Leadership Is a Performance Art

There’s a performance component to leadership, and the most effective leaders—like the most brilliant actors—play their roles with authenticity. This is a core tenet of Leadership Studio, an MBA course introduced in 2020, and Leadership Rehearsal, an alumni program inspired by the course. Both allow for reflection and experimentation as participants consider their leadership qualities and practice embodying new ways to lead.

True to its creative underpinnings, Leadership Studio meets in a “rehearsal hall” rather than a traditional classroom. Faculty and students gather at tables set in the round as if ready for a table read. Course material is delivered in ensemble, with Professors Harry L. Davis and Nancy Tennant sharing the stage with cocreators and coaches Becki Lindley, MBA ’97, and Ed Miller, MBA ’83, as well as acting coach Kate Collins, theater director Charles Newell, and the students themselves, whose experience will culminate in a “transformation performance” in which they teach back what they’ve learned.

By the end of the first week, students will have created a first version of their “Stage Page” using a worksheet exercise in which they imagine their existing leadership qualities as characters—such as “Rational thinker,” “Warm listener,” and “Calm analyst”—occupying spots on a stage. The further downstage a student places one of their characters, the more they want to embody that trait as a leader. Davis credits Barbara Lanebrown, MBA ’91, playwright, actor, and artist, with bringing this metaphor to Booth from her pre-MBA career in the arts.

In another week’s time, students will have created a second version, in which they reset their stage with new characters they’d like to have in their leadership repertoire. They’ll work with Collins and Newell on embodying those characters in the rehearsal hall, and with their leadership coach on doing the same in their everyday lives, with an emphasis on the ongoing process of experimentation and data collection that is a critical component of leadership development.

Dongyu Mao, MBA ’25, enrolled in Leadership Studio in the spring of his second year at Booth as he prepared to return to Boston Consulting Group in a new role. “The experience helped me reconcile the tension between authenticity and adaptation, allowing my inner ensemble to grow in harmony,” he says about the course. “I left the studio not just with tools but with a deeper sense of self that continues to guide me.”

Leadership Rehearsal, introduced in 2024 by the Harry L. Davis Center for Leadership, provides a similar opportunity to alumni in a one-day format. Participants are invited to come with a professional scenario in mind for which they would like to show up differently—or, to follow Lanebrown’s metaphor, for which they would like to bring new characters onstage.

The day starts with a primer in the Meisner Technique, an acting approach that emphasizes emotional awareness and a focus on one’s scene partners over oneself, facilitated by acting coaches Andrew Cutler, AB ’12, and Amanda Fink, AB ’12, of Black Box Acting. Participants spend the rest of the day in small groups, supported by an acting coach and a leadership coach. Each participant has the opportunity to workshop their scenario and receive feedback from the coaches and their alumni colleagues.

In a post-event survey, one participant pointed to the value of including acting coaches in a leadership workshop: “I really appreciated and benefited from the professional acting feedback on my approach to public speaking. It was easy to understand and apply, with immediate positive results.”

In the coming year, the Davis Center plans to experiment with additional performing arts–based workshops and incorporate the most successful pieces into its biennial Leadership Retreat, which will take place in Chicago during the weekend of March 28, 2026.

Harry L. Davis is the Roger L. and Rachel M. Goetz Distinguished Service Professor of Creative Management Emeritus. Nancy Tennant is adjunct professor of leadership. Becki Lindley, MBA ’97, and Ed Miller, MBA ’83, are executive coaches at Booth. Visit the Davis Center’s website or follow the center on LinkedIn to find out about upcoming events.