Conducting a symphony, leading a concert or musical, or even fronting a rock band all require essential traits characteristic of the world’s greatest corporate leaders. This is because musical groups, like top performing companies, demand leaders who can build the right teams, unite them around a common purpose, and inspire them to perform. Do your leaders have what it takes?
In music, being a great conductor means attracting the right people with expertise in a specific instrument, inspiring them with unrelenting drive, energy and charisma, and getting them to work in unison, performing musical scores to perfection. Possessing these same leadership skills is critical to running a successful business — knowing how to use them to inspire and motivate your teams is a powerful difference-maker. In particular, three areas of focus when it comes to developing your leaders and managing well-orchestrated teams are:
Inspiring Team Cohesion
Take the time to get the right players in your orchestra. Skills, drive, and passion are a must, but don’t forget the importance of brand fit. Attracting talented individuals who align with your core values and beliefs makes it easier to get everyone on the same sheet, communicating openly, and working efficiently together. With the right players, your leaders can focus on fueling healthy relationships among team members and inspiring them to perform like the world-class orchestra they are.
Being a Great Storyteller
“People don’t really listen unless there is an emotional impact that causes them never to forget. As a leader you have to touch people’s hearts as well as their heads” [source: Jim Crupi, TED Ideas]. Storytelling is an underestimated artform in the corporate world. Like a great songwriter, leaders who reach their people on an emotional level in addition to a mental one, benefit from greater engagement and productivity among their teams. Take time to get to know your people and the ways in which you can uniquely communicate information that can inspire them and fuel their motivation.
Building a Culture of Belonging
When it comes to belonging, great conductors “focus on the music, not the individuals” [source: Jim Crupi, TED Ideas]. As a leader, while it is important to know the individual strengths of your team members and to ensure that everyone’s value is clearly understood by the group, the ultimate focus should be on what bonds your team together — belief in your company’s purpose. With the right people on board united around the same purpose, a culture of belonging is born and teams become more innovative, driven, and productive.
While music provides a suitable analogy for leadership, it also provides an effective means by which to help your leaders learn and develop. In fact, learning through the use of music is strongly linked to emotional development, skill formation, creativity, and facilitating connections [source: Researchgate.net].
SongDivision’s Culture Club: Leadership Track provides a year-long music-driven learning and development experience to transform your leaders into dynamic leadership rock stars. Sessions instill core leadership traits, including those mentioned above, through interactive musical experiences yielding measurable results.
When music is used in this manner, it has a profound effect on memory, emotion, and the development of social bonds, leading not only to smarter leadership teams, but more connected ones as well. Imagine the impact that this could have on productivity, inclusivity, employee satisfaction, customer experience, and ultimately, your bottom line.