Questions to a creative Leader- Georgiana Branzei

I have got the privilege to interview Georgiana Branzei about Creative Industries & artistic field. This is what she shared.

1/ Who are you, Georgiana and what values do you promote ?

I am a Performing arts’ production Director and entepreneur, based in Paris and its suburbs, Romanian born. I moved to Paris in 2010, after 11 years in the business and corporate world in Bucharest however, so I have multiple expériences in different fields and industry sectors at top management level (from finance to cultural projects, from analysis and strategy to creating and producing artistic projects..).

So we can fairly say that I covered a large palette of professional endeavours and I am someone who is constantly changing, improving and developping.

The values I promote : integrity, authenticity, creativity, in that order. In my field creativity is seen as THE answer to all — be all, but I do not believe that creativity can really thrive or be sustained long term, professionnaly, without integrity and values.

The underlying premise of expressing something new or different is that just by putting it out there it will flourish on its own, but in my opinion the precursor of longevity and succès in the creative and artistic industries is a strong foundation of values and persistance, doubled by realistic strategies.

2/ What kind of leadership and management do you apply ?

My management style depends on the context and adapts constantly : I have worked through times with no ressources other than people’s abilities and talents around me, other times with lots of technical ressources and money, the important thing that we need to keep in mind as leaders it to work with what we’ve got in front of us while having in mind the best interest of everyone involved, so generally, a win-win mindset.

Sometimes a call for crisis management is needed, other times for risk management, other times you need to train your people (or replace them) before applying any kind of management strategy or vision, and other times it’s « show time », meaning you have to let go and see what happens !

3/ What kind of sustainable solutions you can apply during this pandemic crisis ? what changed in your work field ? how do you see a sustainable future for the arts and cultural industries ?

I believe that the key word in my field during this crisis is solidarity : showing solidarity and understanding with our partners, we work with theaters and schools which have been closed, the uncertainty is long term in the performing arts field, it will have an impact for years to come. At the same time I had to make sure that the teams were safe and sound, everyone gets paid and, like in sports, prepare themselves for the after-pandemic, while keeping realistic expectations.

Sustainability for us lies in the acceptance of the ever changing environment, of the intricate balance between working with an audience live and, or, broadcasting your artistic message through tech and internet solutions. Not clinging to old views of what an artistic production should be or should sound, but not throwing away tradition or a certain kind of excellency and craftsmanship either.

4/ Are women better leaders in a pandemic ? are men equally better leaders in such cases ?

In my view women are better equipped for crisis management and men for developpement management, I might throw an educated guess here that it happens this way because a lot of social conditioning early on. It takes time and experience to be very good at both, and then again, women are more patient and tend to learn quickly from their mistakes, which puts them one step ahead of the game, if they are willing and motivated to persist.

But if someone is aware of its own shortcomings and strengths, the gender or social conditioning doesn’t enter count that much, either way a man or a women can handle this kind of complex situation by applying strategies from both perspectives.

5/ Is there a « woman management » versus a « man management » ?

It is a personal style management, influenced by experience, training, and conditioning, there is not a specifically gendered management.

6/ Do we need more compassion in the world to rebuild ?

Compassion is needed at any time, but not at the expense of integrity or authenticity of our creativity.

7/ How do you see the future of the artistic and cultural field ?

Even though the French President tagged this fields as « non essential » when the pandemic crisis began, in reality we can all see for ourselves how important and ESSENTIAL for our well being it is, daily : creativity is sometimes hidden in plain sight, in the way we dress, we move or speak, we cook or interact with others, in our homes, it is an essential human behaviour, so it will always exist and persist.

8/ Closure : add a personal conclusion.

As I am known for being an optimist at heart, I believe that the lessons we’re learning right now will help us envision the future differently and innovation and opportunity are just around the corner. A crisis can break us or transform us. It’s up to each of us to decide what happens next. More about Georgiana on: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgiana-branzei-51b082156/?originalSubdomain=fr