This week on Field Notes, we're talking about career paths. We've broken this conversation down into four questions. We'll dive into a different question each day this week. Today, we focus on where you are now in your career. How do you know where you are? What skills do you currently have? In this Harvard Business Review article, Bill Barnett shares an easy to implement matrix that can help you determine where your personal objectives are best met when it comes to making career decisions. Matrices are not new tools, nor should their results … [Read more...]
What are the qualities of a strong arts leader?
This week on Field Notes, we're talking about career paths. We've broken this conversation down into five steps. We'll dive into a different step each day this week. Today, we're focusing on the importance (or lack there of) in having or thinking about a career path. What makes a successful arts leader? This is perhaps the most important question as you think about your own career path in the arts. What does success look like for you? What do you need to get there? Everyone will have their own definition. As an executive search consultant … [Read more...]
Designing Your Life
This week on Field Notes, we're talking about career paths. We've broken this conversation down into five steps. We'll dive into a different step each day this week. Today, we're focusing on the importance (or lack there of) in having or thinking about a career path. Executive Director of the Design Program at Stanford University, Bill Burnett shares his thoughts on one of the toughest questions we all face in life: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Burnett believes that “the notion that you need to have a passion and follow it is a … [Read more...]
Civic Health. Civic Equity. Civic Capacity.
Michael Rohd, Founding Artistic Director of Sojourn Theatre and Founder & Director of The Center for Performance and Civic Practice shares the values that guide both organizations: Civic Health. Civic Equity. Civic Capacity. Rohd conveys how these values are integrated into every decision made by both organizations and the approach taken to support equity conceptually through their work and literally in the community. … [Read more...]
On Values & Building Community
Inclusivity. Creativity & Innovation. Integrity. These are the values that Irfana Jetha Noorani thrives on through her work with the 11th Street Bridge Park. Each day is about bringing communities together around a civic space and it is these values that serve as the thread stringing all the aspects of her work together. … [Read more...]
Scott Kratz: Values
The intentionality of our actions, the generosity of our time and the creation of an authentic space. These are some of the ways that Scott Kratz, Director of the 11th Street Bridge Park, brings his values into his work. … [Read more...]
The Commons
Growing up, the public library was a place that allowed Polly Carl, Director & Editor of HowlRound: A Center for the Theater Commons, to find belonging and access imagination. This introduction to a commons model is something that s/he's continued to carry and that influences all that s/he brings as a leader to the organization. The commons model is all about inclusivity. Carl honors and encourages this through her/his work at HowlRound. Inclusivity is so engrained in the organization, Carl says that the staff must have buy-in to this … [Read more...]
It’s a work in progress, but it’s crucial work
"It's about them." "We're all alive." "We're all going through this crazy path of life." Jeff McCarter, Founder & Executive Director of Free Spirit Media shares how the values of the organization surround human dignity and the people their programs serve. McCarter challenges organizations to really own their values, but believes that it is always a work in progress. … [Read more...]
Clyde Valentin: Values
Clyde Valentin, Director of the SMU Meadows Arts + Urbanism Initiative shares how values appear in his work through acknowledging equity and inequity, acknowledging people everyday and recognizing that mistakes happen. … [Read more...]
Ari Weinzweig: Congruency & Values
We promised a video this week featuring Ari Weinzweig, co-founder of Zingerman's and here it is! Weinzweig shares the difference between values and beliefs and the importantance of having congruency between the two, in any business environment. Share your reactions with us in the comments section or at #ValuesNAS. … [Read more...]
Taking Down the Hedges
Respect. Access. Inclusion. Transparency. Authenticity. These are the values held deeply by Hope McMath, Executive Director of the Cummer Museum of Art + Gardens. McMath shares how these values are part of the decisions she makes both internally at the museum, through hiring and organizational culture, as well as externally in the community. She tells the story of literally taking down the hedges that surround the museum and what physical and symbolic meaning a row of bushes can have. … [Read more...]
The Definition Game
As leaders of organizations, it is essential that we not only uphold the values of our organizations, but also believe in them. Sandra Cha, an assistant professor at McGill University, and Amy Edmondson, of Harvard Business School conducted and in-depth survey of organizational values at an up and coming advertising agency. The result: employees felt the CEO was acting hypocritically through his actions even though he talked the talk of organizational core values. This view essentially resulted in the employee’s variance of interpretation on … [Read more...]
A peek into Zappos
Wait. There's more on Zappos. We told you it was a favorite. In January, Tim Cynova, Deputy Director of Fractured Atlas, shared his investigation into how Zappos created a culture where core values are at the center of each and every decision. Cynova, a self-proclaimed Zappophile found himself continually asking what would Zappos do? He went to visit the headquarters to find out exactly that. … [Read more...]
Zappos: Testing for Core Values
We can't have a conversation about values without mentioning Zappos. They're one of our favorite examples. Check out the Zappos Interview Scoring Card for Core Values. This assessment was designed to make sure that each hire is a good fit for the company's culture. Questions fall under at least one core value and candidates are ranked on a scale of how well they meet each one. How do you ensure job candidates understand and fit the core values of your organization? Tell us in the comments section or at … [Read more...]
Organization Spotlight: Springboard for the Arts
One of the reasons Springboard for the Arts is able to take on and implement large scale projects with their small team is through leveraging their staff. The staff lives and breathes seven principles: We view artists as vital contributors to their communities. Our programs are delivered by artists to artists. Our capacity to build relationships is the basis of our effectiveness. We emphasize building systems of investment and support. We develop cross-sector collaborations. We operate with a sense of transformational … [Read more...]