Author Archives: Justin Locke

I used to produce fund-raising videos for hospitals. One day I had to interview a doctor I had never met before. As my crew was setting up the lights, several of the nurses on the floor came up to me … Continue reading →

One of the many tenets of industrial thinking is the idea that faster is always better. When it comes to designing computer chips, okay, faster makes sense. But not when it comes to creating personal presence. Most of us want … Continue reading →

My mother was a cynical old soul. One day she and I were having a conversation with someone who said something to the effect of, “I was raised in the Presbyterian Church, my parents were very devout, but I’m now … Continue reading →

Conductors of symphony orchestras are generally seen as having a fairly standard role and persona. Whenever you see them in advertisements or movies, the implications are pretty blatant: they are in command, they are all-powerful, they are the center of … Continue reading →

I am assuming, dear reader, that you are familiar with the concept of cultural dichotomies. A few examples are East versus West, Republican versus Democrat, and so on. So today I would like to introduce another large-scale cultural dichotomy into … Continue reading →

For all of my adult life, I’ve been seeking the answer to this very simple question: Why was Arthur Fiedler so famous? One might embellish that question by also asking, why was Arthur Fiedler the most successful conductor in history? … Continue reading →

I’ve recently developed a pretty effective leadership technique that I’m going to share with you today. If you have read “Think and Grow Rich” you already know about the power of “autosuggestion.” In that book’s version of it, it tells … Continue reading →

I help people in the emotional issues of management. To illustrate what I do, let’s begin with a quick story of my sordid musical past: When I was a student bass player, I followed all the many instructions I was … Continue reading →

Okay, here is a fact for you to consider: Johann Sebastian Bach was a truly great composer. I feel very comfortable and safe in saying that. However, I’m not sure how I could respond if you were to ask me, … Continue reading →

There was a common syndrome I often observed in orchestra culture, regarding people that I labeled as “Climbers.” In orchestra culture, your ranking within your instrumental “section” (especially in a string section) is a very big deal (although I suppose … Continue reading →