Having spent several decades in formal and informal leadership roles, I’ve been reflecting on who I am as a leader and what I value as I work to transform schooling.
I’ve come to realize that much of who I am as a leader and someone who is driven to transform our current system of schooling has roots in my work as a musician–a musical director–a conductor–or as some have labeled me—rather humorously, a Maestro.
There is a terrific TED talk by Italian Maestro, Itay Talgam–Lead Like the Great Conductors. I’ve found his words both tuneful and thought provoking. Worth the time for anyone pondering what it means to be a leader in a human-centered learning ecosystem..
I hope you can make some connections as well!
It’s not about you…
“…in front of all that noise…and suddenly, out of the chaos, order. Noise becomes music. And this is fantastic. And it’s so tempting to think it’s all about me. All those great people here, virtuosos, they make noise, they need me to do that. Not really.”
A leader is just one piece in a larger, complex system. Leadership is not about a select few at the top. It’s not about a title. It’s not about you. You have a role to play–an important role, but it’s not about you. It’s about those you serve and creating the condition for each beautiful soul to release his/her story.
Create the conditions….
“…he’s spreading happiness….the important thing is this happiness does not come from only his story and his joy of the music. The joy is about enabling other people’s stories to be heard at the same time. You have the stories of the individuals in the orchestra and in the audience. And then you have other stories, unseen. People who built this wonderful concert hall. People who made those Stradivarius, Amati, all those beautiful instruments. And all those stories are being heard at the same time.”
Each of those beautiful souls has a unique voice in contributing to and telling the organization’s story. Through his/her actions, a leader creates the conditions whereby everyone’s story can be heard. Collectively, those stories define the culture, the context in which the labor is done.
Careful how you hold people accountable…
Regarding conductor Ricardo Muti’s style: “So not only the instruction is clear, but also the sanction, what will happen if you don’t do what I tell you. So, does it work? Yes, it works — to a certain point. When Muti is asked, ‘Why do you conduct like this?’ He says, ‘I’m responsible. If I’m responsible for Mozart, this is going to be the only story to be told. It’s Mozart as I, Riccardo Muti, understand it.’ How do musicians respond to this style? ‘You’re using us as instruments, not as partners.’”
A top-down leadership “do as I tell you” style kills culture because the individual story is muted and forced to conform. Top down leadership is a symptom of ego–an ego that controls through sanction. Sanction, when used badly, can unnecessarily rob agency. Create conditions for accountability that release agency and shun ego.
Release the agency already in others….
Regarding Herbert von Karajan, former conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic: “…the worst damage I can do to my orchestra is to give them a clear instruction. Because that would prevent the ensemble, the listening to each other that is needed for an orchestra.”
Once you let go of your ego, there’s space for others to own the work (and the accountability that comes with the work) and make decisions that support the collective vision.
Partner with those you serve to build something magnificent….
“You have the plan in your head. You know what to do, even though Kleiber is not conducting you. But here and there and that. You know what to do. And you become a partner building a rollercoaster, yeah, with sound, as you actually take the ride. This is very exciting for those players. It is very tiring. But it’s the best music making, like this.”
Creating something new and worthwhile–something magnificent–is a partnership between the leader and everyone in the organization working together. A compelling vision for human-centered schooling keeps everyone moving on the track, even though it’s sometimes messy and unclear. The leader sets process and conditions while others tell their story. This kind of creativity can be very rewarding and exciting for everyone.
If you love something, give it away…
“Now, if you are doing all the things we talked about, together, and maybe some others, you can get to this wonderful point of doing without doing… If you love something, give it away.”
Start with a compelling “why,” establish processes and conditions, and provide the space for everyone to contribute to the story and you will have reached a point where what fuels the organization is inside-out rather than outside-in.
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❓ Provocations:
I enjoy thinking about leadership through inquiry, so here are some questions I’m asking of my own leadership through the Maestro lens. Maybe you could ponder as well, regardless of your formal role/ttitle?
The “why”: What is your compelling why for change in education? How are you sharing that within your learning environment?
The story: Are the conditions set for everyone to tell his/her story? Is everyone prepared to tell his/her story, willing to own the telling? How is that expectation communicated? Who owns the story? How do you know? Are you giving it away?
The work: When the work is messy and unclear, what processes and conditions are in place to support others through the challenge? Who gets the applause?
The accountability: Is everyone exercising autonomy as a leader (regardless of formal title) to some extent?. What does accountability (one of the “conditions” we set) look like?
💎 Resource:
Great Conductors in Rehearsal – video
🧠 Mindsets:
Self-reflection
💡 Areas:
Leadership
📣 Drop your thoughts in the comments, or in the Facebook group, and feel free to share resources. 🔥🔥🔥
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