Friday’s Big Idea
Today's Big Idea: Creative Leadership
The leadership self-help industry isn’t heavy on nuance. Leaders are busy, so bestselling books tend to be short and to the point, and they tend to fall into one of two camps: those that advocate for a return to a traditional, top-down approach, and those that view leadership as a kind of secular gurudom – top-down inspiration of bottom-up innovation.
“Artistic types” tend to find leadership a particularly awkward fit, and more traditional leaders find “creatives” a real challenge to lead. President John Maeda, of the Rhode Island School of Design, recommends a middle way – a flexibility in leadership style that allows for decisiveness when necessary and flexibility when it’s the wisest approach.
