At the heart of Cirque du Soleil is creativity. They don’t rest on success, but are always looking to push the boundaries at every level, regularly challenging themselves to improve and stay engaging for their audience. This TMA World Mindline investigates what other organizations can learn from Cirque du Soleil.

1. MindLines
Terence Brake
TMA World │ Head of Learning and Innovation

2. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
It’s been a year this month
since I saw Cirque du
Soleil. It was in
Las Vegas and the show was
‘Love’, an acrobatic
performance woven around
the music of the Beatles.
It wasn’t just a show,
it was a magical
experience.

3. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
I wanted more and more
and more, as do many
others.
Its performances have been
seen by 100 million
spectators in nearly 300
cities on 5 continents. Not
bad for what started as a
ragtag group of street
performers in Montreal.

4. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
What can other organizations
learn from Cirque du Soleil?
CREATIVITY
ENGAGEMENT
OPENNESS
TALENT
TEAMWORK
DISCIPLINE

5. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
CREATIVITY
At the heart of Cirque du Soleil is
creativity. They don’t rest on
success, but are always looking
to push the boundaries at
every level.

6. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
CREATIVITY
There is no formula. Each show
will have its own signature, but
there is a resistance to repeating
what has worked in the past.

7. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
ENGAGEMENT
Even if a show has been on the
road for years the Cirque is
always open to change. This
keeps the artists engaged and
willing to grow.

8. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
ENGAGEMENT
It respects the desire of the
artists to challenge themselves
and stay fresh. Acts evolve which
is important when there are nine
shows a week along with ongoing
training.

9. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
OPENNESS
There is a very strong
commitment to openness,
difference and diversity.
How else can the Cirque continue
to entrance its audiences? You
cannot keep pushing the
boundaries of creativity when one
culture only talks to itself.

10. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
OPENNESS
There are 40 plus different
countries represented, speaking in
25 languages and there is an
appreciation of the creative input
from each individual and culture.

11. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
TALENT
The Cirque continually searches
for the best talent in the world.
Its auditions are known as
treasure hunts.

12. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
TALENT
Lyn Heward says,
“People are not hired for who
they are, but for what they
may become… we’re trying to
find the ‘pearl’, the hidden talent
in that individual”.

13. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
TALENT
“What is that unique thing
each person brings?”
Transformative potential, if
you like.

14. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
TEAMWORK
Typically, the individual
performers are not known as
team players, but the Cirque
could not be the success it is
without strong team skills.

15. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
TEAMWORK
The mission is to
“Turn athletes into artists and
form a cohesive team of
brothers.”
I’m assuming that
“team of brothers” includes the
many female artists.

16. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
DISCIPLINE
Spontaneity, creativity and
imagination are key to the
Cirque’s, but so are discipline &
hard work.

17. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
DISCIPLINE
The openness and diversity spark
the creative concept, but then it
moves to several hard years of
casting, designing, training and
producing the experience.

18. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
I didn’t run away to join
the circus after
seeing ‘Love’,
but if I’d been a
few years younger
(and with more athletic
talent) I might have
been tempted.

19. Some lessons from the Cirque du Soleil
To learn more about how TMA World can help
your organization, please contact us at
enquiries@tmaworld.com
or visit
http://www.tmaworld.com/training-solutions/