What the Maestro can teach us about leading

If you’re a fan of the classical arts then you know the person who stands in front of the orchestra is the Maestro.  If you’re a fan of Seinfeld then you know the Maestro is Bob Cobb, the man who will only answer to the name, “maestro” even seated among friends.  

The Maestro in the orchestra leads teams of anywhere from seventy to one-hundred plus without ever touching an instrument.  Their tool is a simple baton they hold in one hand and gracefully move through the air to control the pace and the momentum of the symphony.  The entire orchestra focuses all of their attention on this one individual. The word Maestro is defined as a conductor of classical music but the broader definition is defined as a distinguished figure in any sphere.  The Maestro, simply put, is the most important person in the room leading the artistic direction, sound, speed, and movements. The most amazing piece of this is that they are supporting their disciples with simple movements.  

Maestro’s don’t yell, they don’t throw their baton, they don’t scream at anyone to play louder and they don’t call anyone out over the course of the performance.  Maestro’s use casual, simple movements to direct their team of musicians through the notes. The Maestro will enhance their movements with simple finger movements out of their available hand and use their body language and facial expressions to drive further sound or notes.  The Maestro never takes over as the physically most important figure though as they know the entire group of musicians must play in harmony to make beautiful music.  

When was the last time you spent an entire day leading your team without ever saying a word?  

I imagine the idea of that sentence could stress out many leaders.  Think about that in practice; you come to work and don’t say a word.  You use simple body language gestures to conduct your team as they are so focused on the goals at hand that all you have to do is casually point your baton in the right direction while in harmony they accomplish the mission at hand.  

While I don’t think it’s a great idea for you to adopt this practice, the real question is, could your team thrive and survive without you there directing orders at them verbally?  The Maestro has perfected the art of the performance without ever speaking, touching an instrument, or being the most important sound in the symphony. The Maestro spends hours practicing with their team perfecting each role and each timing associated before they ever take the concert stage.  

As a leader, how prepared is your team to take the stage each day?  What kind of training have you given your team to allow them to thrive without you interjecting in their ear?  Are you giving them the tools to succeed so when they take the stage you are simply there to guide them?  

The Maestro is able to lead because of the hours of practice they’ve put in with the team.  The preparation sets the orchestra up for success long before curtains drop and the audience arrives.  So how much preparation are you putting in with your team? The role playing that the Maestro puts into effect cues the players to hit the notes with a level of sound that creates beautiful music.  The role playing that you put into effect with your reps cues the muscle memory for them to answer a question with confidence, conviction and clarity.  

Consider the Maestro effect when you are monitoring or coaching a sales call.  Do you barge into the call and take over or are you silent coaching in the reps ear?  Are you hovering over the rep during a difficult call because you don’t trust the outcome or are you using your baton to re-enforce and guide them to success?  I imagine the difference between these two outcomes is the amount of time you’ve put in before the call even takes place. What if you had the ability to coach during a call monitor simply by using your baton to guide the behaviors and cue their words and movements.  

I realize that the Maestro effect isn’t always practical for you and your teams in real life.  The concept though is simple; prepare, don’t interfere, and guide with simple trained cues. The Maestro can teach us that silence is power and subtle movements can signal big actions for our teams.  With the simple flick of a wrist the Maestro can summon the most beautiful sounds from over one hundred musicians. What abilities do you have when your team is deep in the middle of customer interactions or difficult conversations?

by Scott Bond