A511.5.3.RB_Lead like the Great Conductors

Itay Talgam's comparison of leadership and conductors is beautifully illustrated in this TED talk.   He displayed different styles of conducting orchestras and they tie seamlessly into the different styles of leadership that we have learned.  

The first video clip was of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.  The conductor was very happy and seemed to spread the happiness.  Talgam explains "The joy is about enabling others people's stories to be heard at the same time."  This conductor displays a great deal of sociability, confidence, and positivity.  The next example is a different style of leadership.  This clip of Riccardo Muti showed how a leader can have too much control and be too directive.  He could possibly be described as Authority-compliance leader.  

Talgam also plays a clip of Richard Straus explaining how Strauss transfers his message. Strauss is all about playing by the book,  and execution of the music, no interpretation.   The next conductor might possibly be an example of impoverished management as he goes through the motions yet acts uninvolved (Northouse, p. 75).  Talgam describes it as "I don't give you any instruction yet you have to read my mind."  Rather than interacting with his team, he expects them to read his mind and lead themselves.  

One of the clips was of the famous conductor, Clyburn.  He is not telling them what to do. Talgam explains it's like being on a rollercoaster, there are much motivation and energy.  "When it's needed, the authority is there....He not only creates a process but also creates the conditions in the world in which this process takes place. "(Talgam, n.d.) 

Lastly, Talgam states leadership is "Doing without doing." I think this is a great analogy of leadership.  We must balance the line between leadership and management.  We are no longer the worker bees yet must get the work done without actually doing the work.  If we are too authoritarian, we lose our followers.  If we are too passive, the job may not get done.  We must lead the team and trust that they will follow so that together we can accomplish the mission.  

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice (7th ed). Los Angeles: SAGE

Talgam, Itay. "Lead like the great conductors." Itay Talgam: Lead like the great conductors | TED Talk | TED.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017. <https://www.ted.com/talks/itay_talgam_lead_like_the_great_conductors?utm_source=tedcomshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=tedspread>.