Turn your back on the audience
Turn your back on the audience – Future Leaders Blog – Wearethecity.com – 18 January 2017
Have you ever observed the conductor of a philharmonic orchestra and how they spend very little time facing the audience?
In fact, they spend most of their time facing the orchestra, which is their team. They are guiding them to play beautifully and with great impact together.
And have you noticed how perfectly the musicians play together, seemingly unaware of each other, yet obviously acutely aware as they harmonise with each other through their various instruments, providing their own unique contribution.
And then once in awhile, the conductor faces the audience and shares what’s going on – what they are doing, what we can expect, what they will or have delivered. And we, the audience, feel seen and taken care of.
All of this is an example of great teamwork and great leadership.
You can’t play a symphony on your own!
Take inspiration from the world of music. If you’re a leader, ask yourself this question: Am I focusing too much outside the team rather than giving the team the focus and guidance they really need to be able to deliver? Are you for example attending meetings all day, hence not having much time to spare for your team?
All leadership is of course a balance; you need to carefully balance all your stakeholders. Do you get the balance right? Are there maybe stakeholders that you give more focus than they need or want? Are there stakeholders that need more focus?
Take inspiration from the world of music and reflect on how you spend your time as a leader. Orchestras are also a great reminder of how important all team members are. You can’t play a symphony on your own!
About the authors
Mandy Flint & Elisabet Vinberg Hearn, double award-winning authors of ”The Team Formula”.
Their latest triple award winning book ”Leading Teams – 10 Challenges: 10 Solutions” is out now, published by Financial Times International. You can download a free chapter of the book at www.leadingteamsbook.com
Praise for ”Leading Teams: ”This book is a 21st-century guide on how to build a world-class team. I highly recommend it” Steve Siebold, Founder, Mental Toughness University, Florida USA.
