If a leader wants his people to truly own the work, then he has to be willing to let go of some control.
You can force compliance with your directions, you can require obedience, but you can’t mandate enthusiasm, creativity, fresh thinking, or inspiration.
A strong vision can lead people away from focusing on their part alone toward being aware of the whole. The vision should be lofty enough to stir and challenge people. If it’s too limited, then people will feel underutilized and uninspired. Tasks that might have previously seemed routine now acquire meaning and beauty. While they are doing their jobs, they’re always thinking of the grand vision.
Sustained success can sometimes prohibit fresh innovation.
I want musicians to feel encouraged to offer all that they have, even if I haven’t thought of it myself. If they see that I am listening to them with great interest and curiosity they will feel encouraged to offer more.
Every word that I speak, every inflection in my tone of voice, every gesture is directed toward the goal of creating a feeling of community. A community simply acts faster, more intelligently, more creatively, and with more joy than a group that is primarily focused on its leader.
Many leaders do not understand the power of creating flow.
Establishing the flow alone can accomplish more than you can by correcting twenty-five details individually.
The reality from the chair is what the players have to deal with day in and day out. It’s ironic, maybe, but if a conductor wants them to play with unity then he must stretch his imagination to embrace their reality.
A leader’s first task is not to stamp one’s own personality on everything, at whatever cost, but to listen. Your main channel of influence is listening. Lead with your ears.
Some problems your people can solve. Some problems require collaboration and teamwork. The leader needs to help navigate what situations require.
A cross-fertilization of ideas is healthy.
Leadership is more visionary and strategic and less about helping manage details. This is the most difficult type of leadership to learn.
You’ve always got to take the temperature of your group, monitor how they’re managing, and decide what kind of leadership they need from you. You must have many different styles and approaches available, and always be looking to expand your range.
The leader doesn’t hold the power. The power is in the people. We don’t create the power, we only direct it.
A leader must commit to that which has not yet happened. Otherwise you are not really leading; in fact, you are actually following.
What energizes people is the leader’s act of committing to what is possible.
If you’re a leader, it falls on your shoulders to make the remarkable happen. You must not settle for a series of satisfactory transactions. You can elevate your team to heights beyond their wildest imagination.
The maestro is the one who lays the foundation for learning, who teaches principle and the values: the curiosity about the world, the confidence that education eventually leads to freedom, the courage to strive for something higher than just satisfying your appetite, the ideals that last throughout your life.
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