Leadership takeaways from André Rieu's concert

It’s fascinating how sometimes rare experiences trigger fresh perspective and question the accepted reality of our day-to-day operating models.

If you are not familiar with André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra by now, do not wait. You can find about them at https://www.andrerieu.com/en, or better off, attend one of their concerts. I believe it will blow your socks off by the level of audience engagement you would never expect from the symphonic orchestra. It is a party for the ears, the eyes and the souls!

I happened to be in Europe this weekend and flew in to Frankfurt for the concert, just to validate that what I have seen on YouTube was real. And sure thing, I was not disappointed.

Their concerts attract north of 10,000 spectators time after time, after time. And this concert was not an exception.

As it usually happens at the beginning, you could hear chats here and there that someone’s hat was in the way, or was talking too loud, or should learn how to be a better parent. Yet, as the evening progressed, the audience has gradually transformed from a mass of strangers into a unified troop of followers, influenced by a group of 50-60 musicians, under the clear leadership of André. 

In less than an hour, there have been dozens of dancing couples in the isles, and thousands were singing to the tunes of the music. Across all age groups, dress styles and accents, I struggled to find ones left untouched, not tapping, clapping, singing or moving (or snoring ;) to the beat of the classical music.

By the end of the concert, very few rushed to cloak rooms to beat the lines, and the standing ovation became another 20-minute concert that André and his team were certainly prepared for. Not the first time in 32 years of their world tours, I assume. And I should admit, for the concert held in Germany, that started right on time and “finished” in exactly 2 hrs and 15 minutes, that is something I never expected. “Nein!”roared the Festhalle in response to Andre’s offer to go for drinks already....Nein, indeed!

As I was strolling towards the exit, following the steps of others, I kept thinking about the source of the magic spell that André’s team seemed to have had on those around, myself including, that generated so much engagement during the concert.

Well, let’s look at it through motivational lenses:

• Was the audience paid to have fun? Nope, quite the opposite. The event was sold out. So, not a pay-for-performance model that dominates traditional HR thinking.
• Were people following an existing process, were instructed to do so because that was the way it was supposed to be at a classical music concert? Nope again. The carved in stone practice is to consume classical music in silence of draped concert halls. Standing, dancing, singing along? Really?

And yet, people engaged, learning the words and the moves, waltzing, bumping into each other, smiling along the way. And more importantly, having total blast!

What is the source of this magic?

I think it is the leadership style of the maestro, absorbed, internalized and projected by every single member of his team, filling the entire space of the Festhalle.

First, the rules. There is only one. Nobody asked to switch off the phones, or avoid taking pictures, or stay away from eating and drinking during the concert. André put it simply at the very beginning. He wanted everyone to have fun (or something like that if you can trust my German), and that is the way the music should be consumed. Ha! Wait! What?! (Goal setting.)

Then, he operationalized that goal by putting it to the test and dumping a ton of “snow” on the first 10 rows or spectators. That snow fall was accompanied by music and laughter of other spectators, watching the reaction of the “victims” on large screens! What? Pranking your highest paying customers? (Setting a memorable example.)

Then, maestro himself. He is not a traditional conductor, but a true performer, playing violin, dancing, jumping and participating in jokes during the entire show! Not just that. He also talks to the audience. What? Is that allowed? Talking during the concert? Yep, no doubt about it! (Braking the rules and leading through and through.)

His talks are not the traditional announcements of next compositions, but sincere, personal stories from the experience of his team and individual team members, so by the end of the concert you feel that they are not just musicians and singers, but human beings you can relate to. (Genuinely connecting at the individual level.)

And his leadership does not stop there. Almost every member of the orchestra had a chance to shine either through solo performance, or a story by André, or by playing a part in pranks throughout the evening. Even the technical assistants, taking care of stage chairs and microphones, received as much ovation as the rest of the team! (Making everyone feel included and contributing to overall team success.)

And yes, the team performed well and seemed to have a ton of fun! You do not have to believe me. See it for yourself @ https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IjmU_J50xSo or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJIpVj_YkNo

And when this leadership energy is so obvious, it becomes contagious. It makes you a believer too. A believer that you can be yourself, experience it the way you want it, share your experience with others without being questioned for incompetence.

And when you are almost ready to make that jump, he guides your first steps. He separated the entire auditorium into 3 sections - sopranos, basses and contrabasses, and he encouraged them to take one note at a time and hear themselves and others doing that. And they sounded great. And that was it. You are a believer now!

So, as I continued walking, the common believes about a few best practices of leadership came up as a startling reminder of what practicing leadership really means and how it translates into team performance.

Individual contribution vs. team collaboration:

• “Do not come with problems, come with solutions.” Sounds familiar? Well, it might sound right because it encourages proactive thinking.... yet, I have seen it often cause more procrastination in search for the perfect answer that eventually translates into lost productivity, lower team engagement, and delayed time-to-market. By definition, the suggestion positions the “leader” as an outsider. How about “tell me about the problem and let’s see if there is a solution I might know of from my experience?”
• How about an overly abused question “what do you think?” in response to your question about one’s perspective? A seemingly harmless question does after all requires some analysis of available facts and an independent perspective, based on certain level of expertise and judgement. A binary Agree/Disagree to your POV just would not do. Very soon, such a leader loses trust of the team as a thinking partner. No need to be embarrassed with not knowing it all. There is no shame in that. But keeping up with latest developments inside and outside the organization that could impact team's solution could be very handy.
• How about “why don’t you take the first stab at a deck (or budget, or strategy, etc.)? I will be happy to provide comments.” Delegation, sign of trust, right? Well, until the team gets into the vicious never-ending review cycle. How about spending 10 minutes to brainstorm as a team and saving ourselves the trouble later?

“The job of the leader is to motivate, provide resources, and escalate, when appropriate”:

• Do we want to be motivated, or inspired? Alignment of who we are with the mission of the organization, combined with exciting outlook into the future go much further in driving team performance. That inspiration is hard to fake. If it is not there, you will unlikely see a team working overtime because it feels right, not because it is paid or told to do so.
• How often have we heard a “leader” come up and say, “ I have been observing your work for quite some time, am really fascinated by what you do. How about we give you an apprentice to take some of your load off, so you could take it to the next level?” I betcha, if you hear something like that, your only thought will be, “they are looking to replace me.” In most resourcing conversations you have to ask, you have to prove, you have to follow the processes to get any resource allocation, nearly an impossible task, especially off budgeting cycle.
• And what about the “escalate” part? Well, if you are a consultant on a short project - sure. But if you are an insider, escalation trickles down to the team you already work with, so, besides alienation that could ding you in next performance review, there is not much value in doing that.

Lastly, how about simple signs of appreciation?:

• Extra thank you without waiting for the feedback session.
• A simple “how did I do?” after a meeting. Would not a “leader” appreciate your perspective, or would prefer to live with his/her perception of reality?
• Sharing development opportunities with team members to help them grow. After all, leadership is not about managing assigned resources, but building followship, and it is a job much harder than monitoring thousands of “friends” on social media.

As was pointed out by a chairman of a well respected bank in a simple message to his board members a few years back, “if we do not find the ways to be relevant to the teams who are the blood and the soul of our organization, and help them make real-time decisions, and be there for them when they need us, and not when we ask them to report up, we will become extinct.”

I am finally outside. .....It was more than a concert, after all, at least for me!

One thing is for sure. If you feel stuck in the “status quo”, and the feedback sessions with your leaders just do not seem to be working, you have one more option. Get them tickets to Andre’s concert. Who knows, experiencing it might open some new perspective. Remember, you have nothing to lose;)

P.S. And no, I have no affiliation with the orchestra. But if you just discovered Andre and had fun watching his team perform, your like will be appreciated. Just curios how big is the choir I am preaching to.