Coaching Leaders that are shaping the Future of Museums
Museums of the Future
Museums have discovered how a coaching mindset is becoming a "must-have" for individuals and teams.
When employees are "intrinsically motivated, they are 32 % more committed to (and 46 % more satisfied with) their jobs, suffer significantly less burnout than other employees, and they perform 16 percent better." (McKinsey, 2016).
Coaching identifies and integrates effective behaviors that build agency, direction and functionality within organizations. It empowers autonomous decision-making, reduces managerial burnout and increases employee engagement, retention and satisfaction.
Today’s curators and museum leaders now work within a rapidly evolving cultural climate of the 21st century. As a cultural industries specialist, Les Joynes supports and empowers curators of modern and contemporary art supporting them in their doctoral dn postdoctoral research, through onboarding and career within cultural institutions.
We offer a flexible, inclusive work environment for talented individuals who are eager to contribute to CCL’s mission, and who respond to new ideas and initiatives within our field with insight, imagination, and sensitivity.
Coaching is an art. Coaches also engage perspective with the client engaging and aligning actions from multiple vantage points. The coach brings a professional set of tools, experience and a trustful space that gives the client agency at each step of their goal development and realization. As a coach and creative practitioner, I work with global leaders in ideation, goal-setting and strategic decisions to grow their careers and enterprises especially in today’s shifting business landscape. Coaching is so effective because it is specific to each client - a space that identifies powerful, efficient and concrete steps towards each goal. Coaching improves outcomes, and it saves time and creates time where it is better needed. Coaching is conducted in person, on Zoom or phone in 50-minute weekly sessions.
“Using the GROW model (Whitmore, 1992) the Coach works with the client to identify Goals, Current Realities. Options/Obstacles and Ways Forward.” - Les Joynes
Museums
How can museums develop diversity, equity and inclusion within their mission and deliverables? How can they enhance career satisfaction and retention in their organizations? Coaching builds cross-team functionality, autonomy and efficiency in times when cohesion is needed most.
Galleries
How can artists build sustainable and flourishing practices? Artists work at the interface of materials and ideas. They are constantly navigating in changing environments. Coaching enables them to set goals, and vision for exhibitions, work life balance, teaching and longer term life objectives.
Bio:Les Joynes, PhD is a leadership and entrepreneurship coach working with artists, curators, and cultural leaders across museums, universities, and global creative networks. He serves as a Board Director of the College Art Association (CAA) and contributes to the organization’s Museum Committee, supporting dialogue and professional development across the museum sector.
Les coaches cultural innovators and emerging leaders through programs connected to institutions including the Yale Center for British Art, where he has supported museum professionals and scholars in developing leadership capacity, strategic thinking, and creative career pathways.
With over three decades of international experience across North America, Europe, and Asia, Les works at the intersection of coaching, contemporary art, and cultural diplomacy. He is the founder of Joynes & Company and an internationally recognized coach supporting artists, curators, and creative entrepreneurs in navigating complex global careers.
A recipient of the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Award, Les has held visiting appointments and lectured at institutions including Peking University and Renmin University of China. His coaching approach emphasizes reflective leadership, cross-cultural dialogue, and what he describes as “parallel creative pathways”—helping clients expand their perspective and unlock new possibilities in their professional and creative lives.
Education: Les has an MA Fine Art from Goldsmiths, University of London; M.Sc Managment from Boston University and the Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB) Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences; MBA from California State University; MA from Musashino Art University, Japan, Doctor of Philosophy from the Faculty of Art, Environment and Technology, Leeds Metropolitan University, UK and Post-Doctorate from the School of Communications and Arts (ECA), University of São Paulo, Brazil. He is a Visiting Scholar on visual cultures, education and leadership at Columbia University and is recipient of the Fulbright-Nehru Professional and Academic Excellence Award and has served as Senior Scholar on Art and Performance at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi, India.
Selected Resources
Recommended Books on Coaching
Kimsey-House, Henry (2018) Co-Active Coaching: Changing Business, Transforming Lives
Rogers, J (2016) Coaching Skills: the Definitive Guide to Being a Coach
Recommended articles on Coaching
Hagen, Tim (2021) Why Conversation Coaching Skills Are A Must, Forbes Coaches Council
Podcasts
HBR Presents: Coaching Real Leaders
Other
International Coaching Federation
Institute of Coaching, McLean, Affiliate of Harvard Medical School
