Artistry at Work

         The Winter Olympics are packed full of breathtaking moments. Just read the next sentence out loud and you’ll experience it for yourself. The XXI Olympic Winter Games are an unscripted ice and snow drama with universal appeal unfolding over 16 days featuring 2,600+ athletes representing 82 countries competing in 15 sports contesting 86 events amidst 9 amazing venues cast against a color splashed backdrop of unspoiled Canadian beauty. Now breathe.

The Olympics are a visceral thrill ride that perks emotions, jacks up heart rates and swells national pride. At the center of it all are the athletes – their unique stories and individual performances. Watching people at the top of their profession perform on a world stage can teach us a lot. Consider the following. 

Discipline trumps talent

There are hundreds of thousands of good athletes but a select few Olympians. The same is true in business, academia and government. To be good at anything, you need some degree of raw talent, intelligence and ability. To be world class, you need incredible discipline – the rare kind that is formed by a combination of passion, courage, focus, tenacity, sacrifice and fortitude. This is why most people fall short of realizing their full potential. It is incredibly hard work to harness our will and overcome resistance. At the same time, self-mastery is the one thing that is completely under our control. When it comes to our work, we don’t need to be the most gifted person on the professional stage, just the person who applies the gifts we are given with the greatest degree of resolve, leverage and consistency. 

Speed, productivity and precision still matter, they just matter less in today’s world

There are many events in the Olympics where the final results are determined by who goes the fastest, jumps the furthest or scores the most points in the contest. The training for these particular events focuses on building power, increasing endurance and perfecting technique. Style and creativity do not come into play to any significant extent. For example, you can be a very awkward downhill skier as long as you have the strength to get down the mountain more quickly than the others in the race. Biathletes need to both fast on their skies and accurate with their weapons. Thankfully, they get no points for exercising creativity. Hockey players are tough competitors who rely heavily on speed, strength and skating skill. Their focus is on scoring more goals than their opponents. Style points are not awarded. In fact, adding flair can get you beat up. Here is the point: speed, productivity and precision are great but they no longer offer a long-term competitive advantage. More than ever before, globalization and expanded access to resources and technology are opening the doors for more and more competitors to enter the field of play in sports and business. The performance edge that people and organizations have traditionally achieved by being fast, productive and accurate is shrinking. The world has learned how to match these.

Artistry is the new differentiator

Freestyle skiers and ice dancers differentiate themselves primarily through the artistry they create on the snow and ice. To be sure, strength and technique are still very important factors, but the performance of artists is ultimately determined by the impact that their work has on others. Judging art by using rule books, specifications, standards and other measures of compliance simply does not work. Artists exist in every profession. They use inspiration, creativity and innovation to move people, create beauty, solve problems and push boundaries. True artists – whether expressing themselves as athletes, nurses or office workers – share the very best of themselves with others. They do not wait for permission to act. They do not hold back for the promise of a reward. Artists strive to create memorable and meaningful experiences for others through every aspect of their work, from the mundane tasks to the magnificent.

Transforming the Workplace

The time has arrived for “disciplined artistry” in the workplace. The world suffers from a collective case of attention deficient disorder, with tendencies to change channels, priorities and loyalties in the blink of an eye. It craves the wonder of artistry and desperately needs more innovators and problem-solvers. Artistry allows people to bring their whole selves into the workplace without having to check their creativity, inspiration and individuality at the door. It creates a long-term competitive advantage for individuals and organizations because it is difficult if not impossible to replicate. Since artistry cannot be measured by a clock, recorded by a machine or checked off for adherence to a protocol, it cannot be automated or off-shored. The new age of the artist is here to stay for awhile.

Note: If you would like to read more about bringing artistry into everyday work, I recommend reading any the recent blogs and books written by Seth Godin and Daniel Pink. Godin and Pink are two brilliant thought leaders who are ahead of the curve in understanding how the world of work is changing and what it takes to be successful in the global marketplace.