Performing Leadership: Lessons from Great Conductors

A conductor meets an orchestra of a hundred musicians, has three or four days to rehearse, and must then deliver flawlessly in front of thousands. Bernhard Kerres talks to Michael Tilson Thomas, Valery Gergiev, and Marc Minkowski about how they build trust and role clarity under extreme time pressure, and what business leaders can take from it. First published in Business Strategy Review, London Business School, 2012.

Published 2012-03-01 by Bernhard Kerres

When orchestras, conductors, and soloists come together, they usually have just three or four days to prepare and then deliver a great performance. A conductor who has never met the orchestra is expected to take charge of up to a hundred musicians, communicate a musical interpretation, rehearse for a couple of days, and perform flawlessly in front of a demanding audience. How do they do it? And why is it so hard to replicate in business?

Orchestras are not unique. Other high-performance teams also perform under extreme time pressure. National sports teams assemble for a few days before a match. Surgical teams form and reform across a single shift, often with people who have never worked together, in life-and-death situations. Emergency services converge at the scene of an accident or disaster and must function immediately.

What these teams share with orchestras comes down to four conditions:

- A clear common goal and deadline. The target is defined and the timeline is immovable. Everyone is committed to it.
- A defined process. There is a structured path to the performance. Details vary by leader, but no one doubts what is required.
- Shared acceptance of roles. Everyone understands the performance is collective. Egos may clash, but the performance takes precedence.
- Shared trust. Each member brings unique skills to a common result, and must trust the others' professionalism and goodwill.

The difference, and the reason orchestras resemble business teams more than any other, is that musicians are rarely focused on one thing. Even days before a concert, they are preparing for other performances, teaching, and running the business side of their careers. Yet they treat rehearsals as critical meetings that demand full focus.

The conductors I have spoken to build trust deliberately, and fast. Marc Minkowski lets a new orchestra play the first ten minutes without interruption, so both sides can take each other's measure before he shapes anything. It is a delicate balance, he says, between trusting the orchestra and being irresponsible with that trust, and it can break at any moment.

Then there is the question every leader faces: have we rehearsed enough, or too much? Valery Gergiev calls it a great and sensitive issue. Rehearse too little and any failure looks like negligence. Rehearse too much and the team loses focus and interest. Both can be wrong. Knowing where the line sits is a matter of judgment and courage.

The full article covers what Michael Tilson Thomas, Valery Gergiev, and Marc Minkowski reveal about trust, respect, and the courage to lead a team to performance, and what all of it means for leaders far outside music.