Leadership lessons from an orchestra conductor

Generally, we think that teams that work together harmoniously are better and more productive than teams that don’t. But in a study conducted on symphonies by HBR, it was discovered that “cranky orchestras” played slightly better than orchestras in which all the musicians were quite happy.

“That’s because the cause-and-effect is the reverse of what most people believe,” HBR reported.  “When people are productive and have done something good together — and are recognized for it — they feel satisfied, not the other way around. In other words, the mood of the orchestra members after a performance says more about how well they did than the mood beforehand.

An orchestra conductor faces the ultimate team-leadership challenge — producing precise harmony without saying a word. In a captivating lecture recently staged by Anthony Pangilinan’s Businessworks at the Rigodon Ballroom of The Peninsula Manila, maestro Itay Talgam, an Israeli conductor and a TED Talks speaker, revealed the distinctive approaches of great 20th-century conductors: Ricardo Muti, Richard Strauss, Herbert von Karajan and Carlos Kleiber. His lecture, “How to Lead and Manage Your Team Like a World-Class Orchestra,” shared metaphors for organizational behavior and representations for inspired leadership within the workings of a symphony orchestra. 

Using music as a peg for all areas of human creativity — from the classroom to the boardroom — Talgam created the “Maestro Program.” His workshops aim to help executives, workers in any field and students alike acquire a musician’s feel for teamwork and a conductor’s feel for leadership — that inner instinct and subconscious connectedness to fellow players that deliver what they and the audience need.

“It’s this art of listening and reacting in the moment that makes for a swinging jazz combo, a sublime string quartet, a brilliant orchestra and great teams at work,” Talgam declared. Here are key takeaways and observations from his exciting lecture:

An orchestra gives the conductor an opportunity to create an organized sound with one gesture. Everything is about distinction, and without a doubt, distinction is what teams need.

Fostering agreement within his team is a conductor’s task. He must be willing to take great personal and professional risks to set the team’s direction. And if he isn’t disciplined about managing his team, knowing the team members, and how the team is set up, the probabilities are slim that his team will make good music.

We are all improvisers, conversationalists, managers, and leaders that can open our attitudes towards naturalness. Blocking improvisation can stifle creativity. Improvising — or making room for it — can stimulate creativity and help engender soul and rhythm in a team. Whether in business or any other team, improvising requires courage. We have to be willing to take risks, to make mistakes in front of other people. And risk-taking requires trust in our leader, in our capabilities, in our colleagues, and in our audience.

A conductor should be emotionally mature and willing to move toward anxiety-motivating situations as he establishes a clear, challenging direction for the orchestra. And in doing so, he likewise recognizes that he will encounter resistance so intense that it can place his job in danger.

The thrilling moment in conducting happens on the podium — a teeny-weeny, open cubicle usually in front of an orchestra. The conductor makes a small, understated gesture, and swiftly, out of the disorder comes order. Noise becomes music. Perfect harmony — playing beautiful music — is what a conductor aims for whenever he occupies his space and work to spread joy. What is important is the thought that this joy comes from his story, the joy of the music, and the joy that he is enabling the stories of the orchestra members to be heard as well.

A critical aspect of effective leadership involves working collaboratively. Maestros know instinctively that “none of us is as smart as all of us.” Collaboration works in part because everyone in an orchestra pushes towards the same goalpost — creating and executing wonderful music — and by and large, not fighting over credit and recompense. The members are working for the combined good and mutual benefit of the team as a whole.

A conductor has the stories of the orchestra as a professional group, the audience as a community, and other unseen stories of people who build the magnificent concert halls where the orchestra usually performs, and the gorgeous Stradivarius, Amati, and other instruments used by the orchestra. These collective narratives are heard in harmony to give the audience the true experience of a live concert.

A conductor can move an orchestra by pointing a finger, through the movement of his lips, the closing of his eyes or the raising of an eyebrow. Through this non-verbal communication, an instruction or a sanction is delivered clearly. A “disaster” could occur if his commands are not followed. He has a responsibility in front of him, because his accountability and commitment is to tell the stories behind Mozart’s, Bach’s or Beethoven’s music in a most endearing fashion.

Two instructions in “The Ten Commandments for Conductors” can be isolated: commandment number one — “If you sweat by the end of the concert it means that you must have done something wrong,” and commandment number two — “Never look at the trombones — it only encourages them.” To Talgam, the whole idea is really to let it happen by itself. Quoting Karajan, he said, “Yes, the worst damage I can do to my orchestra is to give them a clear instruction. Because that would prevent the ensemble from listening to each other; something that is needed for an orchestra.”

Orchestra members are not really given any instructions, but the forces of the process itself keep them in place. That’s what the conductor does. Interestingly, the rollercoaster does not really exist. It’s not a physical thing. It’s in the players’ heads. The conductor has the plan in his head. He knows what to do even if he is not actually conducting. He becomes a partner in building the rollercoaster as he actually takes the ride with the orchestra. The process is very exciting and tiring, but it’s the best way to music making.

In today’s competitive environment, one of the important ways of great leadership is to differentiate our team from the competition, to stand out from the undifferentiated grays of the pack and, in living color, and show our team’s uniqueness. A conductor creates a differentiated process and the conditions in the world in which this process takes place. Process should go with content to create the unique renditions of meaning, whether it is about pain, joy, anger or ecstasy. He turns into a storyteller and makes people listen.

Organizational guru and author Warren Bennis describes a “great group” as one in which “the leader finds greatness in the group, as he helps the members find it in themselves.” A conductor should have a sharp insight into the true value of diversity. He should understand that difference is helpful, precious, and revered. He should treat each player not as some component in a machine, not as some interchangeable or replaceable part, but as a unique talent with individual gifts. And he needs to find a way to underscore each person’s gifts, downplay their vulnerabilities, boost their potencies, and bring out their excellence.

* * *

Email bongosorio@yahoo.com or bong_osorio@abs-cbn.com for comments, questions or suggestions. Thank you for communicating.