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Orchestrating Team Performance

Guest post by: Hugh Ballou

Article Overview: Leadership and conducting a musical ensemble such as a choir or orchestra are similar in that the leader or conductor has a clear vision of the desired outcomes and knows how to inspire others to follow bringing about the result of excellence in performance - in music or in business! Hugh Ballou shares his tips as musical conductor for improving leadership skills in the boardroom, committee, staff, or other kinds of teams. Prevent conflict with these Transformational Leadership skills that can be applied to any situation.

Orchestrating Team Performance

Have you ever watched a conductor at work? This is leadership in motion! There is not a single moment of inattention. There is not a single moment of indecision. There is not a single moment of doubt. And there is not a single moment that is out of control. This sounds like a dictatorship, doesn’t it? In a way it is. But, it is not a dictatorship in the sense that only one person rules the will of others. Nor is it a democracy. One person must make the artistic decisions, hold the creative vision, and shape the final results. In the corporate world, the leader articulates the vision through clearly crafted goals. The leader then guides the team on the path to success letting them play into the whole just as the conductor guides each player in the symphony.

The main thing is that the Transformational Leader achieves the maximum result by inspiring and empowering those influenced by his or her leadership skills, whether orchestra or business. Being open and straightforward builds the respect of those you lead as you let them participate in the work you are doing. Inversely, if you are closed, unprepared and guarded, not admitting your weaknesses, the folks you lead with not be fully engaged, confused, resentful, and unproductive.

If you are transparent, they will be actively engaged.

If you are guarded, secretive, unclear, those you lead will disengage and will give less than desired results.

The conductor guides highly qualified musicians as each person contributes the best of his or her skill. Together they craft a result that is greater than any one of them could produce alone. If the conductor tells a highly competent oboe player how to play the oboe, then that conductor will be look for another oboist for the next season. The conductor relies on the professional competence of each person selected to be a part of this high performance organization. Many corporate leaders want to define a task and then tell the person how to do everything related to the task. This is a killer of creative enthusiasm.

The corporate executive that leads a board of directors, a project team or executive staff, is like the conductor in that there is often one chance to get the right result. Once you lose your competitive edge, you may not have another chance for success. Like the orchestra, the team is only as good as the leader.

• Here is an overview of some parallel principles for the conductor and corporate leader:
• If the leader is autocratic, then there’s a limit to results
• The leader has a commanding presence, not a fearful dominance
• Both are only as effective as he/she successfully leads others
• The leader defines how the result is expressed
  • With passion and commitment
  • With unanimity of movement and expression
  • With a combination of skills that creates momentum
  • With unity of pace and harmony
• The leader invites others to participate with the aura of their presence
• Knows and communicates that the result can only be obtained with everybody doing their best

The conductor and the leader inspire and enable the highest performance of the groups they lead. The conductor is alert to what is happening and makes the necessary adjustments to insure the best final result.

The corporate leader should sharpen the team skill set by attending an orchestra rehearsal or performance. Attend, observe, take notes and watch for the non-verbal elements that separate good from excellent – passionate from ordinary- acceptable to exciting. The exceptional leader takes a group a group of individuals and inspires them to become more than they could be individuals – a high performance team!

Fine

©SynerVision International, 2010 All rights reserved.

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Article Tags: clear vision, conflict, Leadership Skills, Team Conflict, team performance, Teamwork, Transformational Leadership
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