Full disclosure. This book sat in my bookcase for 20 years. Yes. 20!
The other day I pulled it out and reminded myself that I thought this book was one that looked interesting and so I kept it and now it was time to read it.
So I finally did.
And my lament was what we hear ourselves frequently say…’What took me so long?’
I could hardly put it down. Why?
Because it speaks to the leadership actions that can be taken under a variety of circumstances and how those shifts yield better—and sometimes unexpected—outcomes. It addressed so much of what I’ve learned, trained for and believed in for over 40 years of work with leaders and their teams.
With the workplace in the midst of a post-pandemic state, organizational cultures are challenged on several fronts.
How to retain employees, and how to recruit individuals who exhibit the skills needed is paramount. The key word here is skills. An organization that acknowledges and develops a culture that is human-centered and human-savvy (per Deloitte) needs to also access, gather, understand, and use data gathered through what we call Organizational Behavioral Intelligence™ (OBI).
In my role, I’m responsible for TWO things.
First, to help leaders understand their OBI and second work with them to identify actions that can help change happen through a connected workforce and not the traditional pull and push.
These types of changes frequently require a change in how and what leaders sees and whether that is affected by the conscious or unconscious bias we all have as human beings. OBI can support leadership through the needed behavioral approaches. Sometimes it requires a significant change and other times it can be a small tweak. This book helped me think about, evaluate and consider different types of approaches leaders can take.
What was interesting to me is the last chapter and back jacket cover are the only places where it says the author ‘gives presentations to managers and executives around the world on practicing the art of possibility,’ other than the limited examples he provided. He uses his life’s work of leading and getting the best out of musicians to illustrate various approaches for getting the best of not just creatives, but any organization with human beings.
So, who is this author and what does he have to say?
Benjamin Zander was the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and an instructor at the New England Conservatory for more than 30 years. In 1999 he received the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland for his ‘outstanding contribution to cross-cultural understanding.’
As he outlines his journey over the years, he ultimately created a checklist of fundamental lessons to remember and more importantly apply such as:
- Giving an A – give it to individuals to help them reframe their possibility for change and success. Your direct report, your peer, your brother or sister. Emotional intelligence shines.
- Leading From Any Chair – the reminder that a leader can sometimes suppress the voices of those who keep the organization’s vision in play. He talks about how to provide a path so it’s not always acknowledged leaders delivering the message.
- Rule Number 6 – ‘Don’t take yourself too seriously.’ The story goes when a visitor was told about Rule Number 6 he responded with ‘Ah…that is a fine rule. And what are the other rules?’ The answer? ‘There aren’t any.’
- Lighting a Spark – The author refers to this as It’s the ‘art and practice of generating a spark of possibility for others to share.’ And in my world it is what truly healthy, balanced cultures create and practice.
One of the things I loved most about the book was the letters from individual musicians, managers, and leaders about the impact the lessons had on them as individuals and organizations. His work speaks to all four of the dimensions of culture OBI speaks to…Communication, Trust, Alignment, and Accountability.
Leaders always have a choice
They can either ignore or minimize the information employees have shared about their cultural environment, or they can begin to take steps towards moving their organization’s culture into a healthy, strong, and sought-after workplace. The companies identified in the annual list of Best Companies to Work For learn how to do this. And when this is successfully nurtured, all four cultural dimensions are working in harmony…just like an orchestra.
Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing.
Tom Peters
Cynthia Kyriazis is the Chief Experience Officer at The Culture Think Tank. Her experience includes executive coaching, meeting facilitation, consulting and training.
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