“The masters Tools will never dismantle the Masters House “ Audre Lorde
One of the functions of leadership is to create more leaders. Whilst Claire was on tour performing in Mid Life, Eilís stepped into her strategic, operations, decision making and leadership work. This is the first time we have tried releasing one of the three artistic directors entirely into the creative work with someone else holding their company responsibilities. Eilís is currently studying for a senior leadership in the arts and culture qualification supported by Diverse City and so was ideally placed (and completely immersed in the latest thinking in the arts sector).
Senior Leadership is shared in Diverse City, with the CEO function distributed amongst a four strong senior management team. Within the wider team everyone is encouraged to lead their area. It is work in progress and sometimes challenging but we believe more people make better decisions. Poor decisions usually result from a lack of cognitive diversity, a lack of talking to those who the decision will really impact, and not enough time given. Going slowly is how real inclusion happens. It is a tightrope between creating clarity for a team and being responsive to a rapidly changing environment.
“This was a game changer for me. Working on a show is often being in rehearsals 9-6pm and then picking up messages on company matters in the evening. I was able to fully focus on the show and rest properly. I also welcomed Eilis’ new perspective on the challenges. I knew that when I got back it would be to some great new ideas and developments. This has proved true.” Claire Hodgson, Joint Artistic Director
Eilís’ Reflections
The recent events (supreme court ruling and the proposed changes to PIP), attempting to divide and silo the population, have been deeply felt within Diverse City and we have been thinking a lot about allyship. Being an ally is the root of our leadership structure and the sprout of all our creative work, we form alliances between unexpected companions. The troubling times we are in makes it all the more important to do this work whilst striving to remain adaptable and dynamic as a small team. That is what this period of stepping up has been about for me. Stepping into someone else’s role, learning their day to day, looking for new ways of doing things, making small changes and leading with the heart. It has been a pivotal opportunity for me to work with the senior management team, to learn and grow, to practise and think about leadership. And at the end of it all, be able to wrap up the role neatly and pass it all back to Claire and step fully back into my own creative projects.
I have been thinking about allied leadership like a relay. Exploring what it might be like to take it back again in the future but the parcel will be a different shape, with new things added and moulded with a bit of me, a bit of Claire and whoever else might receive it on the way and I will lovingly study and examine it, looking for new ways to improve it, looking at it from my own eyes, with my experience, nudging it along to where I think it can go, before passing it over. By sharing leadership and taking it in turns we can share the load and lean into each other’s strengths, we can feel the whole weight of something and support each other. And by stepping back we can take our time, catch our breath and look at it from a distance, we can begin to understand the bigger picture.
