Learning Leadership: Growing as a Leader

No one is born a leader. Whether you’re managing a team, leading a cultural organization, or coordinating a project, leadership is something you develop. This happens partly through education and training, but mainly through practical experience. By reflecting on your own choices, receiving feedback, and learning from others, you’ll gain a better understanding of the kind of leader you want to be.

Many leaders recognize the feeling of “sliding into” a leadership role. A creator becomes an artistic director, a producer moves into a coordinating role, or a business leader takes on more and more responsibility for a team. It is precisely for this reason that leadership often emerges in practice, even before someone has completed any training.

Learning by Doing

Research on leadership development shows that a large portion of learning takes place on the job. The well-known 70-20-10 model assumes that approximately 70% of learning occurs through practical experience, 20% through feedback and interaction with others, and 10% through formal training. This does not mean that training programs are unimportant. Rather, it means that a course often only truly becomes valuable when you can immediately apply what you’ve learned in your daily work.

Why Peer Review Is So Valuable

Leadership can sometimes be quite lonely. Especially in small organizations, you aren’t always surrounded by colleagues with the same responsibilities. That’s precisely why peer review, mentors, and learning networks are valuable tools.

During peer review sessions, you discuss practical issues with colleagues or other managers in a safe setting and according to a set process. The goal is not necessarily to come up with solutions right away, but to reflect on a situation from different perspectives. Examples include questions about resistance within a team, giving feedback, or balancing artistic ambitions with available capacity. It is precisely this form of collaborative reflection that can lead to new insights, better decision-making, and greater confidence in one’s own actions as a leader.

💡 Tip: Actively reach out to leaders outside your own organization. People from other disciplines, in particular, often view the same challenges in surprising ways. You can find a buddy for a set period of time to regularly exchange ideas and experiences.

Management Training and Leadership Programs

Within the cultural sector, there is a growing focus on leadership development. Organizations are increasingly in need of leaders who are not only strong in their field of expertise but can also guide, inspire, and support teams. In addition to learning on the job, training programs can help participants acquire new knowledge and skills. Examples of topics include:

• coaching-style leadership
• Giving and Receiving Feedback
• Dealing with Conflicts
• change management
• communicate effectively
• inclusive leadership

A training session not only offers new insights, but also provides an opportunity to consciously reflect on your own role as a manager. In day-to-day practice, there’s often not enough time for that.

💡 Tip: Cultuur Academy also offers a variety of training courses in leadership and personal development. Check out our customized offerings or take a look at the calendar to see which courses are coming up soon.

One-on-one coaching

In addition to learning from other leaders or taking a training course, coaching from an experienced coach can also be extremely valuable. Especially if you’re reaching your limits at work or find certain conversations or situations challenging, a coach can help you take the next step in your leadership development through feedback and practice.

What Cultural Professionals Say About Leadership

What concerns leaders in the cultural sector? Evaluations of leadership programs at Cultuur Academy consistently highlight the same themes. These aren’t so much about theories or models, but rather about the day-to-day practice of leadership. How do you have a difficult conversation? When do you step in to guide, and when do you let go? And how do you stay true to yourself while leading others?

Five Lessons from Real-World Leadership Experience:

1. Leadership is learned through practice
Real-world situations, role-playing, and practicing conversations are often considered more valuable than theory alone. It is precisely by trying out new behaviors that you discover what works for you.

2. Feedback from others accelerates your development
Peer review and exchanges with fellow leaders help you view issues from a different perspective. Often, the greatest benefit lies not in the advice itself, but in the reflection that a conversation sparks.

3. Self-awareness is just as important as knowledge
Many participants cite models such as Ofman’s core quadrants, transactional analysis, or situational leadership as valuable. Not because they provide all the answers, but because they help participants better understand their own behavior, strengths, and pitfalls.

4. Clarity and connection go hand in hand
A common challenge is finding the balance between being engaged and setting boundaries. Several participants indicated that they want to improve their ability to have difficult conversations, communicate more clearly, and take a firmer stance in their role as leaders.

5. Leadership is a never-ending journey
Even experienced leaders say they want to keep learning—not only about leadership itself, but also about collaboration, communication, letting go, and dealing with change. Leadership turns out to be not a destination, but a continuous learning process.

Leadership is a never-ending journey

Leadership is constantly evolving. Teams change, organizations change, and you change along with them. What worked five years ago may no longer be effective or necessary today. Perhaps that’s the most important lesson: good leadership isn’t about knowing everything or always having the right answer. It’s about continuing to learn, listening, and continuing to develop yourself.

💡 Tip: Be sure to check out Generator Oost, a development program from Cultuur Academy for the cultural leaders of the future.