The synergy of geese
Synergy means joint work and co-operative action (ergonomics.about.com)
Have you ever watched geese take flight?
When they lift off, before long, they get into V shape. What is this all about and what can we learn from it?
One plus one equals more than two
Synergy is a law of nature and we can learn a lot from flying together
(http://theleadership.wordpress.com)
So let's look at this in more depth. By flying in a V , a flock of geese can move faster and fly longer than any one goose flying alone. In fact, it's said, that working together in this way means the flock has a 71% greater flying range. Very good!
For many Sync members, we share a common goal - we want to be seen, to be heard, and to make an impact, and to break out of the cage we sometimes find ourselves in.
Being part of a community with a shared sense of purpose can mean getting to where you want to get more easily and quickly.
Artist, Tanya Raabe, likes the V of geese because she likes being part of a flock. She also knows that being up front is tiring and it's good to fall back from time to time and give someone else the chance to take the lead.
For many other artists in Sync the idea of leading is too close to power. Power is something that feels ugly for many of us, but Tanya sees herself as a leader at times, but not a ruler. She's not the boss, she's part of the flock.
Read more about Tanya in her case study.
What artists know about leadership
Artists learn everything about the medium in which they work... what they can expect from it and where it falls short. (Sharon Daloz Parks)
Many artists think they don't know anything about leadership but Sharon Daloz Parks doesn't agree. She thinks that when we make something or tell a story, or paint a picture or create a dance, these things have leadership qualities. She says
'A potter must learn that clay has its own life. The potter develops a relationship with clay, spending time with it, learning to know it and how it will interact with water, discovering that if you work it too hard, it will collapse and if you work with it, it will teach you its strength, your limits and the possibilities of co-creation.'
Artists collective
Change can only be realised as part of a movement (Simon Sheikh)
Curator and critic, Simon Sheikh, is a great advocate for the artist collective and says that for artists to make an impact, they need to be part of something bigger than themselves, to collect together and develop a following at various points along the journey.
So how do artists get people to follow?
Facebook? A fan club? A website? Or do you get people to follow by making your work really great so people just want to be part of what you do?
For many of us, being out front is a difficult thing to try out, let alone master, and support and encouragement - the 'honking behind us' is a really important part of putting your neck out.
Honking from behind
Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed
(Leadership in Perspective)
Honking from behind is something that geese do to encourage the bird up front to lead, they'll even swoop down in pairs to help a bird if it's shot out of the sky. How great is that!
When we, as humans, take the lead, the honking from behind can feel like people criticising what we are doing rather than supporting.
We need to celebrate and support those who are flying up front. We can learn a lot from the risks they take and this will help us when we take the lead.
Getting ahead together
If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other (Humairah)
So why don't we try to be more like geese and see if it gets us further.
How can we do this today and in the weeks and months ahead?
Perhaps we can get together in new ways and be like geese sharing and talking about our work and our leadership plans.
Why don't you put the leadership skills you already have because you are an artist into practice. Make sure you have a healthy set of honkers behind you as you take the lead.
What have you got to lose? Only time and energy. If you don't try these things, you may find yourself working six times harder for half the results.
