A few things to think about…

The more people toss around ideas about what could develop for the Future Leadership Program, the more it is clear that there is no single factor that is going to dominate the design process.  As we sort out our thoughts and the data from the survey, these are some of the questions bouncing around our office:

• What is the role of current/future employers in the process – who are we responsive to in determining the content?  Who is expected to make an investment and in what form? Who should make decisions about participation?
• What should the format be – it doesn’t seem feasible to do a large, multi-day event right now so what are the options?  Can people take the time and make the investment to travel?
• How do we prioritize the content areas that have been identified – should the focus be on hard skills (for example understanding financial management, effective use technology), soft skills (such as networking or effective team management) or both?  What are the most effective ways to develop or teach each? Can we make the content relevant for current roles and helpful for moving into executive roles?

Survey Results Part 4: What Future Leaders Want to Learn

The next wave of top executives in our field are looking to build analytical “hard skills” as well as interpersonal “soft skills.” Finance, fundraising, marketing, and technology were all named often as topics that people want to know more about. Working more effectively in groups, overall strategy, and working with boards were also mentioned more than a few times.

Survey Results Part 7: Responses to Questions One through Nine

We do not have permission from the survey respondents to share the raw data, however we hope the following summary will provide additional material for discussion. As you will see, the survey sample is small and the range of responses are therefore only suggestive of the complete picture for the next cohort of leaders in arts and culture. We reviewed the data in light of our experience working with and talking with cultural professionals over the last several years, and took note of data that matched our prior experiences, and also the data that did not. We hope you will add your thoughts to help fill in the picture and help identify critical areas for more comprehensive research.