Last night I attended the Northwest Arkansas Symphony with my husband and three of my children. It was beautiful. Moving. Powerful. But as much as the music was captivating, the conductor, Paul Haas, held me spellbound. He seemed young for a conductor. (Although I’m not much of a symphony aficionado so I’m not sure how old most conductors are….) As I watched him, I realized he could really teach me something about business. And I think these lessons spill over into any area of business: business owner, manager, employee – the rules are Universal for leadership.
1) The first thing my 10-year-old said when we left was, “Why was that guy up there with the stick? No one was even looking at him.” Exactly! When you’re leading a team you want everyone to be keenly aware of your presence, but focused on their own job. Every musician and vocalist was aware of the conductor, and he was clearly in charge, but no one was looking at him to tell them what to do. They all knew their roles and were doing them efficiently and flawlessly. He was heading the team without having to be in control of every detail. Bravo!
2) He gave away all the credit. After every arrangement, he stepped to the side, lifted his arms wide and gave all the credit to his ‘team.’ Not once did he bow or take the stage alone. Each time he was flanked by musicians and he was clearly giving the orchestra and the vocalists the credit. Of course they’ll play their very best for him, when the curtains parted and everyone was watching – he gave all the glory to those ‘in the trenches!’
3) He was the most enthusiastic person up there. Tip #33 in my book, Show Up, Be Bold, Play Big is that you have to love your product or service more than anyone else! He was so clearly demonstrating that when you lead a team – you’ve got to carry the energy for the group and show more enthusiasm than any other member. He was oozing excitement out of his pores! This guy couldn’t have gotten a better workout at the gym. I watched his feet – he actually jumped about every 30 seconds. You could tell he was caught up in the music and 100% engrossed in what he was doing. He was in love with this music and you could tell – even from the 7th row!
So as I left the symphony, not only was I in that magical after-state…you know, how you feel when you’ve just finished a great book, seen a fabulous movie…or listened to a great concert? But I was inspired by the man in a tux-with-tails and a small baton. I love it that we never know where our next burst of inspiration will come from….Encore! Encore!