What Orchestra Conductors Have In Common with Business Leaders

I recently had an aha moment while watching a televised concert of the three tenors, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and José Carreras. They performed at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome and were conducted by Zubin Mehta. While watching Mehta conduct I realized that conductors have a lot in common with business leaders.

 

Conductors lead and guide an orchestra to perform a piece of music to the best of their ability. Business leaders don’t lead an orchestra, but they must also lead and bring out the best in their teams.

 

This piqued my curiosity. What does it take to lead a group of musicians to perform a piece of music to the best of their abilities? I learned that conductors use gestures, facial expression, and eye contact to create a strong sense of connection and involvement with the players.

 

In fact, in the late 20^th century a New York composer, Walter Thompson, structured about 750 gestures into a formal sign language that is used to communicate artistic directions non-verbally to performers during a performance. These gestures have been used by conductors at least as far back as the Middle Ages.

 

Leadership commonalities

So what do conductors and leaders have in common? Conductors create leadership presence by maintaining eye contact and using facial expression to demonstrate the character of the music and to encourage the players. They use their eyes to focus on specific sections of the orchestra in order to communicate their specific message without words.

 

Conductors see themselves part of the orchestra—a leader rather than a dictator. They communicate effectively with the musicians, both in and out of rehearsal, creating an environment that makes both a satisfying professional experience and a high quality performance possible.

 
Doesn’t all of this apply to effective business leaders as well?

 

Take advantage of the conductor’s techniques

• Use hand gestures to reinforce your words or emphasize important information.
• Maintain eye contact for 3 – 5 seconds to build connection and engagement.
• Use facial expression to encourage your team and to reinforce the sense that you are a member of the team.

 

Non-verbal communication sets the tone for building a professional environment that brings out the best in a team. A positive visual presence enhances your communication and is essential to letting team members know that they matter.