January 6, 2012

“The passionate leader … never loses sight of human potential, keeps ideas flowing and shares success,” according to Lyn Heyward, creative director and executive producer of Cirque du Soleil, who spoke to more than 400 attendees at CUES’ Directors Conference in Las Vegas last month.

The Cirque du Soleil’s mission is to “invoke the imagination, provoke the senses and evoke the emotions of people around the world.” From 1993 to the present, her company developed 23 new shows and became home to more than 6,000 employees. Heyward encouraged directors to unlock seven doors to creativity that her company has defined. By unlocking these doors, directors can help their credit unions reach their full potential.

Door 1: Great Expectations
“Everyone has a wellspring of creativity within them,” Heyward said. “It’s a question of tapping into it on a regular basis. It’s a lot like exercise; it’s strengthened day by day. You meet someone new, design a garden or write a business plan.” She encouraged directors to develop their creative antennae to grow themselves and their credit union.

Door 2: Surrender to your Senses!
“Our senses and instincts must remain finely honed.” Heyward asked the audience, “Do we see, hear, smell and touch everything out there? Do we savor the sensations of movement? Do we infuse ourselves with the sensory wealth of the world?” She encouraged directors to unleash creativity through “a good massage, dance class or, my all time favorite, bouncing on beds. You need to move into the moment. Trust your senses, intuition and self. Sometimes we must do what we did in the 1960s, and go with the flow.”

Before they left on holidays, the creative genius behind Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberté, charged his leadership team with thinking of new ideas for a restaurant. The team’s ideas weren’t as creative as he hoped. His suggestion? A “no hands” restaurant.

When Heyward asked where he had gone on vacation, she found he had been in Indonesia, where people recline on chaises and have food dropped into their mouths. Heyward pointed out the idea is extraordinary because in ordinary restaurants, before tasting the food, we see, smell, and understand the texture of the food through manipulation with our hands or utensils. At a “no hands” restaurant, customers don’t know what the food is until it’s dropped into their mouths.

Door 3: Treasure Hunting and Creative Transformation
Heyward explained in most companies this would be called recruiting and training. She explained that the type of performers Cirque du Soleil hires has changed over time. The target hires were initially adventurous thrill seekers. In the 1980s, hiring focused on acrobatic circus and theater-based performers with discipline and teamwork. In the early 1990s, Cirque turned to athletes with personal discipline and a focus on individuals’ performance as part of a team. This group had found their creativity stifled by rules of sport until they came to Cirque du Soleil.

The company’s strategy for training individuals has also changed over the years. Initially performers were trained “on the street.” In 1992, Cirque du Soleil moved into a studio. Casting is a year-round activity, and a database with more than 20,000 prospects is constantly maintained. Cirque du Soleil staff organize closed auditions rather than “cattle calls” since closed auditions seek out hidden talent and individual potential.

Once a year a general training program brings together performers from around the world. Individuals are pushed for 16 weeks without the promise of a job. During that time, performers try to do things they have never done before. What characteristics does Cirque’s leadership seek?

• human values like the ability to work in a team to solve problems;
• courage to take physical and artistic risks;
• generosity to paying spectators and in sharing creative ideas with other members of the team; and 
• willingness to learn quickly and manage artistic growth.

“Then we hire for what they might become and how they will be able to contribute to work in progress,” Heyward said. She provided an example of a gymnast who astounded her evaluators by the speed with which she climbed a rope with only her arms. The evaluators then asked her to sing, and she demonstrated an incredible voice. The evaluators asked, “What can we do with her?” Heyward explained. “That’s the type of rare talent we are looking for. We are not looking for what is obvious; we are looking for what is hidden and bringing it out.” Ultimately, they modified the show to feature the performer singing when the initial plan was to have musical accompaniment for that portion of the show.

Heyward explained to get the most out of people leaders need to practice four keys to creative transformation:

1. Work outside your comfort zone.
2. Try something different and take risks.
3. Never repeat yourself.
4. Apply creativity to everyday tasks as well as to those big new projects.  

She emphasized that like a Cirque clown who brings audience members on stage, the leader’s job is to get the best out of people who work with them.

Door 4: The Nurturing Environment  
The right environment is conducive to productivity, creativity and personal growth. “A good idea can emerge from anywhere within the organization or team,” Heyward said.

Cirque du Soleil hired a renowned Brazilian designer to create costumes for Zumanity. The designer was accustomed to designing clothing for models who are six feet tall and weigh 120 pounds, while the Cirque’s gymnasts are the same weight but nearly a foot shorter. The designer wanted the gymnasts to wear corsets and girdles, but the Cirque team explained that they could never perform their routines in constrictive clothing. Together, the designer and Cirque employees modified the original designs to arrive at costumes that were beautiful and allowed the performers full range of motion.

Cirque recognizes creative synergy through a systematic reward system. Humility and sharing of creative ownership are emphasized.

When a performer leaves the studio upon completion of his training, all 1,700 non-performing employees gather so the performer can have a farewell performance for the employees “so the artist can thank the many people who have helped them in preparation, and so employees can have bragging rights. Many workers never see a performance. It is one opportunity for artists to give back.”

Door 5: How constraints, challenges, differences and consumer expectations become creative catalysts.
“Constraints force us to become more resourceful and creative,” Heyward explained. “There are always at least two ways of getting an excellent result.”

Your social mission can be a catalyst, according to Heyward. After 9/11, Cirque spent a couple days soothing the team and bringing them together. The Chinese team was in New York. The performance being created at the time was about Icarus falling from the sky, but Laliberté said, “What the world needs now is hope.” The ending of the performance was modified to feature a phoenix rising from the Twin Towers of New York City. “Social events transform a creative process. We had to bring hope to the world.” The same thing with the banking world, she explained. We have to answer the demands of our world.

Door 6: Risk Taking: Do you ever get burned?
Heyward emphasized, “Complacency is the single biggest risk you will ever take. Risk taking is the balance between continued success and failure. Forge ahead, make mistakes and hopefully learn from them.”

Door 7: Keeping it fresh!
People want a leader who is creative, and we all work better if we feel we own a part of the product. “Look at what you do from the point of view of the consumer. What can we do better? Staying connected with the product means watching research and development over the long haul.

“By exposing employees to your product, you are encouraging their sense of ownership, cultivating your pride. Share successes.”

She challenged each director: “You, too, can make a creative difference in your organization, in your team, and in your own life.”

Barb Kachelski, CAE, is CUES’ SVP/chief operating officer.

Read a CUES Skybox blog post by Kachelski for more about the Cirque du Soleil.