Ofelia's Comments on the Opening Keynote

(May 3) France Dufresne and Sylvie Geneau of Cirque du Soleil gave a fascinating presentation on their experience of building a leadership culture in a creative environment. The challenges they addressed are distinct from most of those that we are familiar with. The implementation of a coherent administrative structure was difficult in an organization that was rapidly growing and unused to working in a centralized model. Nevertheless, the speakers were able to balance the creative nature of the Cirque while at the same time maintain some control over the organizational challenges they experienced. In this way, the Cirque is no different from any other organization.

Although the original mandate was to develop leadership training, it was evident that this approach would not be successful. A different approach – one that aligned the management process with the creative nature of the Cirque’s talent – was required. Visioning through storytelling and discussion enabled leadership to be expressed through a common language. Coaches, who engaged in appreciative inquiry methods, facilitated the process. Managers had to learn to be leaders by simultaneously maintaining control over the organization and encouraging creativity of the talent. At the root of the success of this project was their ability to celebrate their stories and successes and to share them.

Throughout the presentation, images and music of Cirque shows enthralled the CSTD delegates. Those of us who had attended Cirque shows sat back and allowed our memories of these events to take over. The incredible abilities of the entertaining performers combined with the exquisite music combined together to project a moving experience. The speakers alternated and their dynamism was apparent. Their ease with one another and with alternating between English and French proved stimulating and extremely instructive. It may have been a challenge for some of the delegates to understand how one can alternate between seemingly disparate mind-sets but it is part of the Quebecois culture – especially in Montreal – to alternate between the two languages. This presentation technique added to the experience.

It is unfortunate that the discussion following the presentation could not have been extended. The leadership model presented can be adapted to other organizations interested in developing their managers as leaders. Essentially, all leaders must be able to engage and support the teams in their area and be able to understand and communicate with staff as expectations change. This becomes increasingly important as contexts change, as organizations grow and go global. The image that stays with me is that the process of leadership is a journey: We are constantly moving, learning and changing.

Submitted by: Ofelia Ribeiro