According to Michael Kaiser, “the central problem facing the arts today is not a lack of flute players, choreographers, actors or painters. The main challenge the arts world must address is the lack of a large, trained corps of managers who know how to find resources, attract audiences and other constituents and provide support to our artists.”
Mr. Kaiser goes on to illustrate this leadership challenge as it particularly impacts small organizations. These organizations are founded on passion and pure grit to make their mark in the world. They enjoy a period of great entrepreneurship and growth but soon find the level of experience or expertise needed to maintain or move a larger organization forward is beyond the skills or interest of the founders. They may also be able to take in young, talented individuals develop their skills and give them experience only to lose them to larger, established and better funded organizations. This then forces the smaller organization to start over with leadership rather than growing with that leadership.
The good news is that there are several arts managers in the performing arts industry that are willing to share their expertise with multiple arts organizations rather than just focus their efforts on just one. These consultants may not be there to do the daily work of running and growing an organization, but they can be brought in to provide experience to help develop the management skills of young leaders or of founders looking to improve their skills. They can also provide a sounding board or alternate viewpoint for more seasoned administrators. Perhaps the organization just needs a structural boost around governance, finances, programming, marketing, or patron/donor development. These limited strategic planning projects can provide direction and best practices for the operating staff for months if not years.
It would be a shame if the passion and grit that was put into an organization’s founding turned out for not if the organization fails to thrive or grow. That mark on our world will be minimal if not disappearing all together. Even temporary access to quality, experienced arts leadership can get these organizations over the hurdles and keep that passion and determination focused on moving forward rather than settling for mediocrity or non-existence.