It's not likely we'd ever confuse our bosses with the likes of comedian Jerry Seinfeld, violinist Itzhak Perlman or jazz vocalist Diana Krall.

But if we think about it, they likely share many qualities.

That's the considered opinion of Colin Funk, director of creativity for leadership programs and manager of the Leadership Lab at The Banff Centre.

He believes that both artists and leaders pay deep attention to things that matter. They enjoy a natural curiosity and share the ability to rearrange common ideas and events into something innovative.

Mike Dempster photo
The Banff Centre's Colin Funk uses the creative process to help "burned-out" businessmen.

But the similarity ends there. In the business world, many leaders long ago pulled the plug on their creative side.

Funk believes these people often fall back on their "survival mechanism" of making safe decisions, rather than taking the time for meaningful conversation and following a process that allows them to explore alternatives.

"We know that when we are working in complex and chaotic environments, we will look for what we know, not for what we don't know," Funk says.

"And that whole notion of what we don't know is really the critical component of successful creative process or innovation."

It's why the Banff Centre incorporates creative modules into the five-day leadership development programs it runs annually for nearly 1,800 business leaders from across North America (though primarily from Western Canada).

Along with core disciplines such as managing change and strategic leadership, participants in the program take a minimum of two creative modules such as theatre, ceramics or sketching. However, in some programs, "seasoned leaders" will spend up to 50 per cent of their time in creative pursuits.

The goal is to give participants time to reflect, to tap into dormant skills, to reconnect with their passion and self-expression, forge relationships with other participants and realize the importance of developing a more substantive decision-making process.

"If you spend any time with the master artists here at the centre, what you really realize is that they have a discipline and a practice that I believe, in leadership, we don't think about much," Funk says.

For example, a pianist's training regime includes practising seven hours a day. An actor not only rehearses with peers and appears on stage, but also spends hours in bus depots or coffee shops observing people in order to adopt different personas.

And a business leader? What rehearsal process do they engage in when they're engaged in making critical decisions about their business?

Often it's expedient and old hat - the survival mechanism.

Artists, meanwhile, have a great ability to make sense of, and hold together, complex thoughts that ultimately are projected into their media. Most artists collaborate, Funk says. And then they reflect.

"Artists have studios. There's a reason they close the door. It's in order for them to make sense of the noise, the complexity. They really need to honour that quiet time."

In the corporate world that "noise" is the constant distraction of e-mail, instant messaging, conference calls, meetings and crises.

Indeed, when participants arrive in Banff, a common refrain Funk hears is that demands on their time are intensifying. On a continuing basis they can only pay partial attention to the business at hand.

"People are burned out by the time they get here," Funk says. "What they need to do is take time. That's why Banff is such a wonderful place; it's where they can clear the mind-space."

Funk explains that the immediate goal is for participants to slow down and to begin making a connection with their peers, many of whom are on the cutting edge of the business world.

Leaders can take part in outdoor activities such as ecological walks or orienteering. Creative disciplines include theatre (improv and voice work), ceramics, visual arts, sketching, painting, clay and sculpture, and movement-based work such as yoga.

The idea behind the creative modules isn't to uncover the next Seinfeld, or make a piece of pottery to take home as a memento.

The intent is to teach people the value of using the right side of the brain, and to experiment with processes that suit each individual.

"We explain the value of that, and show business cases of how organizations used creative process to leverage the bottom line," Funk says. "It provides context."

Funk, an actor and journalist by training, and visual artist Ed Bambling began developing creative modules in the early '90s. It was primarily improv theatre-based work and ceramics, designed to advance the learning process for adults.

It was a good combination, because if people were nervous about venturing into creative pursuits, they had a choice, Funk says.

"You could challenge yourself with some theatre work, or the clay which seemed to be less demanding if you were an introvert. It was a good balance."

How does he connect the various media to the business world?

As an example, look at the technique of brainstorming, which is similar to improvisation but more refined.

"Improv provides a lot more options and possibilities," Funk says. "It's less judgmental (than brainstorming). That's really the biggest value. It's almost like freeform writing."

Once all the ideas are out on the table, artists then focus and refine their thoughts, moving toward something that has value.

"Usually that work is done up in our heads in a private space," Funk says. "What we are trying to do is open that up a little bit to maximize that, to create more of a collaborative environment."

Through trial and error, Funk and Bambling learned what resonated with adult learners and fine-tuned the work that complemented the key learning objectives within each of the leadership programs.

And what do the business leaders think?

Interestingly, one-third of the participants say, "Bring it on, and challenge us," Funk says.

These are the leaders who grew up in the '60s and '70s, smoked dope, travelled the world before they got their MBAs, and have tried things such as meditation and yoga.

The other participants, however, may feel more trepidation. They, in their minds, stopped being creative in grade school; maybe after a bad experience with music lessons or painting.

Too often, says Funk, people look at the professional side of the arts, rather than the process of the artist.

"People get hung up on the idea they are going to have to do improv theatre like (Canadian comedian) Colin Mochrie ... so there is some initial fear."

However, once participants relax and understand the program's goal, the anxiety disappears. "Once they begin engaging in some of these activities they really start to pay attention (to what they are doing) and that's one of the critical creative competencies."

These are intelligent business leaders who have already accomplished a lot. Give them a little time and space, says Funk, and they can climb even higher mountains.

Web watch: www.banffleadership.com

(Mike Dempster can be reached at miked@businessedge.ca)