IS LEADERSHIP AN ART OR SCIENCE?

1.

2.
3.

Ndegwa Maureen
Wairimu
Saadia Halima
Kamenya Ann Wambui

Leadership Definitions

Leadership is the ability to influence the

members of a group, organization or
nation to enthusiastically pursue the
goals of that group.

The ability of a person to make others

behave in a certain way without having
to use coercion or sanction.

Leadership an Art or
Science
WARREN
G.
Bennis,
American
scholar and author of On Becoming A
Leader, is widely regarded as a
pioneer of the contemporary field of
leadership studies.
He describes what it means to lead
well: Good leaders make people feel
that theyre at the very heart of
things, not at the periphery

Leadership an Art or
Science
Everyone feels that he or she makes a
difference
to
the
success
of
the
organization. When that happens, people
feel centered and that gives their work
meaning.
In essence, the heart of the leadership
challenge that confronts todays leaders is
learning how to lead in situations of evergreater volatility and uncertainty in a
globalised business environment.
Leadership is both an art and a science.

Leadership as an Art

leadership is built around an act of pure imagination,

one that lies at the heart of all art. Because so much of
leadership, especially your relationships with people, is
built on putting yourself in other peoples shoes. Its an
act of empathy, and empathy is an act of imagination,
of recreating someone elses thoughts and feelings in
your own head so that you can understand and work
with them.
All great literature is built upon empathy, and yet when
leaders empathize we dont recognize this for the art
that it is. But the art of empathy is vital to
understanding the people you work with and for, and
so finding ways to motivate and interest them.

Leadership as an Art

Creating and innovating are also the

works of an artistic mindset. Think of
Apple and the great success theyve had
with their products. That comes from a
focus on design and aesthetics, and how
these affect the experience for their
customers. It comes from imagining new
products that no-one has seen.
The iPhone was once just a figment of
somebodys imagination.

Leadership as an Art

Look at the experiments Google has conducted

with using and sharing information. Creative
leadership has led to dozens of different products.
Some, like Google Wave, have failed, but the ones
that succeed have proved so useful that we now
take them for granted, whether its Gmail, Google
Drive or Google+. The ability to see the potential in
new ideas is an act of imagination, an act of art.
The artistic side is vital to making leadership
creative and empathetic. Without it, leaders cannot
innovate or understand the people around them. It
is the use of imagination to further your goals.

Leadership as a Science

There is some obvious science in the way that

modern leadership works. In the age of big
data and predictive analytics we are constantly
working with the science of statistics, with
complex equations and models of the world
around us, with understanding the patterns
behind the behavior of people and of markets.
But even if leaders dont need to be data
scientists, even if others do the analysis for us,
we are still following the fundamental process
of science in every decision that we make.

Leadership as a Science

At its core, science is not microscopes and

telescopes, theorems and equations, evolution and
quantum mechanics, the scientific method is about
looking at the evidence in front of you and using it
to form conclusions. It is a process not an ideology.
That process is one that leaders use every day. We
look at the information we have been provided
with, whether thats sales figures, health and safety
legislation or low staff morale in the admin team.
We use the available evidence to draw conclusions
about what is happening, why its happening and
how we can best deal with it.

Leadership as a Science

Without science we could not get closer

to the truth. That scientific side of
leadership looking at the data,
analyzing it, understanding what it
means brings us an understanding of
our business and the environment in
which it works. It allows us to work on
the basis of facts, not assumptions.
Without it, we could easily put all our
effort into work that achieves little or
nothing.

Leadership as an Art and

Science

It is an art because it continually

evolves, changes form and requires
creativity. It is a science because there
are certain essential principles and
techniques required.

A good leader knows when it is time to

change shape because he is highly
attentive to those around him.

Leadership as an Art and

Science

Modern culture often sets up art and science as if

they were totally separate, or even in conflict with
each other. But the reality is that leaders bridge
that gap, and that we are far from the first people
to do so.
Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous
figures in the history of art. The Mona Lisa and the
Sistine Chapel remain among the crowning
achievements of human creativity. But Leonardo
was also a man of science, constantly examining,
measuring and seeking to understand the world
around him.

Leadership as an Art and

Science

He analyzed the flowing of water, the parts of

the human body, the very systems of the
world. He applied both his fine scientific
understanding and his wild artistic imagination
to create machines unlike any the world had
seen.
For modern leaders, art and science represent
innovation, motivation and insight. We use
artistic thinking to understand and motivate
others, as well as to introduce new ideas and
ways of working.

Leadership as an Art and

Science

Through the scientific method of data

capture and analysis we are able to see
whether our innovations are working,
where our businesses are heading, and
where to turn that imaginative attention
next.

Conclusion

None of us leading modern companies

would claim to be the next da Vinci, but
we can learn from his example, follow in
his footsteps and combine art and
science to achieve great things.

Questions?

References
1.

http://switchandshift.com/the-art-and-scie
nce-of-leadership