The Conductor as Leader: Principles of Leadership Applied to Life on the Podium

by Ramona M. Wis

I had seen how musicians could achieve far beyond their innate talent level when the conductor set them up to succeed, but I had also seen how even the most gifted ensemble could suffer from low morale, lack of motivation and flat-lined expressiveness because the conductor seemed oblivious to or simply uninterested in the idea of designing a creative, engaging and edifying environment.

leadership—specifically, the way in which conductors use their skills, knowledge and character to create not only a fine musical product, but also a meaningful musical experience. More than technique, more than knowledge, more than talent, more than personality—leadership is the key to great conductors and great ensembles.

Along the way the leader uses inspiration (motivational talk and incentives) side by side with coercion (sarcasm, punitive extra rehearsals, threats to take away prized chairs) to make sure the job is complete.

Because more and more conductors are learning that organizational life—the way people work together to accomplish a collective goal—is changing and, as leaders of organizations, we need to respond to this change.

Followers own the process more and therefore, feel more invested. Put simply, the focus is much less on ME versus THEM, much more on US.

It’s not about what I can achieve or what kind of ensemble I can develop; it’s about gaining an awareness of what needs to be done to develop the people I am given to lead.

leading by serving.

“conductorless” orchestra.

Orpheus executive director Harvey Seifter (with co-author Peter Economy) shows how the ensemble has functioned successfully for years precisely because it does not follow the traditional orchestral model of one dominant, autocratic conductor working with highly capable but largely silent musicians.

Are there but two choices: the dominant autocrat or the absence of a conductor altogether? I believe that neither extreme is necessary or even practical,

musicians feel a strong desire to be included in a more creative way than just following directions on cue.

Authentic relationships are fundamental to the musicians’ sense of contribution and value and significantly impact their overall experience and creativity. Musicians also want to feel they are using their gifts in important rather than utilitarian ways and that they have opportunities to grow.

What distinguishes conductors is the kind of visibility we have, the way we express ourselves and share our talents and the way we use our leadership to create within a community of musicians.

The depth of the musicians’ understanding and quality of their experience is a reflection of the way we lead rehearsals and performances. The value they place on music and music making is closely tied to how much they value us as the conductor of the ensemble. The ensemble’s openness to new ideas and new music is directly influenced by the way in which we model (or don’t model) an attitude of openness. Their ability to be independent, thinking musicians capable of making creative decisions is shaped by the amount of responsibility we allow them to have. In short, our leadership as conductors is the sum total of our multi-faceted influence.

If leadership is influence, then we are all leaders because we all have influence.

We all have known quiet leaders: people who by their very attitude and approach to life have taught us a great deal. They often were people without titles or big salaries but were powerful leaders and life-shapers nonetheless.

If leadership is influence, then each of us has the ability to lead every day by who we are, what we do and what we say.

Put simply, managing is about tasks, things and efficiency, while leading is about people, effectiveness and growth.

The manager administers; the leader innovates. The manager is a copy; the leader is an original. The manager maintains; the leader develops. The manager focuses on systems and structure; the leader focuses on people. The manager relies on control; the leader inspires trust. The manager has a short-range view; the leader has a long-range perspective. The manager asks how and when; the leader asks what and why. The manager has his eye always on the bottom line; the leader has his eye on the horizon. The manager imitates; the leader originates. The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it. The manager is the classic good soldier; the leader is his own person. The manager does things right; the leader does the right thing.10

The main distinction between leading and managing is the amount of growth or change that occurs in the people and organizations we lead.

Good managers are often viewed as good leaders because they consistently get things done well and on time. This ability is valuable and often rewarded by retention, tenure, promotions, recognition or offers for more prestigious conducting posts. But by itself effective management does not constitute great leadership.

But while being a good manager is a necessary skill for the conductor, it is not sufficient if the conductor is truly going to lead the ensemble.

In the same way that managing can be mistaken for leading, authority and the power that comes with it can be mistaken for leadership.

There are many people in positions of authority who are not good leaders.

Now think of a leader who used his leadership role and the authority that went along with it to improve the lives of those he led. Instead of “throwing his weight around” he pitched in alongside his followers to get the job done. He may have sacrificed personal comfort or notoriety so that the group could reach its potential. And when the applause came (if it came), he was the first one to give it away.

Authority and leadership are not synonymous.

How you use that influence will ultimately define your effectiveness as a leader.

We want to develop the ability to earn authority with people rather than focus on acquiring positional authority for the sake of the title or power that comes with it.

True leadership goes beyond managing people to growing them; true leadership recognizes authority as an opportunity to lead, not as a license to rule others. The conductor who wants to lead well recognizes these distinctions and as we will see, understands the importance of relationships: with the ensemble, the public and with the music. In short, conductor-leaders are keenly aware of their multi-faceted influence and strive to use this influence to improve the lives of all they encounter.

If we use our influence in the most positive way—focusing on the needs of the individual musicians as well as the ensemble, and on the integrity of our art—we are leading by serving.

Helping our musicians understand or perform music at a higher level is a form of serving and, I believe, a significant form of serving.

Servant leadership is about using your unique skills, talents, passion and knowledge in a way that improves the lives of those around you and in so doing improves and enriches your own life as well.

Serving the musicians who are entrusted to you does not necessarily mean giving them what they want. Rather, you strive to give them what they need.

“The servant leader is servant first.”

“The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants?”

We can not simply focus on developing their abilities as singers or players; we must also help them understand the creative process from the inside out so that they can move from being musical for us, to being musical with us, to ultimately, being musical without us.

Leadership is not a place, it’s not a gene, and it’s not a secret code that can’t be deciphered by ordinary people. The truth is that leadership is an observable set of skills and abilities that are useful whether one is in the executive suite or on the front line, on Wall Street or Main Street, in any campus, community, or corporation. And any skill can be strengthened, honed, and enhanced, given the motivation and desire, the practice and feedback, and the role models and coaching.15

The first requisite for leadership is a passion for one’s work and the professional skills to match.

Passion, to really make a difference, must be coupled with musical skill. All the fervor in the world will not help if our basic musical skill and knowledge are lacking.

The second fundamental requisite for leadership is a genuine concern for people.

If our main concern is the people we lead, we will make decisions that will preserve their integrity and experience while moving us closer to a fine musical performance.

The third fundamental requisite is a desire to become a leader.

Finally, if we are to become a leader in the fullest sense of the word we must be willing to look inward at our character—our beliefs, attitudes, motivations, fears and personality—and how it fuels our actions.

Someone who has vision has the ability to see potential, to imagine possibility, often in contrast with those around her who are “blind”: unable to see potential or who refuse to look for these same things. Vision means setting goals, targets to shoot for. Leaders are able to set goals for themselves and for those they lead and they have the ability to help others see and move toward those goals. Leaders provide direction and purpose.

Or, because we fail to take the time to plan and think long-term, we find ourselves regularly operating in a state of crisis, adding to our stress levels and creating anxiety for everyone around us.20

More than just preparing for the next concert, we need to have a long-term sense of where we are going as a musical ensemble and as an organization: we need a sense of purpose, a set of goals and a long-term plan for achieving them.

Without vision we are in danger of leading fragmented lives, full of busyness without fulfillment. We can become locked in a kind of perennial state of déjà-vu, eventually exhausted by the feeling that we have been here before, so what’s the point? Vision ensures that we are leading and not just existing in our role as conductors.

Vision is built on a dream, on asking ourselves questions such as “What is our artistic potential?” “Who will we be?” “What musical niche will we fill?” “

Dreaming is the seed of vision. Far from being soft stuff, dreaming is the act of unleashing possibility in our minds, the place where all great things start. Nothing great was ever accomplished without a great dream. We sometimes cut ourselves off from dreaming, telling ourselves to get real. But what does getting real get us? Stunted growth, self-imposed limits, mediocrity and routine, shortsightedness and closed hearts. These may be real, but only because so many people have stopped dreaming, not because they are inevitable. We need to give ourselves permission to dream if we are to be open to possibility, if we are to provide our creativity room to exercise.

How would this ensemble sound? What repertoire would you perform? What would rehearsal be like? How much responsibility would the individual musician have? What kind of relationship would you have with the ensemble? Would you laugh more, share more personal musical experiences? Maybe you would like a more formal atmosphere, more structure than you have now. What kinds of performances would you do with this ideal ensemble and where would they be? Are there special areas of expertise or interest you would share? Most importantly, given your ideal ensemble, what would you be free to do that you feel you can’t do now?