How Do You Lead? An Experiment in Clown Logic

Those who know me (and regular readers of this blog) are aware that I make no secret of my theatrical background.  In fact, I use my Theatre training in almost every aspect of my life--in particular, my job as an academic advisor for first-year students at Virginia Commonwealth University.  I have spent the past several months applying for leadership positions (both internally and at other universities).  No working professional should allow their skills to become stagnant and I always want to grow and learn.  Because I have been applying for "leadership" positions, I have constantly asked myself what being a "leader" actually means.  How does one lead?  How do I lead?  I figured it out yesterday.

I was in my supervisor's office, speaking with him about a student whose case was about to go before an appeal committee.  One of my colleagues entered the office with a quick question and my supervisor made a joke about needing to leave because he had theatre tickets.  My colleague responded by saying that what "we" needed wasn't important and then proceeded to grab my arm and drag me out of my supervisor's office.

My colleague had not taken the time to find out what I needed to speak with my supervisor about.  My colleague also physically manhandled me to get me to do what she wanted me to do.

That would never work in clowning.

My advisor friends will laughingly tell you that I am the only person they know who has taken a graduate-level  clowning class.  I was fortunate enough to take a master class with the man pictured above (Avner Eisenberg, a world-renowned mime, juggler, and clown).  Any professional clown will tell you that comedy (like leadership) has rules you have to follow.

• A good clown ALWAYS listens: to other performers, and to his audience.  Even if you are doing a "solo" performance, your audience is your partner...if you don't listen to how they are responding to the things you say and do, your performance will fail.
• A good clown breathes before he begins.  This seems like common sense.  We ALL breathe!  But a clown has to pause at the beginning of his or her show and start to breathe WITH the audience.  You need to be working in sync with those around you.  And you should always take a second to pause and process before you speak!
• A good clown asks rather than demands.  A lot of clowns will do "audience participation" gags.  Going into the audience is a risk--you never know how someone will react to your presence (which generally makes people VERY nervous).  But there are things you can do to ease that discomfort.  If you want someone to come onstage with you, just put out your hand.  If the audience member wants to participate, they will put their hand in yours---you will know that they are WILLING.  Why would you physically grab someone and force them to do something they don't want to do?  Why would we, as leaders, force our employees to do things that they are uncomfortable doing?  
• A good clown helps us to laugh at our failings.  I used to keep a quote on my wall from the incomparable Emma Thompson, "Laughter is a celebration of our failings.  That's what clowns are for, and that's what I am."  We all have shortcomings (as people and as employees).  A good clown can point out those shortcomings...gently...and then help you see how humorous they really are.  A good leader can show you that your shortcomings don't always have to be shortcomings.  You can turn a negative into a positive.
• A good clown knows who he or she is.  The Vaudeville-based clown is a distilled version of yourself.  The performer will take their physical and psychological characteristics and then choose some to minimize (and others to maximize).  But beyond all things, the clown is rooted in a deep-down understanding of WHO YOU ARE.  If you don't know your own strengths and weaknesses, you should not lead others.

I believe in laughing at the things that happen on a daily basis.  We can only deal with things as they happen, and then plan better for the next time.  But life (and work) will always surprise us, so I would rather face it with a sense of humor and by working with those around me...and by occasionally wearing my clown nose.

Understanding Arts Training: Beyond "Soft" Skills

I recently had a conversation with my colleague Art Esposito, director of VCU's Discovery Program for Undeclared students.  The gist of the conversation was that he has been looking for a way to help his population get their collective heads around what they will really be dealing with in the arts programs here at VCU.  What is the day-to-day reality of an art student?  What skills do you truly need to have beyond all of the technical jargon that is posted on audition and portfolio webpages?  Let's be honest, I can tell a student that he or she needs to memorize two contrasting monologues of one minute each for the Theatre Performance program...but the audition is a nanosecond of time in the course of your arts training.

All of the literature currently being provided to arts advisors (and undeclared advisors talking to arts students) talks about how students can translate their "arts" skills (i.e. "soft" skills) into the business world.  Yes, arts students are generally better at critical thinking, communicating and understanding ideas, collaboration, leadership (beat THAT Business majors!!), and public speaking.  But there are skills that we are forgetting; skills that we aren't viewing in the right light, that will provide clues to BOTH of these problems.

Idea Synthesis.  Can you compile data (in text, image, sound, etc. form) and synthesize it into new and compelling ways?  You'll have to do that in dance, graphic arts, fashion, film, music, and theatre.  Oh, and you'll probably need those skills in the business world too!

Focus.  No one focuses (when they want to) like an arts student.  Are you capable of spending 3 hours at a time standing in front of a mirror working on the position of your feet like my dancers do?  Are you willing to spend 20+ man-hours on one project like a graphic arts student?  That focus comes in handy when you are given a task to do in a 9-to-5 job too!

Visualization/Interpretation.  Do you see a constant movie in your head?  Now can you, with deliberation and accuracy, slow down the movie and notate everything that is happening?  My film majors can.  This ability to visualize an artistic ideal is necessary for every artist (the artist should say to him or herself, "THIS is how I want it to be, " and then make that particular thing happen.)  The ability to visualize ideas is vital for everyone, no matter where they work.

Physical Mirroring/Detailed Correcting.  Most artists understand that the smallest features in their work can help them attain perfection.  The ability to look at something, identify a specific problem, and correct it on a finite scale is vital to the artist AND to the working professional.

Specificity.  When an artist walks into a room and participates in "group work", you will hear them say (with alarming frequency), "give me the specifics...Let's talk about THIS THING..."  The ideas of focus and detailed correcting I talked about earlier will always color an artist's view on any given project.  They are capable of focusing in, and correcting, specific areas of a project (be it a concerto, a monologue, a pas de deux, a painting, etc.)  This specific, focused approach is part of our artistic methodology.  You cannot, as a musician, work on an entire symphony at one time.  You have to work in pieces.


So what will students be doing in the arts besides learning music, painting pictures, and telling stories?  They'll be focusing on their work in the most intimate ways possible.  They'll be opening up their minds and (more painfully) their hearts to the creative process.  They will be allowing others to judge their work and they will be judging others (you non-arts people call that "critical thinking").  They'll spend hours in front of mirrors.  And they'll know their strengths and weaknesses better than someone with an Accounting degree...but at the end of the day, they'll still be able to sit down and work with someone with an Accounting degree.

The Empathy Challenge (The Academical Doctor is In...)

I've been told, on more than one occasion, that a good advisor needs to be empathetic to their student's experiences. I'm lucky in that gratuitous Theatre training (and genetic predispositions) slide me further along the empathy scale than a number of my peers. In the interest of full disclosure, I will point out that I am a sympathetic crier. Watching my students break down has been known to send me into corresponding tears. I think that makes me a better advisor because I can understand what my students are going through...and then help them move past it.

But how often do you, as students, "flip the script"?

I once had a student wander back down the hallway to my office and knock on the door frame (I never close my office door unless a student needs to talk about something personal). When I looked up from the paperwork I was trying to finish, the student informed me that he was my 11:30 appointment. I asked the student to walk up to our front desk and sign in (we keep track of how many students come through our doors). The student's response was, "that's weird." I told him that he probably had to sign in when he went to his doctor and this was a similar concept. The young man responded, "oh yeah! You're like my academical doctor!"

I like telling this story for a few reasons. First, it's just plain funny--I've dressed up like an "academical" doctor for the last several Halloweens. Secondly, the story illustrates how infrequently we take the time to open up our perceptions to the experiences of others. Imagine you are a student who takes the time and energy to schedule an appointment with your advisor. You had to look over your schedule carefully, you might have had to forgo plans with friends after class. You probably have important questions you need to ask your advisor. Maybe you're concerned because you didn't get on-campus housing for next year. Maybe you are panicking about a bad grade. Whatever your reasons, you deserve to spend uninterrupted time with your advisor. How would you feel if another student wandered back and took your advisor's attention with a "quick" question? How would you feel if your advisor answered phone calls (personal or otherwise) during your meeting? You would probably feel like you didn't have your advisor's full attention and, even worse, that they didn't care about you.

I don't say all of this to scold my students (who generally have a flexible idea about the notion of time). I merely want you to understand why I do the things I do.

When I first started advising, I established very clear boundaries:
1). Never answer the phone while with a student unless it is an emergency (or a Dean is on the phone--and then you MUST apologize to the student BEFORE answering the phone).
2). Always give a student your full attention. You never know when they will disclose something important. That means one student at a time!
3). Respect a student's time: it's just as important as yours. If you are going to be late to an appointment because of a meeting, call and apologize...then apologize again when you arrive. If you are running behind because of another student's appointment, apologize--do not shorten one student's appointment to get caught up!
4). The phrase "open door policy" is literal and figurative. That door stays open, even during lunch. If someone is freaking out, you should be there to help.

I am asking all students (and all advisors) to take a moment and stretch out their empathy feelers a little further than usual for the next week. Before you react to a situation, put yourself in the other person's position.

• If you're angry at a professor for not excusing an absence because you SAID you were sick, take a second and consider that the professor probably hears hundreds of students SAY that--what the professor needs is PROOF!
• If you're angry at your roommate for being in the room when you wanted to be in there with your boyfriend (or girlfriend), consider the fact that your roommate has a paper to write and all of their materials (and their computer) are in the room.
• If you're angry at someone on 95N for driving like a lunatic...no, I'm sorry, there's just no excuse for the drivers on 95.

Let the Empathy Challenge begin!