The Colonel said, “Sometimes you just have to give up the spotlight. Ya know, kiddo, the maestro – the LEADER of the orchestra has to turn his back on the audience to lead the musicians effectively.”
This was a hard leadership lesson for me to internalize. For as long as I can remember, I have been a “front and center stage, spotlight please…” kind of person. And while it has always served me well for getting noticed, it’s not always an effective leadership quality.
In the theater, the director selects the cast, those actors he or she believes will be perfect in the roles they have selected. They provide the vision for the overall look of a production. The director determines the actors’ movements and guides how the emotions of each scene should flow. They guide as the cast builds on their vision and offer notes at the end of each rehearsal on how the show can be improved. Once that’s done, rehearsal time is over, and it’s opening night, the director steps back and allows the cast to shine. You don’t see the director on stage during the performance, and you rarely, if ever, see the director take a curtain call.
While we may think a leader should always be out in front, leading the way, that’s not usually the best leadership style for the growth of the team. More often than not, a significant leader’s job is to step aside and allow the team to shine while offering support and guidance from the wings.
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