Shifting the Paradigm: From Reactive to Visionary Leadership

In addition to my role at the PRJC, I serve as an Assistant Professor of Music at The College of New Jersey. Today marks one month since TCNJ’s President announced that all instruction would be moved online and that we would not return to campus for the duration of the Spring 2020 semester. The subsequent 30 days have been filled with a wide range of constantly changing emotions as I have both come to terms with these changes and witnessed the horror of the current situation. Like many artists and musicians, the elimination of collaborative in-person music making has left a giant hole in who I am as a human being. This is both challenging and reaffirming.

On Saturday, I revisited a composition that TCNJ Wind Ensemble world premiered in December 2019. The work, by recent TCNJ alum Ryan Galik, is a theme and variations through the five stages of grief as outlined by the  Kübler-Ross model. While I am forever grateful for my health, safety, and stability during these times, I realized that my response to the last month mirrored the trajectory of the piece: denial, anger, bargaining, depression.

And now, acceptance.

Many arts organizations and artists (myself included) have spent the last month in triage mode—reacting to seismic and unprecedented shifts in how we teach, create, share, and survive in a socially distanced world. While I am both proud and inspired by how our profession has navigated the last 30 days, I realize that I personally have been stuck in a ‘reactive’ rut. My thinking has been day-to-day, centered around the question of “how can I fix this?”

With our music education students at TCNJ, I stress  concepts of visionary and creative and visionary pedagogy vs. reactive pedagogy. No matter how difficult the situation, it is time to practice what I preach. Laura Crothers Osborn, President of Crothers Consulting, describes the shortcomings of reactive leadership:

When people react, it’s like that automatic mind, that caveman mind: a problem or a threat presents itself, and a reaction is driven by fear. Sometimes the leader gets it right, but sometimes the reactionary fix addresses it in the short term, and causes more problems down the road. No planning, just reacting – outside forces are driving the bus. Reactive leaders choose safety over purpose and their effectiveness is inconsistent at best.

In contrast, Crothers highlights the qualities of the creative leader:

In a creative mindset, there is purpose or vision that is led by passion, not fear. The leader deliberately decides ‘how’ and ‘if’ to respond, in a thoughtful way. Either of those responses is an action that moves the organization (or individual) towards its purpose.Continuing to act with a purpose propels their leadership effectiveness.

After reacting to this situation for the last 720 hours, I am ready to make a shift. A shift to visionary and creative leadership. Instead of asking myself “now what?” I will ask myself “what if?” Instead of saying “this isn’t possible” I will say “what might be possible?” I will shift from reactionary thinking to visionary thinking. While our creative landscape has been turned upside down and resources have evaporated, the charge to create compelling, relevant, innovative, and impactful art in the 21st century is more important than ever. 

How will you be a visionary in a world of uncertainty? 

Learn more about Laura Crothers Osborn and Creative Leadership HERE.