Who is a leader?
On 29 January 2021, Leila spoke at the North East Culture Partnership’s annual forum, on the subject of leadership.
I work in and with lots of different organisations in the North East – I founded Tyne & Wear Cultural Freelancers two years ago..
I created it to connect to other freelancers, to share and collaborate. We’re now a network of over 1900 people – we are a place people gravitate to, to find other creatives, to share challenges and opportunities, to celebrate and to grieve. We aim to put freelancers and independents at the heart of the conversation, especially as we reimagine and rebuild.
When I was asked to do this session it really got me thinking! Am I leader? Who is a leader? What makes a leader?
I am currently doing CBT with my daughter and it has taken me back to how important (and limiting) the language that we use can be. Language we think is supporting, calming and empowering can so often be restrictive, scary and othering. We talk about ‘leaders’ and ‘leadership’ in the cultural workforce by lifting up those who manage organisations, venues, budgets, they have a salary; and place them at the heart of leadership.
On the flip side, we hold down those who create leadership within their own communities; they often don’t take the mantel of leadership, and neither are they given it. But the action they take is most definitely leadership.
They create community and they lead change. Sometimes, they’re thought of as troublemakers because the way they are working is challenging the status quo. Often people aren’t even aware of their leadership because it’s discrete and holds power outside of the normative structures.
People walk into rooms with titles such as CEO, COO, Director, Senior Manager of [insert cultural institution here] and they’re immediately given a platform and power.
I should know I used to be one of them! Of course, those people have worked hard, and I am not trying to detract from that. But, what about those leaders who don’t have the platform and power in the current structure?
We also talk about leadership as if it something that is linear – that it flows in a straight line.
I would argue here that a good leader should move aside for other people to flex their leadership, creating more of an ebb and flow of leadership – whether that be in or outside of organisations.
The COVID crisis has been devastating to our industry – it has highlighted some of the biggest inequalities across arts, culture, and heritage – and community. Black and minoritised people, women, people with disabilities and those with less financial security have been most affected. Freelance and independent creatives have been at the bottom of the pile throughout, scrambling to shift their practice, often being left out of financial support or having to pitch against colleagues.
The initial 10 months of the pandemic highlighted, for me, where really amazing leadership shines.
I won’t have time to go through them all as there are so many, but please if you have your own tweet them, share them, shine a light on them! Please do tag @TWCFreelancers.
Independent creatives working with their communities to find out what they need and providing it for them…
Curious Monkey feeding people;
Company of Others providing pro-dance classes for dancers cut off from other available practice development;
#WeMakeEvents using the capacity of the events industry to support the communities;
Gateshead International Festival of Theatre, presenting a full on line festival merely weeks after lockdown;
Headway Arts immediately working out ways in which they could connect to their learning disabled artists;
Lisette Auton using her creativity to talk about the struggles of people with disabilities during the pandemic;
Degna Stone and the team behind Culture Against Racism taking clear and accountable action;
Regional networks like Sunderland Culture, Northumberland Culture, Durham Culture Network, South Tyneside Creative Industries, Hartlepool Creative Forum and Tyne & Wear Cultural Freelancers - holding space for people, connecting, providing opportunities and facilitating conversations and action;
The Freelance Task Force talking to and leading change with national focus and regional roots.
And really, let us not forget all those individuals who are mobilising their personal networks – creating community, making change and art.
You might not always find them leading organisations or commanding big salaries, but they are there, and they are already doing so much with so little, all to sustain our ecology and our community. We need to highlight them, and we need to value them, if we want to survive and thrive.
