HBA Advantage 2010 Article
The Music Paradigm
Patricia Gibson
President/CEO, PMG Communications
What does conducting an orchestra and leading a team have in common?
At first thought, not much. But once you've experienced The Music Paradigm as led by Maestro Roger Nierenberg, you will never attend a symphony concert - or lead a team meeting - in quite the same way.
Leadership Conference participants learned how the orchestra is made up of a highly trained team of professionals who take pride in the craft and that role of the conductor is to bring out their best. Each member of that team is unique and contributes something unique and dynamic that raises the overall effort a step above. While the audience is often never aware of those unique contributions, those subtle flashes of brilliance make the difference between a performance that is adequate and one that leaves you breathless.
The Maestro demonstrated very clearly that the role of the conductor (aka team leader) is a fine balancing act between setting a vision that inspires the team to bring their best to the performance and micro-managing. For example: The orchestra is fully capable of performing the music without a conductor. But when the Maestro painted an inspiring picture of how the music should make the audience feel, the contrast between the two performances was dramatic.
We often hear the phrase, "Check your ego at the door." But an effective team leader needs enough ego to have confidence to step up and lead. But that needs to be balanced with the understanding that without the team, the leader is doing nothing more than waving her or his arms in the air. HBA
