I am getting my conducting legs back under me little by little. It’s been many years since I’ve conducted a real live choir. I’ve conducted “Appalachian Spring”, Beethoven’s symphonies, and Adele . . . in the privacy of my car, but a real live choir is a completely different animal. I became a choir director again this past December after a long hiatus.
Through a slight waving of my arms, I can keep a steady beat, change meters, adjust tempo, and help the choir finish the ends of their words together–especially words ending in “s”, “k”, “p”, etc. As a singer in many choirs, including professional choirs, I know that, just by watching the conductor, singers and accompanists can make magnificent sounds together. As a singer, I brought several offerings to the table . . . the skill to read music, a pretty decent voice, and the ability/desire to follow direction. Now, as a conductor, I am learning to trust that my choir members bring to the table the same offerings that I brought when I was a singer.
Therein lies the leadership lesson . . . when mutual trust occurs between the conductor and the singers, the result is great music. Similarly, when mutual trust occurs between a leader and the employees, the result is great productivity. I have sung under conductors who go through choral parts and sections of music ad nauseam. I have dreaded going to those rehearsals. In the same way, a leader (the term is used loosely, in this case) who is a micromanager exhibits a lack of trust that smothers employees’ desires and abilities. There’s no doubt that sometimes more directive leadership is necessary, but if you’ve hired for quality, the directive leadership is the exception, rather than the rule.
When employees are allowed to practice their craft, experiment a little, and enjoy working with fellow employees, the ensemble becomes more productive at a quicker pace . . . learning each others’ strengths and opportunities for improvement along the way. The conductor . . . uh, leader . . . can then enjoy the gifts and talents of the participants. What’s even better is that the participants enjoy the ensemble as well.