Seeing Beyond the Ordinary: What Concrete Cylinders in the Desert Teach Us About Business Leadership
Last week, I shared my experience in the remote Great Basin Desert with Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels. Her masterpiece, a series of massive concrete cylinders aligned with the solstices and punctuated with star-patterned holes, is more than an artwork. It’s a profound lesson in vision, creativity, and leadership.
Holt’s approach to this project was remarkable—not just for its artistic merit, but for how it reframed our relationship to the land and the cosmos. As I stood in the quiet desert, reflecting on her process, I realized her work speaks to timeless truths that resonate far beyond the art world. Sun Tunnels isn’t just a testament to Holt’s brilliance—it’s a masterclass in leadership.
Here are the key lessons business leaders can learn from her, and how they can inspire us to see, create, and lead with purpose.
Commitment to Doing It Right
“Before digging the first hole for the foundations, I wanted actually to ‘see’ a solstice”1 - Nancy Holt
Nancy Holt’s approach to Sun Tunnels was defined by a refusal to cut corners. Before breaking ground, she insisted on experiencing a solstice in person to verify the scientific calculations offered by the astrophysicist she worked with. This meant delaying construction, knowing that freezing conditions would push physical work by five or six months. Instead of rushing forward, Holt used this time to prepare, graveling a three-quarter-mile path to the site and ensuring every detail aligned with her vision.
This level of patience and preparation reminded me of Steve Jobs during the development of the first Apple Store. After six months of working on a prototype (of a store!), Jobs and his team realized the design flow wasn’t right. Instead of forcing it forward, they scrapped the entire concept and started over—choosing to delay rather than compromise. This decision became the foundation for the iconic Apple Store experience that has defined retail design for decades.
The lesson is clear: great leadership, like great art, isn’t about speed—it’s about integrity. Taking the time to “do it right” ensures that our work doesn’t just meet expectations, but exceeds them.
Attention to Detail
Holt’s hands-on involvement in the construction process was meticulous. She personally created templates to mark the positions of the holes in each tunnel, ensuring they mirrored the stars of specific constellations. Even the steel rebar inside the concrete walls was customized to her specifications.
This level of attention to detail wasn’t about micromanagement—it was about honoring the vision. Leaders often underestimate the power of precision, but details are what distinguish the ordinary from the extraordinary. Walt Disney exemplified this philosophy, famously counting the exact number of fireworks needed for Disneyland’s opening-day display to create the perfect emotional impact.
I’ve written before about Disney’s obsession with details, and how they symbolized his belief that small things aren’t “just finishing touches”—they’re the foundation of a vision and human experience. Holt’s approach reflects this same principle: attention to detail communicates care, builds trust, and ensures excellence.
Collaboration Fuels Vision
"It was difficult to find good workers who would go two hundred miles from Salt Lake City into the middle of the desert to work. But by spring I had found some." – Nancy Holt
Holt’s project required expertise far beyond her own. To bring Sun Tunnels to life, she assembled a diverse team of engineers, astrophysicists, surveyors, construction crews, and even a helicopter pilot. Holt brought her collaborators into the heart of her vision, inspiring them to contribute their best work to something larger than themselves.
This collaborative spirit reminds us that great leadership is also about inspiring others to believe in and achieve the impossible. By uniting her team around a shared purpose, Holt transformed a bold idea into a reality.
The takeaway is simple: no great vision is achieved alone.
While these first lessons offer valuable insights, it’s the next three that hold the deepest and most profound lessons, at least for me. They invite us to think beyond the familiar and challenge how we see, create, and lead. These are the lessons I believe are most worth reflecting on and learning from
Seeing Possibility Where Others Don’t
“The work paradoxically makes available, or focuses on, a part of the environment that many local people wouldn’t normally have seen.” - Nancy Holt
To many locals, the land where Sun Tunnels was built seemed useless—too barren for grazing, too dry for farming. But Holt saw something they didn’t. She recognized the site’s potential to become a canvas for connection, transformation, and wonder. By placing Sun Tunnels in this overlooked valley, Holt reframed the land’s value and inspired others to see it differently.
Leadership, at its core, is about seeing opportunities where others see obstacles. Airbnb founder Brian Chesky (a BA fine art graduate) exemplified this mindset. When most people saw spare rooms as unused space, he saw the foundation for a new travel experience platform.
Holt’s vision teaches us that originality begins by challenging assumptions and reframing perspectives. Leaders who can see beyond the obvious unlock potential in places—and people—that others dismiss.
Creating Transformative Experiences
Holt didn’t just build an artwork—she created an experience that changes how we see the world. Each tunnel is aligned with the solstices, transforming the cylinders into instruments of light and shadow. During the day, sunlight filters through the star-shaped holes, casting shifting patterns inside the tunnels. By night, the holes align with constellations, connecting the Earth to the cosmos.
What makes this so powerful is its deliberate, ever-changing design. The tunnels invite us to engage with time, space, and perspective in ways we rarely do. Holt’s work reminds us that creativity goes beyond problem-solving—it is about crafting experiences that inspire connection, reflection, and discovery.
For business leaders, this lesson could be profound: the most impactful products, services, or brands aren’t just functional—they’re transformative. They create emotional resonance and invite people to see the world differently. Whether you’re designing a product, building a team, or shaping a company culture, ask yourself: are you creating something that changes how people think, feel, or engage with the world?
Shaping Vision Around Potential
“It is only here that Sun Tunnels could exist. The land, the light, and the vast horizon—these elements shaped the work as much as I did.” - Nancy Holt
Perhaps the most profound lesson from Holt is her ability to shape her vision around the land itself, rather than imposing her will onto it. Sun Tunnels exists in harmony with its environment—it’s a collaboration between Holt’s imagination and the desert’s unique energy.
Holt’s ability to listen to the land mirrors the best kind of leadership. Great leaders don’t try to force their people into rigid molds. Instead, they recognize individual strengths and help others realize their potential. Whether it’s Steve Jobs, Ed Catmull of Pixar, or Edwin Land of Polaroid—their teams often testified to their ability to inspire them to achieve the impossible and accomplish things they never believed they could.
Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels is more than an artwork—it’s a model for visionary leadership. Her ability to see potential where others saw none, craft transformative experiences, and collaborate with her environment offers lessons that extend far beyond the art world. By embracing Holt’s principles—seeing what others overlook, respecting the process, and nurturing potential—we can create something truly extraordinary.
Last Thoughts:
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This quote, and all other quotes in the text are taken from SUN TUNNELS By Nancy Holt. Artforum, April 1977, Vol. 15, No. 8. https://www.artforum.com/features/sun-tunnels-209423/
I always think of the process that an artist takes to its creation.