What does it mean to be a creative leader?
“The role of a creative leader is not to have all the ideas; it’s to create a culture where everyone can have ideas and feel that they’re valued. So it’s much more about creating climates. I think it’s a big shift for a lot of people.”
- Sir Ken Robinson
This quote by Sir Ken Robinson is a humbling reminder to educators, that our role is to help students gain the power of knowledge and good judgement to be able to form their own ideas and believe in the value of their ideas. Our goal is not to teach students what to think or make them have the same ideas as us, but rather it is to teach students how to think well on their own. It is to show them the way, not to go on the journey for them or ask them to follow behind us.
In a way, it may be a big shift in thinking about how to teach – in art, as we traditionally study art history, we look at who was a good artist, and why their work was good. We also look at good art and think about why it is good art. But, to be creative is not to create art that looks exactly like someone else’s art. One of the most beautiful things about art is that it is unique to the artist, and it tells a story from an artist’ point of view, and everyone’s views and interpretations are bound to be different. So why ask everyone to conform? Why give all the answers and tell students that these are the only finite truths? Sir Ken Robinson is correct. A role of a creative leader is not to have all the ideas, but to set a good example on how to find the answers that make sense to you, and to give time and be patient with progress, and be respectful of each individual artist’s ideas. Everyone’s truth is valuable.
The photo was taken by me circa 2004 at the Zanskar Gorge, in Nimmu village, a beautiful valley in Leh, the capital of Ladakh, in the Tibetan region of the Indian Himalayas. Zanskar Gorge, situated between the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges, marks the confluence of the Zanskar and Indus rivers. The Zanskar is one of the major tributaries of the Indus - a major river which runs through the northern boarders of India and Pakistan and supplies life-giving water to the crown of India (the name “India” is in reference to the Indus River). As the Zanskar provides the green-tinged Indus with icy-blue glacier water from the Himalayas, a truly breathtaking vista of nature is created. It is truly an indescribable sight whose intensity can only be understood through experience. I thought this image to be quite apt to go with the quote by Sir Ken Robinson.
When there is a culture that invites and validates ideas from everyone, something quite powerful and meaningful is inevitably created, and everyone benefits from the experience.
