Lookit, I don’t know what they titled this essay, but I’ll bet it says something about art over there, and your first instinct, as someone seeking serious business content, may be to flip the page or scroll by. But I beseech you: Read on. If you made it to this sentence, I know you harbor at least a scintilla of curiosity, so I will now reward you with a secret that all those hardos who mock soft topics aren’t privy to: Understanding how art gets made, and why, is a path to accomplishment and mastery—yes, even in the corporate world.
A version of this article appeared in the May–June 2024 issue of Harvard Business Review.