Leader As Conductor
Drucker provides wonderful food for thought (or song for the ear) when describing a form of leadership in symphony orchestras that is very appreciative in character and form:iii
There are probably few orchestra conductors who could coax even one note out of a French horn, let alone show the horn player how to do it. But the conductor knows how to focus the horn player’s skill and knowledge on the orchestra’s joint performance. This focus is the model for the leader of an information-based [appreciative] organization. . . . Another requirement of the information-based organization is that everyone take information responsibility. The bassoonist in the orchestra does so every time she plays a note. . . . The key to such a system is that everyone asks: Who in this organization depends on me for what information? And on whom, in turn, do I depend? The list will always include superiors and subordinates. The most important names, however, will be those of COLLEAGUES, people with whom one’s primary relationship is coordination.
I propose that appreciative strategies are essential to any successful rule play by a leader as conductor. First, the leader of an appreciative organization, like the conductor of an orchestra, must appreciate the diverse skills and knowledge of others with whom she works. A musician can conduct an orchestra without knowing how to play every instrument in the orchestra. Second, the appreciative leader must appreciate the contributions made by each member of her organization. A successful conductor must appreciate and rely on the talents of all members of the orchestra. During traditional times, a leader might have been a one-man band. However, during our contemporary era, he can’t be a one-man orchestra.
Third, the appreciative leader must understand context. The way in which she leads an organization depends on the setting and task, much as the way in which a conductor leads an orchestra depends on the character of the orchestra and the piece of music being played. The “one-trick” orchestra leader will soon be out of work, for she lacks the flexibility that is needed to work with different orchestras and different types of music.
I am reminded of the young brother of the 1950s actress and singer, Anna Maria Alberghetti. He was invited many years ago to conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl. He did a wonderful job but could only conduct one work (William Tell Overture, dba: Lone Ranger Theme). Not bad for a child, but certainly not sufficient for a mature conductor of a major orchestra. All leaders must be able to shift their style and vary their approach when confronting the complex, unpredictable and turbulent conditions of 21st Century organizations. This capacity to be flexible, in turn, requires full appreciation of the unique setting within which leadership is expressed and appreciation of the talents that other members of the organization bring to this setting.
