By Sharon Wagner of Senior Friendly
Succeeding in business requires a unique mix of skills — interpersonal confidence, clear communication, and the ability to multitask are just a few of the most important. It might surprise you to hear that you can learn many of these skills from the performing arts. Indeed, if you want to adopt an unconventional — yet effective — approach to developing business savvy, the performing arts could be the key. Consider five additional business leadership skills that you can hone by investing in the performing arts.
1. Don’t Be Afraid to Try New Things
If you’ve never tried performance art before, it’s natural to be nervous. Simply dipping your toes into its water can be a lesson in and of itself, though — you can learn how to let go of your fear of trying new things. Indeed, this skill is vital to both your personal and professional success.
2. Know When to Take the Lead
Perhaps the most important skill in a business context is knowing when to take the lead. If you’re always following others, you’ll never see your ideas flourish. This is especially important given the fact that, according to research, 77% companies report that their leadership infrastructure is unsustainable. When it’s time to raise your voice and lead the team, a background in performance can help. The performing arts — much like the business world — emphasize the importance of elegant and effective leadership.
3. Learn How to Collaborate With Others
Yet another important business skill that you may learn from the performing arts is the ability to collaborate effectively with others. Many novice leaders mistakenly believe that leadership and collaboration are mutually exclusive, when in fact, the opposite is true. A respectable leader will draw on their teammate’s strengths, offer support, and give credit where credit is due. These same principles apply to dance and performance.
4. Recognize the Value of Creativity
The business world is often perceived as a detached and analytical environment. The world’s top business leaders know a secret, though — creativity is the key to success. Indeed, you need to leverage your creative skills to step into your role as a visionary and a leader.
This quality requires more than just ideas — it demands that you affect change, think outside the box, and adopt a different perspective. When you pair this power with clear communication skills and persuasive leadership abilities, you’ll be able to achieve change in your business and beyond.
5. Understand the Importance of Narrative
Every piece of performance art is telling a story. It may not be as explicit as the story told in a novel, but it’s there — you just have to look. The same is true of the best businesses. The Marketing Machine explains that every brand should have a narrative at its core that drives its daily operations and inspires continuous progress. Indulging in the performance arts will teach you how to tap into the value of a narrative, and can do wonders for your marketing campaign.
Once you know your brand narrative, you can design other aspects of your business, including your marketing, around it. You can find stock videos that are royalty free to cut down your production costs, and focus on voice overs that will tie together what you are selling with your brand narrative. There are plenty of stock videos to choose from so you can create a truly authentic marketing piece for your business.
Learn Business Leadership Skills Through Performance
Performance is one of the most powerful artistic forms you can leverage — and it can teach you a lot about business, including vital business leadership skills. Invest in your professional development and your personal enrichment by taking a performance arts class. It might just help you unleash the visionary leader that’s been hiding inside of you.
Photo credit: Pexels
