Daniel Lamarre is the executive vice chairman of Cirque du Soleil, a position he took after serving for nearly two decades as the circus and entertainment company’s president and CEO. He is the author of Balancing Acts: Unleashing the Power of Creativity in Your Life and Work, which describes how others can unleash Cirque’s creative management techniques, even if they’re not in the business of clowns and acrobats.
Cirque du Soleil’s Daniel Lamarre on How to Put Creativity at the Center of Your Strategy
“There is no excuse. Creativity has to be at the forefront.”
May 13, 2022
Summary.
During the pandemic, Cirque du Soleil experienced a worst-case scenario. “That was the toughest period in my life,” says executive vice chairman, Daniel Lamarre. “[I]n my case, within 48 hours, I came from 44 shows to zero shows, went from a billion dollars of revenues to zero revenue. And my purpose in life, I took great pride in creating jobs for artists, and then I end up in a situation where I had to let go, not only 2,000 artists, but all of our 5,000 employees. That was a disaster, and for 15 months, I was struggling to make sure that the company can remain alive.” But keep it alive he did. He spoke with HBR Editor Adi Ignatius about the power of creativity, and why it is absolutely essential to put it at the center of any corporate strategy–even ones that don’t deal in clowns and acrobatics.