Lyn Heward scours the world in search of talent on behalf of Cirque du Soleil.... and finds ideas.

Heward is the former president and COO of Cirque du Soleil's Creative Content Division.

She talks about the wanting to be part of a team... the desire to collaborate, as being as necessary and as important as the raw talent they may have. The physical limits that one can push through are measurable in in the capcity, courage and willingness to take risks.... but, likewise, there is extraordinary import in generosity within a group dynamic. You can work alongside someone... or you can work with them. THe generosity that needs to manifest if a group is to be greater than the sum of it's parts is that willingness to share ideas, to defer praise(or, at minimum be less influenced by it) and to give away all those aspects most people guard closely.

There's a surrender to ourselves and to our senses that's inherent in transcendent performance. There's a child-like sense of wonder and awe that Cirque du Soleil seems to traffic in that cannot be faked if it is to be truly infectious. These ideas can only take root... we can only progress along this path... if we preserve the sentiment of each moment... regardless of how we manage to measure the value therein. A circus performer is almost an abstracted shape. Hidden behind make-up, costume, in shadow or soft light... there is just a presence that has to get it's message across without words or the tools of communication we use as crutches in the working world.

The value of play... childlike and pure expressions of joy break down our adult obstacles to collaborate.

Heward emphasizes the value of team exercise and the willingness to surrender to that sense of play. This is where we can train and recruit through a differing vision.... what she refers to as finding the hidden treasures inherent in people... finding the untapped or stifled creativity. How do we capitalize on our own untapped potential?

We ask of a teammate to have all the baseline, requisite skills.... a unique set of skills to be sure, in order to make the general requirements. From there, any team will be enriched as a group by what else they are willing to do without thought of and for their own benefit. If we can tap into those aspects of a person, we can reveal a greater resource at their core.

As michaelangelo put it... David was always inside the stone, he stripped away the parts that were not David. So, Heward asks; "Who are you?" Peel back the paper skin.... step outside of your comfort zone... do not fall into repetition of those things and tasks you have already successfully navigated.

This can only happen in a nurturing environment. These are places where you can see through the eyes of a child and stimulate true creativity. It's difficult to be creative in isolation... if we are stimulated, we will come to this innate part of ourselves and be allowed to flower. (A flower cannot be forced to grow... another sentiment that has been stated before at the conference. Create the conditions... the rest will happen naturally.)

That said, when you've created a team atmosphere... those people you've grown with can come to stand in for that stimulation of place. An exercise in working against a backdrop of a sceen with nothing more than a few ropes and simple props becomes a demo of our capacity to manifest our own landscapes of imagination. For circus performers, they would be poor at their jobs if they leaned on or blended into the backdrop. If they are at all noteworthy, it will be in any environment.

Constraints and worldly challenges.... be they budgets, deadlines or limited resources actually are motivators to make the most of a spartan set.... much like Cirque's water show "O" at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Designed for 60 million dollars and ultimately delivered for 25 million. The limitations challenge and incite our creative impulse.

Where we can evoke emotion, we can find a new import in these constraints. There was a sea change in the approach to the story of "O". Once, in it's conception the show was designed to follow the story of Icarus flying too close to the sun and crashing to earth. Then, it became necessary to reshape it into something new in the wake of 9/11. The parable morphed into that of the phoenix taking flight.... and the story was one of inspiration that seemed at once pertinent and timely.

The reality is that creativity is about courage above all else.... Cirque du Soleil literally plays with fire on a daily basis. One cannot help but get burned. The repetitive action of igniting the floor beneath your feet, done 475 times, is all but certain to yield accidents. Still, you must learn to leverage your risk and creativity.... because complacency is the biggest risk you'll ever take. A slow death is not unlike a slow burn.

So, how then do we keep people motivated to run into the flames?

You must model hard work and creative contribution from the top down. This ensures a notion of shared creative ownership. Managers and owners must be receptive to the feedback of those beneath them. Separate yourself from your employees at your own peril.... ultimately, everyone is balancing, en masse, on the same tightrope.

It's not your place to weigh them down... it's your place to assure they don't lose sight of you balancing right alongside them.