You cannot save yourself to health.

That came as welcome news to the Florida arts managers, educators, and artists gathered at the Arsht Center this morning to hear super-manager Michael Kaiser. The sitting president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts shared the wisdom he has gleaned rescuing arts organizations on the brink from the Kansas City Ballet to the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre to the Royal Opera House in London.

Though the topic was the arts in crisis, Kaiser put the crowd at ease with the message that “the work” (aka the art) is what matters most. Kaiser had reassuring answers to each of the questions delivered by bloggers, audience members, and chief interlocutor, the Knight Foundation’s own Dennis Scholl.

Have a financial crisis? Offer more exciting programming. Need a marketing plan? Offer more exciting programming. Need to improve fundraising? Offer more exciting programming. Need to get board members more involved? Offer more exciting programming.

Those may not have been the words Kaiser used, but the message was clear: If you want your arts organization to survive, then focus on making great art. Give your constituency something to buzz about.

Kaiser had plenty of practical tips on how to do this:

Plan your programming schedule five years out. That way you can dream big and give yourself time to bring your peeps on board.

Collaborate and systemize. When resources are scarce, figure out ways to pool them, whether you’re creating comprehensive arts education for K-8 in local schools or garnering support for a citywide, interdisciplinary Shakespeare festival.

You can pick up more of Kaiser’s gems in his book The Art of the Turnaround.

And thanks to his collaborative spirit, you can also get immediate help for you organization by going to a site Kaiser set up to offer free assistance to struggling arts groups at artsincrisis.org.

And if you’re not quite in crisis mode yet, you can pick up more useful tips at the companion site: artsmanager.org.

The good news bears repeating: the only thing that will save us is great art.