How to Lead Change at an Arts Organization

Working your way up in arts admin can feel like an uphill battle, but it doesn’t have to be a fight! In the final episode of the season, arts administrator Chelsea Chambers at the Peninsula Symphony talks about working her way up to executive director. Hear how realizing that “I don’t have all the answers” helped her climb the ladder to ED and create a kickass company culture along the way. Guest: Chelsea Chambers, Executive Director of the Peninsula Symphony

Ever heard the saying, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take?” What if we told you that when it comes to jobs they’re not 100 percent qualified for, white men are more likely than women and people of color to apply anyway? This was the statistic that made today’s guest decide to take her shot. Hear how an early version of the Uplevel professional development program – and the community of people within it – helped her find confidence, overcome imposter syndrome, and land the job she wanted. Guest: Jo Griffin, Recruitment Specialist at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Ever feel like you’re not quite giving off the confidence you know you should be as a leader in the arts? Social psychologist Amy Cuddy says it may have something to do with your “presence” – a sort of “self-assured enthusiasm.” Today, we get into her research on presence as an incredible indicator of leadership success, from how you come off to your colleagues to whether people you meet trust you. Hear how to tap into your personal power and harness it to lead. Hint: it can start with something as simple as changing your physical posture. For more on this, check out Amy Cuddy's Ted Talk: "Your body language may shape who you are."

What is your unique purpose as an arts administrator? How do you find the courage to lead with purpose once you know? Carlos Cordero is a conductor, new choral music advocate, singer and self-proclaimed “great hug-giver.” But he started off with a broad, more generic vision that wasn’t connecting with audiences the way he wanted to. As a gay Latinx immigrant artist, Carlos did some soul searching and clarified his mission: to advocate for the LGBTQ+ and immigrant community through his brand, The Happy Choir, and his professional Tenor-Bass choir, Un/heard. Hear how Carlos learned that you can’t be everything to everyone. By going from generic to specific, he took ownership of his brand and unlocked community connection for himself and his ensembles.Guest: Carlos Cordero, new choral music artist and advocate; creator of The Happy Choir

“Closed mouths don’t get fed.” This is the mantra that Paula Wilson has led with, basically since day one of her arts administration journey. Like many of us in this field, she started off as a musician and realized that wasn’t for her. But when she transitioned into administration, she couldn’t seem to land the right internship. This episode, Paula shares how resourcefulness, mentorship, and finding her niche helped her end up with multiple job offers to do the work she loves.Guest: Paula Wilson, Member Services and Communications Manager at Equity Arc

“Convince me to stay.” This is what Allison Lambacher told Aubrey after years in arts administration and being totally burnt out. If you’ve been in the industry long enough, you’ve probably been ready to throw in the towel at least once. "But you are not alone and the narrative is changing". Hear how Allison – now Associate Director of Digital Engagement with the St. Louis Symphony – used arts management tools from Uplevel to go from being ready to quit the industry to advocating for herself and landing her dream job. Guest: Allison Lambacher, Associate Director of Digital Engagement at the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra

Innovative, inclusive, collaborative – these are some of the top traits of a healthy company culture. Last episode, we identified the toxic traits you may be dealing with at your arts organization. This episode, we talk about how you can renovate your company culture, based on the book “Culture Renovation” by Kevin Oakes, CEO of i4cp. And guess what: you don’t have to burn it all down and start over; here’s how to identify what’s working and build on that. For more insights on this, check out this past episode with Kevin Oakes himself.

Bureaucratic, disrespectful, chaotic, complacent. Sound familiar? If you would use these words to describe the culture at your organization, you and your colleagues may be working in a toxic environment. This episode is part one of two: First, we get into the top nine traits causing toxicity in company culture, based on the book “Culture Renovation” by Kevin Oakes, CEO of i4cp. In the next episode, we get into the blueprint for building a healthier culture at your organization. For more insights on this, check out this past episode with Kevin Oakes himself.

Data is one of the most powerful tools you can use in arts management to increase patron retention. But how do you know which metrics to track? How do you find the time to stay on top of key performance indicators? Over several years of experience, from my first job at the Seattle Symphony to becoming an executive director and developing the 'Long Haul Model', I can now identify the main, underlying problem most arts organizations run into when thinking about their data. And I brought in some folks to help me talk about it. In this bonus episode, I interview special guests Sune Hjerrild and Jan Pilgaard Carlsen, co-founders of Artelize, a company that eats, sleeps, and breathes using data in the arts. We talk about how to harness your data to retain more patrons, what key metrics are important to monitor to know if your retention efforts are working, and why most CRMs make patron retention challenging, either because extracting the data and reports you need is tricky, or because it just takes too much time — and what to do about it to make it a million times faster.Tracking and understanding your data doesn’t have to be a pitfall for your organization. Enjoy this special bonus episode to carry you through until the podcast starts again this fall.Resources:The Long Haul Model articleRethinking Audience Engagement Panel Hosted by Artelize

We wrap up season 3 with one of my most requested topics of all time: the topic of how to lead change. If you ever find yourself asking questions like ‘How do I get buy-in from my board?’ or ‘Where do I even begin when it comes to implementing new ways of doing business in my arts organization?’, this episode is for you. We talk about what the experts say about fear of change, resistance to change, and other barriers to change; debunk three big myths about change; and share five things that actually work to drive change effectively at your arts organization.No matter what role you fill within arts management, leading the change is one of the most important skills you can build. This episode unpacks the research every arts manager and leader needs to know.