The creative flare in Montreal got me taking a sculpting course last year.

I think what’s fascinating with sculptures is that they are three-dimensional. Have you ever looked at a sculpture and asked yourself, “How did they make that?”

This creative experience made me think about my work in leadership. It made me reflect that leadership is an art.

An artist will undergo a painstaking process to produce a sculpture. Their material could be plaster or it could be marble. Whatever it is, it has certain qualities that make it more malleable or even tough. There are certain tools that you have to use and a different procedure to work with.

When I used drywall, we had to dry the piece several times before working on the sanding process. When I used plaster, we had to work diligently and quickly over 45 minutes before it became rock solid. Different mediums had different means to get to its finished art piece.

Every artist uses a different vision with a different approach and a different technique for their work of art.

Likewise, I don’t think there is an exact science to effective leadership. Not every person can do A and B and get to C. I believe you have to approach it as an art.

So here I’ve come up with three thoughts as we develop our leadership, as if it was an art. They are based on my recent experience of sculpting.

I do, we do, you do.

I had no idea what to do in my first class of sculpting. But luckily I had training. There was an experienced artist who would give us a teaching to begin each class. We learned from nothing how to do something. She would teach us what to do. Then she would do the skill with us. Lastly she would allow us do the work ourselves. So it was very much a philosophy of: I do, we do, you do.

I think leadership is no different. Have we ever had good mentor in our life? Or do we have someone who can cultivate our potential? Leadership is bringing out the best in people, and sometimes there needs to be a form of mentoring. This can help produce the best version of the other.

Get Messy.

I wore worn out shoes and scrappy jeans to my sculpting class. Why? Well the work got pretty messy. So messy in fact that the last half hour was dedicated solely to clean up. My hands got messy. My clothes got messy. My hair even got messy.

I think leadership is no different. With leadership we are dealing with people. Sometimes there are interpersonal problems, tough challenges, and unexpected situations. It can be messy! I find that leadership can get messy too, so it’s good to remind ourselves of this expectation.

Power of observation.

I occasionally looked at the other artists in the room while working on my art piece. I envied some of the great works they produced. Some of them were just outstanding. So I tried to learn from them. I learned a few techniques by observing my fellow peers.

I think leadership is no different. For us to be better leaders, I think it’s important to observe and follow great people. Learn from them. Read what they have to say.

All that said, I think leadership is an art.

Do you see leadership more as an art than a science?