Performing each of these roles with confidence and creativity can be a challenge. This is why many leaders opt to have some training in the performing arts disciplines to help them develop some key transferable skills for business management. From teamworking to thinking on your feet, activities like singing, dancing and acting can help you to step into the business spotlight without fear.
Creative Mindset
Being a leader means you have to be able to naturally problem solve and make top level decisions for your franchise. There will always be mistakes, tough calls and unforeseen circumstances in business, and being able to handle these, oftentimes on the spot, is part of the job. Whether it’s dealing with an unhappy customer or handling a stock issue, staying calm under pressure and coming up with a creative solution is key.
Problem solving and decision making are like improv exercises. You’re given a scenario and need to have to come up with a solution. This is where the improv principles of “Yes, and” and “No, but” come in. This is the idea that you either accept whatever scenario you’re faced with and continue with the storyline or you challenge it but offer an alternative route. In business, you can use this principle to accept the situation you’re dealing with and move straight onto the solution without spending too much time on the “what if” or “if only”, or you can choose to not accept the situation but then you need to offer an alternative or provide more information to move the matter at hand forward to a solution.
It Takes an Ensemble
Whilst some franchisees might start out as a one-person show, very few businesses can grow without building a key cast of hardworking individuals around them. Learning to direct your team and work collaboratively are skills we see in the world of the performing arts.
As a company director, you need to make sure your team are aware of what their roles entail, who to go to for help and what they’re working towards. This is much like putting on a theatre show. Your cast need to know their character inside out, they need to take responsibility for their lines, props and choreography and they need to know how their contribution fits into the show as a complete piece.
Everyone needs to be aware of and driving towards the main business goals, so that they understand the role they play in achieving them. Actors portraying Romeo and Juliet would likely tackle their roles very differently if they didn’t know that the play ends in tragedy. Communicating these goals, practicing active listening to know your team are where they need to be and ensuring everyone is taking responsibility for their place in the big picture is vital to your business’ success so that there’s no tragedy on your business horizon.
Take Centre Stage
Another key aspect of leadership that doesn’t come naturally to all is public speaking. Whether this is in a meeting, an awards ceremony or work event, having the confidence to stand up in front of a crowd and convey your meaning can be intimidating for those at any stage in their career development. However, when leading your own franchise business, it’s something you will undoubtably need to tackle at some point.
One of the classic phrases used to encourage those in a scenario where they don’t feel completely confident is: “fake it ‘til you make it”. This approach has its roots in drama. If you don’t feel confident standing up on a podium or stage as yourself, pretend to be someone else. The more you learn about acting and characterisation, the easier this becomes. You don’t need to be an Oscar winner to face the stage but knowing how to project your voice, capture an audience’s attention and place yourself in someone else’s shoes can really help combat the presentation nerves.
How to Get Involved
If you think exploring the world of the performing arts could help you in your role as a franchisee, you could do so by taking a class in a discipline that interests you, book a training session for your team or join a local theatre group. Plus, even if becoming a better leader is your motivation for signing up, you might even discover a whole new hobby to help you unwind from your role as key business lead.
This article comes courtesy of Stagecoach Performing Arts who run flexible performing arts classes for children and adults. Find out more here.
