Lesson #1: You Are Only As Good As Where You Work

“Business is difficult,” says Laliberté. “But it could be approached two ways: Seriously, or with the same way you're doing your job, with entertainment aspect, with pleasure, with fun. And we decided to try to make it as fun that we do our creativity.”

Even the accountants that work for Cirque du Soleil will tell you that one of the reasons they do so is because of the creativity within the company. Its stated mission is, “To live and contribute creatively to artistic works which invoke the imagination, provoke the sense and evoke the emotions of our spectators around the world.” But how is Cirque able to maintain such a creative culture, especially among its employees who are not an actual part of the show performances?

First of all, Laliberté insists on keeping his company free from shareholder pressure for short-term profits. To that end, Laliberté is able to reinvest 40 percent of Cirque’s profits back into the company’s research and development arm, something which is practically unheard of for most major corporations. Indeed, Laliberté’s 40 percent rule is twice the average reinvestment rate.

“I believe that the profits will come from the quality of your creative products,” says Laliberté. “Since the beginning, I've always wanted to develop a self-feeding circle of creative productions: The positive financial returns from one show would be used to develop and create a new show, and so on.”

Laliberté has also fostered a hands-off management style. “I believe in nurturing creativity and offering a haven for creators, enabling them to develop their ideas to the fullest,” he says. “With more and more talented creators being drawn to Cirque in an environment that fulfills them, these are ideal to continue developing great new shows.”

To that end, Laliberté makes sure he knows what he needs to know but does not interfere with his employees’ creative processes and freedoms. “I have a great team around me, and they know how I work and what I need to know,” he says. “Creatively, I am a little more hands-on – but then again, not in the complete creative process.” Many of Cirque’s employees have taken to calling Laliberté the “guide,” alluding to his leading but not overbearing role. “I like to not be too involved in the beginning and during the process so as to keep this fresh look and be able to give constructive recommendation on the final production,” he says.

The physical environment in which Cirque employees work is state-of-the-art and designed to be stimulating and act as a creative catalyst. Their staff meetings are also intended to encourage creativity. They are run by a character called “Madame Zazou” who will animate the meetings, run a contest, or encourage an employee to perform in an effort to keep energies high.

“We are each but a quarter note in a grand symphony,” says Laliberté, whose job as he sees it is to stimulate those notes and give them the freedom to move and create the greatest symphony possible.



Lesson #1: You Are Only As Good As Where You Work

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