Every business is like an orchestra, and every orchestra needs a maestro.
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There are many talents every executive must master in order to flourish in today’s competitive C-suites.
For example, you have to have the restraint to consider all angles, but the decisive nature to act when others hesitate, and the confidence to commit when others vacillate. You have to understand not just the dollars and cents, but the psychology of business that lets you navigate those often-tricky channels of your own organization, your industry, and the community beyond.
That’s just the beginning of a long list of qualities modern executives need in their toolkit, but the most important is having a management style that optimizes both you and your organization.
Finding the Right Management Style
For the longest time, corporate leaders followed what I call “The Command Style.”
Executives barked orders and made (often unreasonable) demands. The type of execs who put fingerprints on every project, maintained order through intimidation, and were more interested in establishing they were in charge than in actual performance.
Then a different management style emerged with the new millennium; perhaps, as a reaction to the heavy-handed practice of “The Command Style.” This management philosophy was more focused on feelings than actual corporate operations. I call it “The Indulgent Style” because it became the nurturing “mother” model to offset the demanding patriarch of “The Command Style.”
They were the yin and yang of management styles, but as I began to grow my own businesses, I quickly realized that neither reflected my personality, served the needs of my companies, or fostered the high ambitions I’d set for business growth.
The only alternative was to develop my own management style; one that reflected those traditional values I’d grown up with, yet kept pace with modern innovations of the 21st-century workplace.
I read dozens of books, attended a host of conferences, and spoke with executives around the globe. It was a valuable endeavor, but I still struggled to find a management style of my own.
My Eureka Moment
One day, it came to me. I didn’t find it in some business journal article or a management specialist’s presentation. It came to me as wonderful music that was playing in the background. It was an orchestral piece, and in those bars and measures, I heard exactly what effective business management should be.
I realized in that moment that every business is like an orchestra: an organization with a thousand activities happening all at once, and a single leader tasked with bringing it together and turning it into a single performance.
That person is the maestro. Today, the maestro is my role model for business management.
Why the Maestro is Necessary
Try to imagine an orchestra led by someone practicing “The Command Style.” Think about how impossible it would be for them to run from chair to chair, playing each instrument by themselves. That’s ridiculous, of course, but I frequently see executives get deeply involved in the most minor aspects of their business, staring over the shoulder of every direct report and trying to do everything by themselves.
They would do well to remember that everyone’s greatest assets are their time and energy. And if they’re redoubling their employees’ work just to show they’re in charge, then they’re actively squandering those assets—a costly mistake.
On the other hand, the maestro simply can’t allow each musician to play whatever they want. Personal pursuits have their place, but without a sense of order, even the most wonderful composition can become a cacophony of chaos. In that same way, a corporate leader must install and maintain the necessary systems to maximize efficiency and productivity.
And that is the role of the maestro.
There’s no need for the maestro to prove that they’re in charge. When the conductor climbs the podium, every musician knows to watch their instructions and play in time to ensure that the orchestra performs the program exactly as their leader intended.
And that’s the critical point: the maestro doesn’t need to be in charge, because they are always in control.
Become the Maestro
That’s the role I’ve set for myself and the blueprint I offer you: Your management style must be assertive enough that expectations are understood and followed. On the other hand, assuming command just so you can demonstrate that you’re in charge is a waste of assets. A real leader only needs to confidently tap their baton, and the entire organization knows to focus and perform together as one.
In practical terms, this means setting clear expectations and creating system alignment, then trusting your people to execute without your involvement in every decision.
Not commander. Not caretaker. Maestro.