Abstract: James March distinguished between leadership as "plumbing"—the rational work of plans, structures, and controls—and leadership as "poetry"—the imaginative work of meaning-making, emotion, and beauty. Contrary to conventional leadership scholarship emphasizing measurable outcomes, March argued that leaders' poetic impact on human experience and meaning exceeds their ability to execute instrumental change. This article synthesizes March's framework with contemporary organizational research to examine why leaders' symbolic and emotional influence often proves more durable than their structural interventions. Drawing on evidence from meaning-making research, organizational symbolism studies, and practitioner accounts across healthcare, technology, and public sectors, we explore how leaders shape collective imagination, ritual, and aspiration—even when tangible outcomes remain elusive. The analysis offers three forward-looking capabilities for twenty-first-century leadership: aesthetic consciousness, symbolic stewardship, and poetic resilience. Organizations seeking sustainable impact may benefit more from cultivating leaders' capacity for beauty and meaning than from optimizing their technical execution.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Male Room with Dr. Jesse Mills
As Director of The Men’s Clinic at UCLA, Dr. Jesse Mills has spent his career helping men understand their bodies, their hormones, and their health. Now he’s bringing that expertise to The Male Room — a podcast where data-driven medicine meets common sense. Each episode separates fact from hype, science from snake oil, and gives men the tools to live longer, stronger, and happier lives. With candor, humor, and real-world experience from the exam room and the operating room, Dr. Mills breaks down the latest health headlines, dissects trends, and explains what actually works — and what doesn’t. Smart, straightforward, and entertaining, The Male Room is the show that helps men take charge of their health without the jargon.