Balancing Acts: Unleashing the Power of Creativity in Your Life and Work

In this leadership memoir, take a step backstage at Cirque du Soleil.

Vice Chairman Daniel Lamarre shares his experiences leading the awe-inspiring organization, and teaches readers what it takes for anyone, regardless of position or industry, to embrace the value of creative leadership.

Without creativity, there is no business. At the core of Cirque du Soleil’s lavish, multi-million-dollar productions is Vice Chairman Daniel Lamarre, who has mastered the ability to bring business and creativity together across multiple languages and cultures in a way that has never been seen before. The secrets he shares in Balancing Acts are rooted in tremendous faith in your own creative skills, even if you are convinced you have none, and those of the sharpest minds within your organization.

In this book, Daniel shares the untold stories behind Cirques biggest shows, including Beatles Love, Michael Jackson One, the aquatic marvel, O, and many more. Through these tales of triumph and trials, he will teach you:

• How to shatter the perceived limitations standing in the way of your ability to think creatively and innovatively;
• When to step up and when to step back so that your team can create a masterpiece that doesn’t break the bank;
• How in using the methods Daniel has uncovered, modern companies with entrenched bureaucracies can bring creativity and business together to foster innovation; and
• How to use creative thinking to lead your organization to new heights.

Whether you work for one of the most creative organizations on the planet like Cirque du Soleil, in a stuffy corporate job, or somewhere in between—Balancing Acts is filled with principles that can strengthen and accelerate any business on the planet.

About the Author

Daniel Lamarre is a French Canadian and citizen of the world whose talent for leading creative companies became evident during his nearly two decades at Cirque du Soleil, during which he instigated and guided the astounding growth of one of the most inspiring firms on the planet.

When he joined Cirque in 2001 as president of new ventures, the organization had two thousand employees and seven shows in performance. Five years later, Daniel became chief executive and, today, Cirque has nearly five thousand employees and forty-four shows playing across five continents. The company has annual sales of $1 billion, profit margins of twenty percent, and fifteen million people buy tickets to its shows around the world annually, more than all thirty-nine Broadway shows combined. Hometown: Montreal, Canada.