MSLD 511 Module 5 - Mid-Term Reflection

Talgams observations and ideas on conducting were incredibly interesting, and I do see some parallels with the leadership theories we have studied. I think that a key takeaway from the Talgam was that things work better when you instill confidence in others to make decisions. Talgam stated “…if you are doing all the things we talked about, together, and maybe some others, you can get to this wonderful point of doing without doing”, this goes for the orchestras, as well as business teams (Talgam, 2009).

One way the conductors symbolize some of our courses studies is situational leadership. Situational leadership is defined as “…when the leader or manager of an organization must adjust his style to fit the development level of the followers he is trying to influence” (Anthony, "Define Situational Leadership"). While watching the conductors I felt that there was a sort of adjustment being made depending on the type of music they were conducting. As Talgam pointed out about a conductor named Lenny “…you're playing a painful sound. And you look at Lenny and he's suffering” (Talgam, 2009).

Another way these conductors simulate a leadership environment is in the component of vision that seems necessary for an inspiring performance. In earlier modules vision was expressed by Winston and Patterson as “the leader achieves this influence by humbly conveying a prophetic vision of the future in clear terms” (Winston & Patterson, 2006). Some conductors providing clearer direction then others, but what really conveyed the conductors’ vision was their passion for the music and what they expected from the musicians. Whether they expected the musicians to take creative liberty in to their own hands or if they expected the musicians to follow in a precise manner, there always seem to be a theme of vision, and I would describe the conductors as visionary.

 While listening to Talgam and watching the videos of the various conductors, one thing that really stood out to me was how different the conductors conducted. This really aligns with much of what we have learned about leadership, there are so many different leadership styles, theories, and methods. We are most successful when we really find what works best with our own traits and abilities and apply them. This should be in conjunction with continuing on our journey of learning and improving as leaders and followers.

References

Anthony, L. (n.d.). Define Situational Leadership. Retrieved January 20, 2018, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/define-situational-leadership-2976.html

Talgam, I. (2009). Lead like the great conductors. Retrieved February 10, 2018, from https://www.ted.com/talks/itay_talgam_lead_like_the_great_conductors/transcript

Winston, B., & Patterson, K. (2006). An Integrative Definition of Leadership. International Journal of Leadership Studies, 1(2). Retrieved January 11, 2018.