Spoken word was born in the echo chambers of city sidewalks and the backbeat of community rebellion. It rose from the concrete—rhythmic, raw, and radical. It didn’t ask for a seat at the table. It brought its own chair. And now? That chair is sitting at the head of the boardroom. Because the streets don’t just raise poets—they raise prophets. And those prophets are transforming corporate culture one verse at a time.
Gone are the days when executive leadership was all facts, no feeling. In a world where connection drives culture and culture drives performance, the spoken word poet has emerged as an unlikely, yet undeniable, leadership voice. Sekou Andrews didn’t just walk into boardrooms—he redefined them. Through his pioneering of Poetic Voice, he brought authenticity where there was apathy, rhythm where there was rigidity, and humanity where there was hierarchy.
Imagine a quarterly meeting that doesn’t drone—it dances. Imagine your mission statement delivered like a mic drop. Imagine your DEI goals turned into a verse that vibrates through your workforce like truth amplified. Spoken word in business isn’t just performance. It’s a paradigm shift. A reminder that emotional resonance is strategic currency.
From community centers to corporate conferences, the evolution of spoken word has shown us one thing: people don’t just want to be informed. They want to be inspired. And when a message is delivered with meter, metaphor, and might, it moves mountains. So whether you’re leading a startup or a Fortune 500, consider this: maybe the most impactful hire you’ll make this year is a poet.
