"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, you are a leader."
American President
1767 - 1848
Leadership is about influence. As a creative leader, do you inspire others through your art, writing, music or storytelling? For me life is about our relationships — the people we meet, the people we help. As a creative leader do you mentor other creative people? We each have a responsibility to pass on what we have learned to those who come after us. We have a responsibility to teach our skill to others — to help other become better.
Creative leaders often are not aware of the lives they touch. As a speaker, I speak to many groups of people and often I don't even get to know the audience. And unless people follow-up with you by letter or email, you never learn whether you touched their lives. And in many respects the same is true of writers and artists. Someone may look at your painting and be inspired to try painting himself. Someone may read your book or story or poem and be inspired to be a better person. We often don't know the lives we touch.
We also don't know who is watching us, observing us. How we behave impacts people's lives. I know of speakers who say one thing on stage and do something else in their private lives. They don't practice what they preach. And, believe me, people see this. As a creative leader, you need to walk your talk.
