[IM-BOOT] Zoe, tell us shortly about what you do right now.

[Zoe] I run a small not-for-profit organisation called Scottish Leadership Foundation http://www.slfscotland.com. We are involved in leadership development across all public services organisations in scotland and are always looking at innovative ways of working and developing people - I have a particular interest in arts based development and in working and learning from and with the arts.

I am also involved with two small arts organisations - YDance and Scottish Sculpture Trust. You may be interested in some of the multi-media work we are developing in YDance for work with children and young people http://www.ydance.org this work is really growing in Scotland and I think has huge potential in terms of leadership development at very early stages - by giving people confidence to be, to create and communicate. By using multi-media it also works across the different intelligences etc.

[IM-BOOT] There's an ongoing discussion about the leadership skills necessary today. What makes someone to be a leader in your eyes?

[Zoe] ... In the Leadership Foundation we have developed an approach to thinking about leadership that is based around 6 core capabilities:

Thinking - by this we mean both the hard analytical skills so often associated with business management and the more creative thinking skillls of the artist or creative entrepreneur, who can think all around an issues and come up with a new approach.

Visioning - by this we mean the ability to develop a picture of what the future could be like, what the different compnenent parts will be and what it will look, feel and smell like. We do not mean fantasy making, which is what people often mistake for being visionary, but realistic scenario and picture making - the sort of visioning that can see how a book could become a film or a story a sculpture.

Inspiring - these are those communicaiton skills that make the picture come alive for the audicence and make them want to be involved - it si communiction that elicitis energy and commitment, not just acquiescence.

Leading change - based on the assertion made by Prof John Adair - "there is no leadership without change and no change without leadership" leading change is different from managing it - it is not just about the tactics and systems, but critically about the people.

Building Relationships - all of the above are only truly effective when the leader is able to build relationships with a wide range of people and interests, - to do this he/she needs to have "emotional intelligence" to be able to relate to people where they are.

Finally Ethics and Values - leaders are judged by their actions and their integrity - if all of the above are based inclear values and ethics that are demosntrated in behaiours everyday then people will believe - and it si belief that engages followers, colleagues, and travelling companions.

[IM-BOOT] You have already mentioned your interest in arts based development and the necessary skills of leaders today. Zoe, can you provide us with a concrete example of how you use the arts in the process of leadership training and how it links to the skills you would like to train?

[Zoe] I can give you two specific examples of how we are using the arts:

1. Richard Olivier* Workshop - using the play Julius Caesar to explore issues of political and emotional intelligence in leadership - Richard uses the play to explore the two concepts and how the individual's understanding and use of them affect their ability to influence and shape ents and people. The workshop works at both an intellectual and an experiential level, using parts of the play to enable people to explore and experience the impact of such forms of intelligence.
2. the other case study is out of Change Through People programme - this programme runs over 5 days and combines different forms of learning from case studies, to simulations to formal input sessions and action learning sets. The focus of the programme is high potential leaders in the public services and working with them to develop their skills in leading people through complex change issues. We would with a small theatre group within the programme to explore the impact of different leadership approaches on individuals and groups, The theatre group develops a small scene and then plays it in different ways, taking direction from the participants, and thereby involving them in designing the optimum approach. The interactive nature of the work allows participants to experiment and see results without putting themselves at too much risk - it encourages more courageous and experimental approaches to working with others, but with the safety net of the actors actually doing the work and openly demonstrating the emotional as well as intellectual impact.