Leadership: An Open Mic for New Ideas
Leadership is the issue of the day. From national politics to our roles within our own families, the question of who leads and how is crucially important.
But how do we lead better, smarter, more creatively? How do we inspire and transform? How do we do it differently? We want to examine new models for leadership and new thinking on how to lead at every level in a museum. We are looking for inspired approaches, breakthrough concepts, a lively, let-your-hair-down debate on what it means to lead. A little humor, a touch of irreverence, a lot of honesty would all be welcome.
What are the traits and core competencies of an ideal leader? If leadership is critical at all levels, how do we encourage it from the bottom up, inside out and across organizations? How are emerging leaders nurtured and valued? Is there a whole new role for the CEO in the future? How can leadership become more diverse? What can we learn from the models used by other cultures? How should leaders respond to rapid changes in society, technology, the environment?
From all perspectives within these unique constructions we call museums, can we shine a new light on what it means to lead? After all, museums preserve, collect, display, interpret and educate for the public good. We share close relationships with multiple communities and our many publics, with schools and universities, with local, regional and federal governments, with the media, the business community and the philanthropic community. We serve a clientele from newborns to centenarians. Now that’s a scenario that calls for some innovative leadership!
For the 2008 Annual Meeting in Denver, we invite our members and participants to investigate the issue of leadership— in our institutions, in our communities and in the individuals working in every discipline within the museum— but to do so by encouraging innovative approaches to leadership.
Share your stories, your experiences, your wisdom with one another in Denver and beyond. Help us explore what changes are needed to discover new directions for our museums—and perhaps even for the world.
