Opinion The creativity of CEOs

My thought was,if art is so elemental for expression,why is it not better meshed into business? After all,there is great symbiosis between art and business,they share the same five fundamentals of thought,subtlety,elegance,loudness and sustainability. In art,thought translates to a unique idea beyond time,subtlety is subliminal,elegance is being always displayed in a sophisticated place,whereas loudness in art is the shock of the new expression of an artist. Art is sustainable as its monetary value rises with time. Similarly in business,you need to uniquely strategise to expand the market. Subtlety is engraving the product or service into the customer’s top-of-mind,while elegance is being aspirational. Business needs loudness to have differentiation in the market while sustainability is business growth with high net worth.

In the last 35 years,I have been privileged to spend time with several CEOs,MDs and chairmen in different countries across four continents on business. Our discussions invariably took place at a strategic and creative level. I found creativity in their thoughts,which inspired me to think beyond expectation on how their businesses can sustain the connect with the customer. From such interactions I have long been convinced that CEOs are successful in business because they have an artist’s palette in mind,which is similar to the management palette. So,I’ve strongly believed,a CEO’s performance on canvas would definitely be brilliant.

In an attempt to execute this idea,a unique venture has emerged. We just inaugurated in Mumbai the world’s first exhibition of paintings done by CEOs. For the first time in their lives 26 CEOs took brush in hand and boldly put colour on canvas. You can view their out-of-the-box art from noon to 8 p.m. at Piramal art gallery,National Centre for the Performing Arts,till March 12.

This is how it started. I asked the 26 CEOs to spend a crazy,creative session with me. I arrived with a large suitcase of acrylic paints,brushes,a colour palette and 18”x24” canvas,arranged it all on the table of each CEO,and gestured an invitation. Puzzled,they asked,“Do I have to paint?” I met them either in office or at home. They could have avoided the painting session,but they seemed to have a hidden urge to express themselves,and chose their colours. It was just as well I discreetly captured them with my movie camera as they painted,because people are now asking me if I’ve helped them. This goes to show their paintings are very appealing. The CEOs’ spontaneity of thought and application was indeed a lesson for me.

Business always runs with rationality and the glamour of numbers. A vision with numbers can be foggy,so the next step for CEOs is to go beyond that boundary. When you can paint the vision on canvas,imagination gets concretised and unlimited possibilities morph into visuals that can be actioned. Once the art is done and understood by everybody,application of technicalities is easy.

Art circles always critique the craftsmanship and quality of an artist’s painting. ‘CEO Thinker Painters’ can be considered a new art movement because the CEOs took up the challenge at a moment’s notice,made no trial,yet their boldness,confidence and passion on the canvas were outstanding. In fact,a few were so absorbed they took the initiative to paint on a second canvas. Asking them to sing or write would not have taken me anywhere,but this adventurous act has proved that the expression of art is an inherent human inclination.

Western art has had several collective movements after prehistoric cave paintings,but as no globally renowned contemporary movement of art has emerged in India so far,‘CEO Thinker Painters’ can represent a new,collective,first-time effort and movement that can be taken forward to become part of the global art history of the 21st century.

Everybody in business talks about creating differentiation. My prime objective of inspiring the 26 CEOs to bring out their creativity was to prove that differentiation is not the buzzword it has become in business today. In this uniform,digital world,differentiation that’s tangible in a product or service will bring business success.

Shombit Sengupta is an international creative business strategy consultant to top management. Reach him at http://www.shiningconsulting.com