Finger Painting as a Leadership Practice
One of the many fun things I get to do in my work is serving as a faculty member of the Leadership Coaching Certificate Program at Georgetown University. Last month, I had the pleasure of reading through some great papers by the current group of students offering their best ideas for developing the practice of leadership. I was particularly intrigued by a practice shared by Susan Palmer, an attorney and educator from Vermont who's next act will be centered on leadership coaching. It's what she calls finger painting meditations. With her gracious consent, I want to share with you what that's all about and a couple of her own creations that really grabbed me.
Regular readers of this blog know that I am a devotee of the work of Ron Heifetz and his idea that leaders regularly need to get off the dance floor and onto the balcony to observe the bigger picture. This idea is very similar to one that Susan cited in her paper. In their book, Leadership Agility, Bill Joseph and Steve Joiner contend that the essence of being an adaptive leader is reflective action which they describe as "a process of stepping back from your current focus in a way that allows you to make wiser decisions and then fully engage in what needs to be done next."
Sometimes stepping back really does mean stepping back and that's where Susan's finger painting meditations come into the picture. Her suggestion for leaders who want to build their capacity around reflective action is to spend ten dollars on some finger paints and paper and take some time once a week to unplug and create. Specifically, Susan suggests that you set up your materials on a table, stand up, use both hands and start painting. When you're done, give your picture a title and then step back and notice how you feel about it.
So, let me acknowledge here that I haven't tried this yet but I promise I'm going to. In the meantime, here are a couple of my favorite works by Susan that she shared with me as examples of her own finger painting meditations. As I said to her earlier this week, just looking at her work was meditative for me. I found myself getting lost in the colors and the patterns. So, I've already benefitted from the practice without even getting my fingers messy!
Here's a request and a question for you. Request: If you've enjoyed Susan's work, let her know by leaving a comment. Question: What practice or routine do you follow to step back from your current focus?
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Executive coach Scott Eblin’s goal is to help you succeed at the next level of leadership. Throughout the week, he’ll offer his take on the leadership lessons in the news and his advice on your most pressing leadership questions. A former government executive, Scott is a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and is the author of The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success.
"What practice or routine do you follow to step back from your current focus?"
I'm not particularly artistic, and didn't really care for fingerpainting all that much when I was in kindergarten. I don't telecommute or flex; I step back by going home and leaving work behind. I don't talk to my spouse about work. I read a few pages in a (non-work related) book. I do a cross-word puzzle. I read the paper. I mow the lawn. I resume my work focus the next morning.
EJC in ATL Posted Monday, July 13, 2009 7:38 AMThank you, Susan! And Scott for sharing this. I think its important for leaders to leave the left brain dominant world of business every so often and engage in creative reflection. Great idea!
Heidi Posted Monday, July 13, 2009 9:47 AMIt's no wonder that workers believe managers are idiots, when managers believe they are enhancing their leadership skills through finger painting. What workers expect is for leaders to lead by example. Once workers get wind that managers are wasting their time with this foolish and non-sensical activity then everyone will be wanting to spend their time finger painting, while they get paid of course.
W. Hunter Roop Posted Monday, July 13, 2009 9:51 AMAre we sure Susan didn't mean finger pOinting? This is a management tactic that we clerks are all too familiar with.
Joe Haardt Posted Monday, July 13, 2009 11:59 AMRE: "I was particularly intrigued by a practice shared by Susan Palmer, an attorney and educator from Vermont who's next act will be centered on leadership coaching. It's what she calls finger painting meditations." Dibert lives!!!
Concerned Retiree Posted Monday, July 13, 2009 2:03 PMI did this in Kindergarten guess this is a tribute to the lack of education in the fed workforce
dan m ketter Posted Monday, July 13, 2009 2:08 PMI had not tied this together before, but I do know that my time spent drawing and painting does help me change gears from my technical work.
Richard Young Posted Tuesday, July 14, 2009 6:57 AMThere are so many good books on leadership out there, currently reading "Leadership From the Inside Out". I think we can all agree on the need to step back and look at the big picture. But finger painting? C'mon! This makes Dilbert's company look like leadership leaders!
Pete Posted Tuesday, July 14, 2009 12:33 PMFirst, I find it interesting that some commenters ASSUME that Susan is a federal employee. Just because the column is for Feds, does not mean that someone who is a lawyer and educator in Vermont is a fed. In fact, some of them will be telling us how much we need to look to the private sector for all our answers, yet they have a sarcastic and nearly empty criticism of this suggestion.
Zen gardens, alcohol, exercise, etc. There are a lot of ways to disengage from work. Some of them actually could help productivity. Others are just another excuse to avoid responsibilities.
There is research evidence that the most productive folks are those who spend up to 20% of their time during work doing something other than work. It is not clear whether productive people are just more efficient and CAN spend more time at leisure or whether the non-work activity is a necessary causal factor in improving productivity.
In any case, I enjoyed Susan's work as art. Hard to say how such an activity would affect my ability to step back or to be a more effective leader.
Dave B. Posted Tuesday, July 14, 2009 1:48 PMI like the idea of taking some time occasionally to refelcet and recharge my batteries. We all have a tendency to forget that we need to step away and let people do their jobs, and give thought to the bigger picture. Kind of like cooking - sometimes you stir the pot, other times you let it simmer
Steve W Posted Wednesday, July 15, 2009 12:16 PMI didn't see anything that specified that thses stepping back practices were on or off duty, just saw the phrase, "once a week." I get away from all aspects of work by rowing in an eight person shell. Rowing is a great, low-impact exercise that requires total concentration and teamwork. There is no way I can drag my work frustrations out onto the lake with me and simultaneously be an effective member of my crew. After a good row, I am then reminded that it takes the entire team working together towards a common goal and I can approach my daily management tasks more effectively. My paintings wouldn't be anywhere near as interesting as Susan's, though.
cpincp Posted Friday, July 17, 2009 1:15 PM