Leadership Principles: 15 Things I Learned About Leadership from Being a Conductor
Photo credit: Markus Spiske
A great politician once said, "a leader without followers is just somebody taking a walk." One can infer from this statement that leadership requires two things: A leader and someone to follow.
The autocratic style of leadership in conducting was — and in some unfortunate cases, still is — one of the most basic types of leadership. It is leadership by position. Long ago, I realized that leadership by respect and trust yields better results for everyone. I came to this conclusion when I realized that none of the musicians was in the orchestra for me, my incredible genius, or my exceptional charisma, but rather for our shared passion and commitment for great music-making. I began to curtail my use of the words "I" and "me" in rehearsals and would attempt to only speak as the composers' advocate.
My goal was to put the composer and his or her written intentions first. Achieving this goal requires a tremendous amount of preparation that takes place during countless hours of meticulous score study. I study for as long as it takes because I am committed to the music, composers, and musicians' greatness.
I have put forth a list of leadership principles that I have gleaned from conducting. While some of these may seem paradoxical, I have found that most truths are.
Be a leader among colleagues.
Being a leader means that you are not part of the team; Camaraderie comes through achievement.
Be authentic.
Be a leader who shares their humanity* with the group: Being vulnerable, rather than dictatorial, will go a long way to engendering mutual respect and fostering positive working relationships. *If you are a narcissistic jerk, please stop reading and consider a future in politics.
Study as much as it takes to be prepared.
When you don't know where to start working, ask yourself, "is it perfect?" If it is not perfect, start working to make it closer to perfection.
Transitions are the hard part — be there to lead during these times.
Mirroring people builds rapport: Mirror musicians by mirroring their music.
Help everyone become successful.
Publicly acknowledge both improvements as well as excellence from your colleagues.
Be an inspired leader.
Hold people to account: Periodically have prodding conversations with colleagues who may need encouragement to meet new levels and challenges.
Respect people's time: This doesn't just mean start and end on time, but extends to keeping the entire group engaged, creating the rehearsal order with intentionality, putting forth concepts that apply to the entire group, and recognizing when a player has not played in over 10 minutes.
Show up with a clear idea of how you want things to go. Be willing to accept that somebody may have an equally valid, if not better, idea.
Achieve greatness.