The music director is a Transformational Leader. Leaders get things done. Leaders know how things get done. Leaders influence others in the following ways:
- Positively
- Negatively
- Neutrally
The choice is yours. Which do you choose?
Music directors have a specific amount of time to influence people and produce a final result that is of the highest quality. Leaders are judged by results created. The results created by musical directors are immediately evident, so we are, as conductors, as good as our most recent result. Staying on top of our game as leaders in a music environment is dependent on consistency and clarity of purpose.
Leaders teach others how to behave, it's more obvious and directly apparent with music than in organizational non-musical functions, however, there are many similarities.
During the year 2012, Leadership Tools will highlight examples of leadership from the perspective of the church musician.
Last month I shared the 5 dumbest things a director says to a choir as leader. Now we will reframe the leadership skills we know as choral conductors into skills that work in non-musical settings.
The musical portion of a church musician job represents about 10% of the skills needed and time allotted to the job (Moving Spirits, Building Lives: Church Musician as Transformational Leader
). This, certainly is a critical skill and without advanced competency in music, the church musician cannot be effective. This is the top of the iceberg that is visible at the top of the water. The 90% below the water line is the foundation that supports that top 10%. In Kennon Callahan's book, Dynamic Worship: Mission, Grace, Praise, and Power
, he lists the other activities needed to support one choir detailing that it takes 15 hours per week to support that choir. The time is spend in recruiting, mentoring, team, planning, rehearsing, in worship, in preparation, in nurture, and in personal development. These are good facts for a church musician to share with church personnel committees.
In addition to those "ministry" skills, there are leadership skills to make it all work.
We, as musical conductors, understand how to plan and run a rehearsal. Parts of that system are preparation, planning, study, private rehearsal, plan execution, teaching, relationship building, and shaping expectations and behaviors. Whether planning and running a rehearsal, a meeting, or a project team, there are similar skills needed as a leader, which is our topic for this month.
The 5 Top Leadership Skills for a Church Musician
Clear Vision
When the conductor steps on the podium to conduct the musical ensemble, he or she has a clear vision of the final result. It is essential that the conductor be prepared not only with a clear vision of the final product, but also a plan on how to achieve the final result, along with an alternate plan or tow if plan A is not working. Clarity in vision gives the conductor confidence to direct the ensemble and to make the needed corrections.
The same principles apply in leading teams like committees, project teams, boards, or choir officers. Not every choir director has the ultimate power over some of these teams, however, there are opportunities for leading discussions and individual initiatives. Holding a clear vision and having the ability to articulate that vision sets the conductor apart as transformational leader. Many leaders in the church do not show up being prepared. Being a leader of influence required that the leader be clear on the desired results.
Definiteness of Purpose
When beginning a rehearsal for a seasonal program (such as a major Christmas concert or service with music) requires that the director understand the end result and provide enough time to achieve excellence on the target date. Understanding the purpose allows a context not only for planning, but for the choir and instrumentalists to understand their commitment in making it happen.
The context for a non-musical leadership situation is directly parallel to this. If the director creates a project team to support this special event, then defining the end result and the purpose of the team is essential for participant engagement. This kind of team can implement many action items related to a clearly stated goal. The purpose of the team, then is implementation. Define what that means. In the musical part of this project, the choir understands that they must learn the music. The team must understand what they are responsible for, such as: publicity, room set-up, concert attire coordination, visuals, sound, and lights, etc. Ask for what you need because you are likely to get it. If you don't ask, certainly you will not get it!
Definition of Roles
In last month's
Leadership Tools, I gave examples of dumb things directors say to choirs. Choir directors also do dumb things. When you hire the best oboe player for your orchestra, then you don't tell them how to play the oboe. You direct the music and they perform. When activating non-musical teams, it is very important that the director not over function. If you over function, then participants will under function. Set the goal and then let the team define the action plan on how to get there. They do the work - you direct the process - you know how to do that, right?
Your role is leader. Define their roles. If you want things done exactly your way, then do it yourself.
Personal Influence
When hearing the same piece of music performed in two settings with two different ensembles directed by two different directors, the results are not always the same. One was exciting. The other one was not. The difference was in the leadership. You influence others as leader, both in musical and non-musical settings.
Be prepared, be on time, be professional, look professional, act professional, command the space by being authentic, genuine, and ethical. What they see is what you get, both musically and otherwise. The transformational leader influences others no by power of position, but with personal influence. Be a person of influence. You can influence people positively, negatively, or neutrally. It's your choice.
Modeling
Being a person of influence requires that the leader set a standard. If you show up late, others will also. If you accept average, you will get average. If you ask for excellence, you shape the culture for excellence.
Learn from leaders who are successful. Get a coach or mentor. Learn what's essential about what makes them influential and then learn how to make that trait yours. Be authentic, and model excellence, ethics, pastoral care, and other traits that are important to you. You shape the culture by being who you are.
How does a conductor of choirs and orchestras teach leadership? Very enthusiastically! Hugh Ballou teaches leaders around the globe how to build synergy with teams and how to put is place effective processes that bring success to any organization - no matter how big or small.
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