Art as a Life-shaping Force: Inspiration in Leadership at ESSCA

The program, entitled “How do the Arts Influence our Private and Professional Lives?” is closely linked to ESSCA’s core values and demonstrates how emphasis is placed on the arts at each campus in the network, offering a motivating, creative atmosphere for students and staff.

Held on April 15, the event sought to demonstrate how practicing a creative activity is not only a form of self-expression but also significantly impacts personal and professional development.

“The practice of various arts deepens the kind of attention, precision, creativity and patience linked with characteristics of an authentic and inspiring leader. These skills make the coordination of colleagues not only more effective, but also more nuanced, innovative and compassionate,” explained Zsuzsa Deli-Gray, director and professor of the ESSCA Budapest Campus.

“When we make music, paint, dance, or do any other artistic activity, we do it in a way that aligns with our personality. At the same time, the way we do the activity also holds a kind of mirror for us, and through it, we get to know ourselves better,” she added.

The thinking skills, concentration, and coordination learned through playing music strengthen mental capacities that also play a key role in management decision-making.

“My daily life feels more balanced thanks to the beneficial influence of art, especially music. This alone can lift me out of the mundane,” opera singer András Farkas told guests.

Musical Negotiation

Deli-Gray revealed that she uses music when she prepares for a difficult negotiation. “Different styles lead to different results in different situations: when I need a more powerful effect, I turn to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, and at other times, rock helps me achieve the desired inner harmony,” she explained.

“At the same time, when we are actively involved in playing music, it requires complete concentration and coordination. I played the piano for years and was aware that the coordinated movement of the two hands, when each plays a different detail, requires extraordinary brain concentration,” she emphasized.

Craft activities teach patience and the conscious process of shaping. The school says all this can be easily mapped onto strategic leadership.

The family-run Zema Hungarian Porcelain and Jewelry House uses craftsmanship and sophisticated creativity to make the company’s unique, premium-category pieces. The company’s work processes, both in design and execution, emphasize subtle human skills, such as empathy, innovation and strategic thinking, that are also fundamental to ESSCA in training successful leaders.

“Zema porcelain jewelry collections reflect international artistic and stylistic influences, whether it is the Art Deco trend that fits this year’s theme or inspiring masters such as Van Gogh and Csontváry,” emphasized Erzsébet Papp, owner and artistic director. “Zema’s artistic mission is to convey aesthetic value through each piece of jewelry and awaken a deeper sensitivity to beauty and culture.”

ESSCA consciously provides space for creative expression on all its campuses, using it to foster a stimulating, inspiring and supportive environment for its students, faculty and staff. The school says the presence of art not only serves the aesthetic experience but also helps to improve concentration and develop responsiveness to social responsibility.

In Budapest, fine arts workshops serve a community purpose. Students create decorations that help make the hospital rooms of sick children more welcoming. Students showcase their artistic development every semester in a “talent afternoon.”

In addition, practicing and mastering the “ESSCA dance” plays an active role in building community and strengthening the sense of belonging, the school says. As a form of expression that strengthens harmony and body awareness, dance advances the refinement of leadership presence, assertiveness and non-verbal communication.

Developing Precision

The process of drawing and painting develops precision and the recognition of connections. A change of perspective and a systemic view offer new approaches not only in the reception of art but also in everyday decisions.

“I discovered art quite late, 40 years ago. Since then, my life has changed dramatically, as every morning I hope to discover a new painting by the artists of the Nagybánya school,” emphasized Hungary’s former Ambassador to Peru Peter Kraft, a professor at ESSCA and the host of the event at the Kraft Salon.

Consciously choosing a leadership style is as important as finding your own direction in art, the school believes. Without consistency, the system becomes chaotic. Without a clear goal or strategy, management falls apart, to the detriment of the team and the environment. However, involving the arts can assist in expanding the horizons of thinking for more creative, inspiring decisions.

“Associative thinking is of paramount importance to me: when a situation or opportunity arose, I have repeatedly asked my colleagues what color or music came to mind when they thought about it,” notes Deli-Gray.

“I use this myself to classify and evaluate certain cases. Art […] teaches us patience: not to rush the creation or the decision, but to wait for the inner moment when the experience profoundly affects us. At the same time, it is also necessary that, when this moment comes, we can represent and realize it with fire, full energy, and maximum commitment,” she concludes.

Art also helps people learn teamwork, how to see beyond individual roles, and how to collaborate. Business leaders, like conductors, ensure that each participant performs their task in close cooperation for a common goal. They see that each participant is aware of the importance of their role while keeping an eye on the final result and maintaining harmony between plans and implementation, just as artists maintain harmony between artistic vision and the experience provided to the audience, the school says.

ESSCA in Brief

The ESSCA was founded in Angers, France, in 1909. The Financial Times lists it among the best management courses globally. The university has 10 campuses worldwide. The one in Budapest was founded in 1993 and welcomes 750 students from 30 countries annually. Uniquely among Hungarian universities, it has received accreditation from EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA. Just over 110 business schools worldwide have received “Triple Crown” recognition from all three bodies.

This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of May 5, 2025.