What is included in “leadership development”?
The “what” that develops in leadership development includes self-awareness, self-confidence, and the ability to see how systems relate to each other; that is, to take a systemic view. Other leadership capacities include working with people, thinking creatively, and learning from our experiences. Although some people seem to be “natural leaders,” leadership capacities can be developed. That means there is no good reason not to broaden the base of leadership within our media arts organizations. In doing so we stand to strengthen our organizations, our field, and our potential impact on the larger society. Most media arts organizations have an executive director. Quite often, that person has a huge and seemingly unmanageable job. How can executive directors get the support they need? The executive director s workload is often unmanageable. Burnout is a risk. As a starting point for getting the support they need, executive directors must remember that they are not supposed to have all the
