I had discovered a deeply embedded culture that would be the envy of any business organization. It was a world where ego, self-direction, and individuality aptly describe the players; respect, connection, and interdependency, describe how they play.

At the same time, I recognized that there were two critical and ongoing imperatives for business today that transcend daily news headlines.

▪         To cultivate an environment of connection and creativity, leading to innovation.

▪         To develop robust and healthy relationships in a diverse and global marketplace.

Addressing these imperatives demands a cultural environment that most businesses have failed to create, a culture characterized by the very attributes that define the world of performing arts. A place where players, on stage and behind the scenes share a common goal, are passionate and energetic, play well with others, are not just open to new thoughts, but seek them out, give and receive feedback often, experiment without fear, and take pride in their interdependency.

This premise set the stage for my expansive collaboration. When we probed deeper beyond the superficial methods and metaphors of the artist’s world, we discovered the underpinnings of the culture. Deep listening. Intentional characterization. Ability to synthesize data and experience and act in real time. It was during our lively exchanges that AeI was born. The basic elements of AeI are Presence, Authenticity, and Synthesis.

Presence enables us to listen deeply. Presence challenges us to suspend our routine thoughts and allow for the emergent. Presence necessitates that we become  aware of ourselves, our innermost thoughts as well as the surrounding environment. With this capacity, we are viscerally in touch with what we are feeling, and seek to know why. We witness our impact and experience on others. We recognize, accept, and embrace people and ideas. We are in a state of inquiry, not advocacy, or defense. When present, the emergent becomes a source of surprise, energy, connection, inspiration, and creativity. Presence requires that we fully utilize our six senses.

Authenticity is about intentional characterization, thinking and preparing for who you have to be, for that audience, for that purpose, at that time. For each role, the individual must bring himself or herself authentically and deliver the performance authentically for their audience, tapping their vast reservoir of personal experiences and bundling his or her skill sets appropriately. Characterization is not pretending to be someone you are not - it is being you, and being believable in the various roles and scenes you engage with. It is not manipulation; it is critical versatility, it is deliberate.

Synthesis captures the synergy of presence, being available to access and absorb while authentically in character. Synthesis is a time of action in real time. It is felt, heard, and seen.

AeI introduces a fresh way to think about how to optimize our individual and organizational performance. AeI makes the option of learning from the arts available to all of us, no matter how ‘unartsy’ we think we are.

More importantly, AeI embodies the very skills and behaviors required to cultivate an environment of creativity and innovation as well as develop robust and healthy relationships in a diverse and ever-changing global marketplace. Learning and embedding these capacities could indeed transform a culture and enable business organizations to better tackle long-standing, universal, challenges and opportunities.

Available for purchase at Amazon (and Kindle)

Aesthetic Intelligence: Reclaim the Power of Your Senses

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