Have you ever noticed that the person responsible for leading an orchestra always has their back to the crowd? When a conductor directs a choir, they spend 99% of their time focused on those they are leading as opposed to facing outward to their audience. What a powerful statement on leadership.
As a member of the Morris Choral Society – a regional choir based in NJ – I spend most Monday evenings in rehearsal. Week after week, in a variety of creative ways, our musical director motivates us to become the best we can be. Some evenings his sense of humor has us in stitches. We have a really good time and we sound great. During other rehearsals, he is incredibly serious and pushes us to work harder. He wants us to give more of ourselves…to stop trying to be soloists and to blend as a group.
Last week, at the end of rehearsal, Wayne (our fearless leader) shared his vision for how the concert was going to unfold. He told us about the wonderful musicians that would make up our orchestra. He explained exactly how we were going to be arranged on stage and how & where the soloists would be standing. He warned us that what we may hear ‘live’ on stage may sound different than what we grew accustomed to during rehearsals. He asked us to trust him, to trust ourselves, and to sing like we practiced it.
He also told us that when the orchestra joins us for our dress rehearsal the next day, that his focus was going to have to move off of us and on to the musicians. He told us that after all these weeks of practice that we were ready to take the stage and that we had a product to be proud of us. He exhibited unwavering faith in us and his confidence took us to a whole new level.
So much of the time we think of leaders as ‘visionaries’, or the ones that set direction, but aren’t leaders ultimately responsible for translating that vision into reality as well?
Are you fortunate enough to have ever worked with a phenomenal leader? Or do you work with one now? What makes them so good?
Have you ever been exposed to poor leadership? How did that make you feel? Did you do anything about it?
What mistakes have you made along the way that make you a better leader today than you were in the past? I know I’ve made my share of mistakes, but with each experience I find myself getting closer to the type of leader – and person – I want to be.
We work in an industry filled with exceptional leaders. So whether you aspire to be a great leader or to follow a great leader, consider Skirts in Dirt – and our collective real life stories – a practical source of encouragement and motivation. We’re here because we love working in the field of real estate and we share a common desire to be the best we can be. We welcome you to join the conversation.
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During speaking engagements, John Maxwell asks leaders this important question. “Are you building people, or building your dream and using people to do it?” Now, that’s powerful.