One of the most commonly asked questions I get when I give a presentation to an outside-the-music-business audience is, “what exactly does the conductor do??” The mythology of conductors, which has been fertilized for eons by orchestral press offices, is actually a problem, as I think it sends the wrong message. People often refer to conductors as a metaphor for corporate leadership, but this is primarily done by non-musicians. The common myth of the maestro as overbearing dictator/leader is a popular one, partly I think because it appeals to a fantasy of absolute power, but it has little to do with how the best conductors operate.
Consistently, the best conductors I played for were all about perception– of both the players (i.e., employees) and the audience (i.e., customers). It’s way beyond the stereotypical role of pointing out wrong notes and exhorting generally greater effort. Anyone can point out deviations from past performances. This is not leadership; shaming peoples missteps does not lead to the highest levels of performance. Intimidation and fear just puts everyone in C.Y.A. mode.
Effective management of the players is about many things, but one of the most important (and mostly invisible) elements is about perceiving what the players are capable of doing, and drawing that highest potential out of them.
The great conductors look at you like they expect the moon, but they also look at you like they honestly believe that you can deliver it. They also know from their own performance experience just how hard it is to do, so they appreciate the effort. It is that, far more than the waving of a white stick, that will inspire a group of seen-it-all professionals. Whenever I played in an orchestra, I was always painfully aware of just how cognizant and appreciative the conductor was of what I was contributing to the proceeding, and I, along with everyone else on stage, adjusted the energy and intensity of my performance accordingly. Come on, what’s the point of cutting down a tree in the forest of there’s no one there to hear it?
Where audiences are concerned, again, perceptions are key (this is somewhat similar to recognizing buyer personas, but on a grander scale). It’s about perceiving the audience’s desires and emotions, and creating a sense of connection and communication. Conducting is half managing, and half marketing.
I was watching this video of David Meerman Scott, and one of the things he says that struck me was that most hotel websites just talk about the hotel, and don’t display perception of the many different customers/ buyer personas:
The same sort of thing often happened to me with conductors. Instead of perceiving the players, they saw themselves as the center of attention, and would actually often utter the horrifically taboo phrase “watch me,” [read: “look at our many features”] as though our purpose in life was to pay attention to them instead of playing the gazillion nasty notes in the part. Whenever a conductor said that to a professional orchestra, they immediately got the most perfunctory playing you can imagine.
Here is what a player or an audience member or your customers would say to you if only they could: “ If you have no interest in knowing more about me and what I want, I have no interest in knowing more about you and what you want.” This applies to bass players, and it also applies to leadership, management, and marketing too.
© Justin Locke
