Who inspires us to lead?
VIM Executive Coaching has long recognized that executive leaders should not always seek inspiration from the tried-and-true sources. While we are certainly not demeaning business school programming, executive leadership programming or standard references, we encourage our clients to seek leadership inspiration in all manner of things and to expect the unexpected.
At an Art Show
As the pandemic was about to alter so many of our lives, we had the opportunity to attend an outdoor art show in Denver. There were several nice exhibits from artisans who made fine furniture to leather workers.
Naturally, there were many artists. Some of the art was contrived, or what our friends might call “derivative,” or unoriginal, and several were simply made for no other reason than to sell to tourists! However, some artists were clearly quite talented and unique.
We were drawn to a booth where the artist had assembled a collection of exceptional brushstroke paintings. He favored birds and also aquatic scenes; ravens, cardinals, water lilies, Koi and such. The water colors were fun and serious at the same time, as he had a sense of humor about nature but it was obvious, he cared very much about his craft.
He was in his seventies, we would imagine, and he had been an art professor in Korea before moving to California more than thirty years before. He did not give the impression of being a “serious” artist, but of a jovial martial arts instructor. He sported a gray goatee, wore wire-rimmed glasses and yet his broad shoulders and thick, calloused hands indicated a physical as well as artistic life.
It was a warm day but he appeared cool and calm sitting the booth, smiling at each visitor and accepting whatever came his way. He was polite, engaging and observant. What was so obvious was that he treated everyone equally and with great respect.
He was engaged with a man who clearly was not going to buy a painting, but who talked of the Koi Pond he built in Boulder, Colorado. They were talking about the color pattern of a fish in one of the paintings. The man almost seemed to almost dress as a farmer.
As they were talking, a woman barged into the booth, inquiring of the price of a piece. She was well-dressed, and obviously looked to be in the coveted potential buyer category. The artist smiled at her, politely told her the price, and then resumed his conversation with the man. Interestingly, the woman dashed out of the booth without so much as a thank you, but the man – dressed more like a farmer than an art critic – took the artist’s card and invited the artist to visit he and his wife the next time he did a show.
“Can I call you?” asked the man. “We are adding onto our home and I would be interested in commissioning a piece.”
While we did not have the luxury of follow-up, we would imagine the simple, heart-felt encounter, born from a place of mindfulness did result in an opportunity.
Lessons on Leadership
Several valuable lessons remained with us from that art show and that artist. He was authentic, first and foremost. He was calm and sure of himself from an obvious place of mindfulness.
In passing other booths, some of the artists were almost frenetic in their need to make a sale, flitting from person to person trying to please every person. In short, there was no human connection. This particular artist was much more intent on making connection regardless of outcome. He did not try to be everything to everyone.
He also had a sense of focus. He allowed himself the space to make a place in the life of another person, even though it may not have resulted in an immediate sale. In a business sense, he seemed to have also forged a relationship that would have a lasting impact. The forging of that relationship might be larger than the initial meeting. He had developed listening skills and in listening, he heard another person rather than processing him.
Lessons on executive leadership need not come out of books or executive training programs but can, and do, happen all around us, all of the time. Being open to those lessons is a treasure. They inspire us to lead.