Leadership in Full Swing

How do I skillfully play the keyboard of common leadership instruments in scientific organizations? How do I ensure that my team swings to the right beat? How do I orchestrate change in complex research contexts? For more than 15 years now, the Helmholtz Leadership Academy has been successfully helping people to find answers to these questions in order to develop their own "groove" as a leader in the context of science. To mark this anniversary, we took a look into the future together with companions, initiators and alumni at Clärchens Ballhaus in Berlin in September 2022. After all, it's not just research that is advancing. Tasks, roles, leadership methods and self-perceptions are also evolving. 

We invited our guests to broaden their perspective on leadership with us. We used music and dance as sources of inspiration and asked: What can we learn from these arts about leadership in science? Music and leadership share a surprising number of challenges: Both are about finding a good common rhythm, making different instruments, expertise and people sound coherent together, engaging outsiders and winning them over, setting the pace at the right moment, but also leaving room for improvisation and new ideas. This is the only way to set organizations in motion. 

With this in mind: May we please?