Leadership?

Leadership? 

An open question and open discussion on leadership 

Key Themes Around Leadership

* An Open space allows for a more nervous system regulated

* Quiet leaders; low ego leaders? 

* Some sectors offered and have opportunity to be trained in leadership more than arts and culture

* People think different things about leaders

* Narcissism / narcissistic 

* Accountability

* Reluctant leaders - some may feel they are the only ones left in the pack to take charge / lead the group or other leaders before them failed 

* Leadership changes shape and form depending on setting 

* Leaders set parameters → leaders set tone

* Leaders have confidence in the plan

* Have or hold the direction and direction lead - therefore they have (followers?)

* Control 

* Different leadership styles

* Ego versus impact

* Risk of burnout in leaders

* Risk of failure 

* Pressure, stress, priorities 

* Manners → make people want to work

* Kindness - leading with kindness 

* What is successful leadership? Can it be measured over time?

Structures & Dynamics

* Collective vs individual leadership

* Academic leaders (heads of department) often have time limits / expiring dates I.e rotate every 4 years 

* Leadership involves more work → more labour 

* Sharing the load

* Power hungry tendencies?

* Leadership can be lonely

* Offloading ego?

* Vision shared with artist/project/data

* Pastoral role → keep people happy

* Face the challenges

* Brand structures

* Privilege in leadership → “the anointed winner” the one that lifts the award? 

* Divesting your power vs finding power

* Often institutions and cultures put leaders at odds with staff

* Suspicion of people who want to be leaders

* Succession planning

* How do we use principles of open space in practice/work/show?

* Transfer context → as a leader

* Embedded context 

* Inclusion; multiple boards

* Good leadership = trusted

* Disabled organisations are good at having disabled leaders on boards

Challenges & Tensions

* We want to reject and don’t like rigid structures/hierarchy 

* Co-operative, non-hierarchical models (no chairs, co-directors)

* Who is not in the room or at the table?

* What follows the listening? (awareness doesn’t equal change)

* Can we produce art/work as artist and as a leader simultaneously?

Future of Leadership

* Historic leadership has been held by the same people (majority old white men!?)

* Breaking boundaries of what leadership is 

* More disabled leaders

* Burn it all down? Or leave something behind? What would we leave behind? 

* To be a leader you need followers → question: what direction are we heading?

* A leadership that doesn’t require “firefighting” (putting out fires) as the fires haven’t started in the first place.. 

Core Values for Future Leadership

* Clarity 

* Gentle / honest → “kind = honesty as kindness”

* “Iron fist in a velvet glove” - where did this come from? 

* Diplomacy → speak clearly while carrying weight 

Communication & Listening

* “Speeches” → repeat key ideas (x3 time for effective communication when speaking) 

* Listening is a useful and rare skill

* Process of listening 

* Active listening 

* Example phrase: “You have been heard, but…”

* Awareness does not necessarily lead to change

* What is leadership in 2026 

* Look at the  global backdrop (presidents and prime ministers) (!) 

Is leadership is shifting away from hierarchical, ego-driven models toward more inclusive, shared, and values-based approaches? 

Perhaps leadership involves balancing power with care, clarity with kindness, and authority with listening - while navigating structural pressures, emotional labour 

And…

evolving expectations around who gets to lead and how.