Leadership isn’t just about relating with the team….with “them”… in general. Great leaders personally relate to each and every individual on the team…both those they lead and with their co-workers
I recently attended a concert by the Berlin Philharmonic led by Sir Simon Rattle. This is, by any measure, one of the great classical music orchestras on the planet. But does the orchestra’s excellence rely only on the artistic expertise of each individual musician, or is there something else also happening within the orchestra as a team?
After conducting a classical piece of music, the conductor/leader will often ask the musicians with key performances in that piece to stand and take an individual bow. Simon doesn't just stand on the podium and point at the individual to stand. He walks through the orchestra to each person he wishes to acknowledge. He shakes hands, says something to them face-to-face, and then has that person rise for the audience to applaud. The musicians’ smiles readily confirmed the importance of this personal moment.
Shelly Lazarus, then Chair and CEO of Ogilvy Mather, also spoke about the importance of leaders relating to people as individuals when she appeared on my Detroit PBS television series, “Leaders on Leadership” Here is what she had to say….
I recently attended a concert by the Berlin Philharmonic led by Sir Simon Rattle. This is, by any measure, one of the great classical music orchestras on the planet. But does the orchestra’s excellence rely only on the artistic expertise of each individual musician, or is there something else also happening within the orchestra as a team?
After conducting a classical piece of music, the conductor/leader will often ask the musicians with key performances in that piece to stand and take an individual bow. Simon doesn't just stand on the podium and point at the individual to stand. He walks through the orchestra to each person he wishes to acknowledge. He shakes hands, says something to them face-to-face, and then has that person rise for the audience to applaud. The musicians’ smiles readily confirmed the importance of this personal moment.
Shelly Lazarus, then Chair and CEO of Ogilvy Mather, also spoke about the importance of leaders relating to people as individuals when she appeared on my Detroit PBS television series, “Leaders on Leadership” Here is what she had to say….
Clearly an individual, personal relationship between leaders and those they lead is critical in all sectors, from the concert hall to Madison Avenue.
Additionally, it is important to have great working relationships….trusting, respectful, thankful, supportive…between colleagues WITHIN the team. When the Berlin Philharmonic finished their concert, each pair of musicians sharing a music stand stood, faced each other, said a few words, smiled, and shook hands.
This happened even if something unusual happened during the performance:
Each of these 100 musicians is truly world class. But are their individual artistic achievements enough to create a world class orchestra? I don’t think so. It takes more….a respectful, trusting, supportive working relationship between the leader and each individual who is led, and between the individual orchestra members. For the most successful organizations, it is always about total organizational performance rather than just star level performances by a few.
In a perfect world, an organization in any sector has star performers, but they also work very well with others. The total organizational performance becomes more than just the sum of its individual parts.
Next time you’re looking around your organization, hum a bit of Brahms, think about the Berlin Philharmonic, and redouble your effort for more productive relationships up/down/across the ranks in your organization.
NOTE: The video clip of Shelly Lazarus is copyright Detroit Public Television and is used with permission.
Additionally, it is important to have great working relationships….trusting, respectful, thankful, supportive…between colleagues WITHIN the team. When the Berlin Philharmonic finished their concert, each pair of musicians sharing a music stand stood, faced each other, said a few words, smiled, and shook hands.
This happened even if something unusual happened during the performance:
- The concertmaster was clearly having mechanical problems with his violin during warmup. His colleague, sharing the same music stand, offered to trade violins as the concert was beginning. There was a warm hand shake at the end.
- I had a direct view of another violinist’s face from my seat only a few rows back, and this was clearly a person with a nasty cold. Part way through the Brahms symphony, he could only partially contain a coughing spell. When the music became very energetic…and loud….he cleared his throat enough to finish the concert. He received a “well done” handshake by his colleague as well.
Each of these 100 musicians is truly world class. But are their individual artistic achievements enough to create a world class orchestra? I don’t think so. It takes more….a respectful, trusting, supportive working relationship between the leader and each individual who is led, and between the individual orchestra members. For the most successful organizations, it is always about total organizational performance rather than just star level performances by a few.
In a perfect world, an organization in any sector has star performers, but they also work very well with others. The total organizational performance becomes more than just the sum of its individual parts.
Next time you’re looking around your organization, hum a bit of Brahms, think about the Berlin Philharmonic, and redouble your effort for more productive relationships up/down/across the ranks in your organization.
NOTE: The video clip of Shelly Lazarus is copyright Detroit Public Television and is used with permission.
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