fbpx

How A Conductor Teaches Us Leadership

DeanConducting

I was reading Michael Hyatt‘s blog today regarding “8 Leadership Lessons from a Symphony Conductor” and I really enjoyed the post so much so that I thought I would “reblog” it here.  I’m going to add my own 2 cents in this lesson, all credit though is due to Michael Hyatt.

  1. The conductor has a plan.  -Not only do they have a plan, it’s a written plan, and rehearsed (over and over and over again).  Most young leaders look toward the energy and passion of a conductor and forget he’s following a very systematic, methodical, practiced plan.
  2. The conductor recruits the best players.  The conductor recruits the best from his players – The conductor’s job is to make sure each player knows their specific gifted role and leads them in unison together to play their best.  It’s a combination of coach and quarterback in one.  A great leader has to be both. 
  3. The conductor is visible, so everyone can see him.  The conductor is not only visible but he’s completely exposed so that all movements are able to be seen.  As leaders we have to remember to show our movements to our team.  This promotes “cohesion” among the team to make a sweet melody.
  4. The conductor leads with his heart. Great conductors are passionate.  I have a good friend Dean Anderson, who is passionate, but not in a distracting overly energetic sort of way that I think comes to mind with conductors, but he’s passionate about every team member doing their best.  If you are to be truly great, you must be passionate about what you are leading.
  5. “The conductor delegates and focuses on what only he can do. The conductor doesn’t do everything. He doesn’t sell the tickets. He doesn’t participate (usually) in the preliminaries. He doesn’t even make sure that the orchestra is in tune. (The concertmaster does that.) He stays off stage until it is time for him to do what only he can do—lead.” – Michael Hyatt
  6. The conductor is aware of his gestures and their impact.  A conductor has to be aware of any distractions and totally focus on the score.  As leaders we have to be completely aware of the impact of every action.
  7. The conductor keeps his back to the audience.  Notice that the conductor focuses on who he is leading [serving].  The team members who are playing their instruments actually face the audience, which is who they are leading.
  8. The conductor shares the spotlight.  No one succeeds alone. Period.
  9. BONUS – The conductor understands the Law of Timing (21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John Maxwell) – The great conductor like a great leader not only gets the best out of his team, not only knows how to serve them, follows a plan, but they also understand timing in a way that might be more challenging than any other form of leadership.  One wrong move and everyone notices.

Share This Post

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Email

Other Kingdom Driven Posts

>

Get Weekly Kingdom Driven E-mails