Dear Reader,
Having vision means establishing a clear line of sight to the future you want, and Adena Friedman, CFO of The Carlyle Group, is that rare person who has always had a strong sense of her future. In eighth grade, Adena identified the college of her choice, studied the requirements for getting in and began working towards her eventual admission to Williams College. When The Carlyle Group approached her to be CFO, she already knew Carlyle was "the only company besides NASDAQ that I wanted to work for." I find that talking with Adena is an opportunity to learn the inspiring mindset of personal and professional success.
Guided by her own philosophy and influenced by those she loves most, Adena's accomplishments have taken her to the top of the finance industry during one of its most troubled times. Her vision is for its future.
Please treat yourself to the perspective of one of the most accomplished leaders in the financial sector -- at just the moment when we really need vision from that sector.
Very best,
Kate Ebner
CEO Nebo Company |
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Monday, June 25 11 AM Eastern Time On VoiceAmerica Business
A Moral Compass for the Financial Sector:
The Vision of The Carlyle Group CFO Adena Friedman
Listen on Monday.  As CFO and Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy of the NASDAQ OMX, Adena Friedman learned how to negotiate and lead major business deals. The New York Times called it a "coup" for The Carlyle Group in 2011 when they hired Adena away to become their CFO, the American-based global alternative asset management firm. For this Baltimore native who makes her home in suburban D.C., the move meant saying "yes"to the only other company she wanted to work for - and being closer to home after years of commuting to NYC. Host Kate Ebner and Adena Friedman will explore how "saying yes" has been a central strategy for this visionary leader and working mother of two. Join Kate for a fascinating glimpse into the mindset and timely vision of one of the most accomplished leaders in the financial sector. More. Be inspired. Missed the Live Show?
Past Episodes are available On Demand and Podcast Ready via iTunes or RSS feed.
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Where to Look and How to See: Appreciating Fine Art
On Monday, June 18, Kate Ebner interviewed Dr. Mary Morton, curator of French Paintings at the National Gallery of Art. Mary shared her vision of making art accessible. She enjoys having conversations with people who are not experts in art. She says, "What I can learn from a 10 year-old looking at a landscape painting for the first time can completely change the way that I see the work."
Today, Mary Morton and her team at the National Gallery are trying to provoke and inspire people. People tend to look at a painting or sculpture as an isolated object. Mary wants to remind people that the painting is part of a collection - not simply standing on its own. She is trying to activate people to think about the paintings in concert - as groups painted by the same artist, by different artists at the same time, or similar works created at different times and by different people. Mary said, "I am excited by the dialogues that can develop when people are moving from one painting to another and comparing them."
Mary shared that many people often struggle with art - they aren't able to connect with the works. Mary suggests that many people approach art as a passive activity, such as watching television. "When we look at art as something active - something we must engage with - we can connect with the art and the history associated with each piece. Through our conversations about the art, we are also able to connect on a different level with others."
"You can develop and enhance and get better and better at appreciating art. The more you look, the more you will see."
Mary shared several tips for appreciating art, and seeing it in a new way:
- The more you go to museums, the more comfortable you will be in those environments. When you go, don't feel obligated to see everything - choose a few pieces, or a portion of a collection to really look at and connect with.
- Go alone and be with the art. Bring a notebook and articulate all of your thoughts in written words.
- Go with someone else to look at the art. Some days brings someone who knows more about art than you do; on other days, bring someone who knows less. Your conversations will be very different and just as rich.
- Think about the purpose of the artist when looking at the piece - why was the work created? Do you feel the purpose when you look at the piece?
- If you don't like something, don't just walk away. Try to articulate what you don't like about it. Articulate and put words to your feeling, and rationalize what it is you don't like. The knowledge and discussion of what you don't like is just as important as knowing what you do like.
Listen to the complete interview with Dr. Mary Morton and learn more about this visionary leader and her passion to inspire others. |
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Create Your Vision!
We have designed a quick and easy visioning exercise just for you! You will receive your own personal vision statement immediately upon hitting "submit." To create your vision statement, CLICK HERE.
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Missed the last show?
 Listen to Kate's interview with Mary Morton, curator of French Paintings at the National Gallery of Art on the 6/18/12 episode of Visionary Leader, Extraordinary Life. In her role, this Visionary Leader is making beautiful works of art accessible to the public. Mary is driven by her passion to bring the artwork alive through dialogue and conversation.
Be inspired.
Become inspiring.
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On appreciation...
"Appreciation is an active verb."~ Dr. Mary MortonNational Gallery of Art
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Recommended Resources
Creative Is a Verb: If You're Alive, You're Creative
by: Patti Digh Following up on her successful Life Is a Verb, and in the tradition of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, Patti Digh here presents a book that leads readers by both heart and head to acknowledge, reinforce, and use their own creative spirit. Creative Is a Verb is equally a book for people who say, "I'm not creative" or "I'm just a dabbler" or "I'm an artist."  Paris: Muse, Anti-museDr. Mary Morton on Vimeo  12 Views of Manet's Barby: Bradford Collins Recommended by Visionary Leader, Extraordinary Life guest, Mary Morton, Bradford Collins assembled this collection of 12 essays that demonstrates the abundance and complexity of methodological approaches now available to art historians. Focusing on Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergère, each contributor applies to it a different methodology, ranging from the more traditional to the newer, including feminism, Marxism, Lacanian psychoanalysis, and semiotics. In the process of gaining new insight into Manet's work, and into the discourse of methodology, one discovers that it is not only the individual painting but art history itself that is under investigation.
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