Apparently, except that both could be passionate to obsession with music, there is little similarity between a conductor of an orchestra and a leader of an organization. But if we lean more carefully over this comparison, it’s very possible that we’ll have pleasant surprises! Here are just a few similarities that can be seen almost immediately:
– both are called to lead groups of people with quite different personalities, educational backgrounds and aspirations;
– both have the same fundamental objective – the all-around harmony towards the better functioning of the system entrusted to them;
– each has at its disposal a very clearly outlined framework of action – the conductor has the score, the leader has a plan and an internal regulation (it is true, the score cannot undergo conjuncture “improvements”…, but can benefit from “nuanced interpretations”);
– the range of available “tools” to achieve the objective (professional training, communication skills, leading methods, etc.) is the same for both;
– both the conductor and the leader of the organization have to “satisfy” the expectations of large groups of people – the audience and the orchestra itself (to which the festival or philharmonic management could be added – for example) in the case of the first, the clients, the shareholders, the team and all stakeholders in the case of the second.
Without outlining the significance of the above, obviously the list of similarities can continue…
Equally obvious is a potential list of differences (regarding, for example, the field of activity, the cultural levels and professional training of “the teams”, the addressability of “final products”, the technical instruments at hand – the conductor’s baton vs. “stick and carrot” and many, many others).
For those interested in the benefits of this kind of comparison, I am at your disposal with great pleasure!
Certainly impressed and inspired by the conductor Itay Talgam, I invite you to go through the recording of one of his TED mini-conferences, in which, in a funny-charming style, he makes a plea for partnership and not only…
However, for those interested in associating classical music with coaching I recommend as well an older post of mine here.