacity to actually change the system, we can create small pockets of shift. An island of new that exists as a tangible example of imagination. A practical tool to shift the thinking of others through our storytelling and examples. 

So we should be asking ourselves: how do we proactively hold space for imagination in the boardroom so that we can move beyond incrementalism and really play the long game?

To feel comfortable exploring new ideas, we need a “yes, and…” attitude. “Yes, And…” is an idea that comes from improvisation. It is a commitment to following the flow rather than becoming a roadblock. It is actually listening and saying “yes, and” to add to the conversation. Holding a creative space.

Knowing that the improvisational creative space is all about building and creating, enabling all the ideas to flow. To get the best out of an act of creation, you need to be present in that situation – an example of mindfulness. Not worrying about whether an idea is right or wrong, not worrying if it makes sense, just embracing what happens and building upon it. You have to separate the creative act from the process of editing. Something that is a regular struggle for many people. 

After you complete that creation phase, you can then apply an editor’s eye to the imagination output, but the creative process should be kept as free and exploratory as possible. 

Separating these different creative stages helps us to look at things with fresh perspectives and find the things that interest you, or surprise you, or make you curious. What are the sticky motifs that emerge from the mistakes? Sometimes the most interesting artistic ideas come from the most unexpected details. 

In a boardroom, this imaginative creativity can provide the catalyst for your strategic plan. Your organisational leadership, staff, and the wider community provide the inputs. The broad range of musical motifs (the sounds and gestures that feel relevant to the community need and stories that are being told). 

Then in governance, the board are bringing their musical voices to the table and interpreting the material in different ways – utilising a variety of timbres and tones to weave different soundworlds together, and then the chair is the conductor, shaping the flow of the material, holding things when they need a moment to resonate, and pushing through when an idea feels stuck. The boardroom is a creative collaboration.

It is a symphony. Where when everything flows, impact happens, community value happens, the vision for meaningful change is enabled, and ultimately, it feels easy. It resonates in a way that feels rewarding and powerful. 

And while that transcendent symphonic moment might only happen every once in a while, if everyone at least comes forward with the intention to make music together, progress can be made. Crunchy moments of dissonance are spaces of learning. Quiet moments provide contrast for the thriving highs. The flow of energy evolves, and these moments can invent new approaches if we are open to listening. 

I know I’m stretching the metaphor more and more, but ultimately, there is a value in viewing everything through a creative lens. At the core, all humans are creative beings. It is a fundamental nature of humanity. We can see it because all kids know how to do it. They play, they build, they create.

• Humans are creative.
• Humans are storytellers.
• But many of us forget.
• We grow up.
• We feel that things should be serious or hard to be meaningful.
• We forget that stories are where we make meaning.
• Stories are where we connect things together.
• Imagination is how we shape the future.
• And most of us just need permission to start again.

This is an opportunity for that permission.

A collective commitment to bring some creative imagination into the boardroom to increase your impact. 

Embrace the connection between meaning and purpose. Make space for curiosity in the boardroom. Yes, there are compliance things to cover, and formal matters to address, and keeping the organisation financially viable, but also there is a great opportunity to imagine possibilities. To ask good questions. To think expansively. 

Find ways to consider possibilities, to embrace uncertainty and to focus on doing what is right rather than being right. To encourage robust discussion around ideas and potential, find a way to meaningfully proceed, but also hold space for possibility. 

We need to allow space for our creative mind to wander. For us to embrace play, imagination and curiosity in the boardroom.

As Arthur C Brooks says: 

“Creativity is a particular form of power: the power to see new possibilities more clearly than others do,” but, like any other power, creativity is best used when deployed in the service of others. Use it to help make your mission thrive. 

Written by: Dr. Jeremy Mayall, Creative Waikato CEO