Monday 8 September 2008

Circus

You might remember some of the old films about circuses, the crises, the leadership struggles, how it all comes together on the big night. I saw a circus show yesterday (wonderful, magical, just go and see it), and was struck by the sheer scale of the challenge of putting together and running the show. It's not a permanent job (they only perform in what passes here for summer); many of the acts are small family teams from other countries, who decide to work with you for a season or two; the skill-sets are very different; language may be a barrier too. So the leadership challenge is formidable. These disparate teams are held together by the script, the design, and the vision. In fact they are held together by the energy and the vision of the leader. You can see it at work in this circus - the omnipresence, and force of personality, of the woman whose name is on the door.

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