"You can't solve a problem with the same consciousness that created it"

~ Albert Einstein

During Jerry Yositomi's (Meaning Matters, LLC) Leading with Limited Authority session on Friday afternoon, over 60 people reflected upon a time when we independently made an intentional change in ourselves or a project. In our positions, how do we maneuver leading those with authority that supersedes are own?

When people don't know what to do, those charged to make changes in leadership are often resistant to innovation. We question our competency (is designing such a program financially feasible or are we educated enough about the decision at hand to make an informed decision?), capacity (is it realistic for us to challenge our leadership or is it even worth it?), values (both personal and professional/organizational), and confidence (although we want or need something to change, do we have the assurance that we'll be willing to take responsibility for the outcome, whatever the case?).

If we arts administrators thought we had a herculean task before us, imagine the plight of the placard-carrying savior seeking to shepherd the lost to atone for their sins as we walked along the Freemont Street Experience tonight. Little did she know we (and by we I mean me) were quietly judging the Barbara Krueger-esque (minus the art) aesthetic of her sign as we craned our necks to watch the specially commissioned Jenny Holzer truisms live on the biggest screen on the globe (self proclaimed.) As a jaded, ex-New Yorker who now lives in LA it takes a lot to impress me and a multiple block long LED light display filled with a few minutes worth of Holzer's truisms above head as the drunken gamblers stumbled along was just this side of transcendent. Thank you to all the Sinners who made that series of moments possible for me and the unwashed masses with their to-go cups.

Vegas, baby! Sin city, I wish her luck. Makes my work seem a little easier.

Meanwhile...back on The Strip...day one at the Flamingo, or really inside the flamingo.

It's the first day of the 2007 Americans for the Arts Convention! It's hot in Las Vegas and although the Flamingo Hotel can be a little confusing, we've all managed to navigate our ways through the casinos, crowds, and mirrored hallways (they all look the same and seem to take you back to where you started!) to our respective sessions. Speaking of navigating through challenges and obstacles, I'll be checking-in frequently to report back on my musings and reflections from Leadership Track sessions over the course of convention weekend. I'd like to share some thoughts on today's Cultural Leadership session...