The 'Collective Wisdom' within music allows us to safely explore our ability to challenge and inspire, to confidently and spontaneously invent and to lead and facilitate ourselves and others in order to build an output the performers and the audience just know intuitively is the best that can be. Creativity, curiosity, inspiration and spontaneity in music can operate in both structured and distinctly unstructured settings. The capacity for flexibility and tolerance within rapidly changing circumstances is a learned set of skills embodied within musical training.These behaviours are, by their very nature, inherent within the field of music. Musicians know when it's working and when it's not. Musicians are naturally curious and will try to do their best for each other. They have a natural tendency to treat each other with respect especially when giving difficult feedback.

 

When things don't happen quite so well musicians will continue to learn from their failures. Failure may not be comfortable but it is nevertheless regarded as an acceptable part of the process of learning and development. To make things work musicians have to face the issues.

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The musical process therefore exposes, in a very naked form, how the creative interactions within a group of humans actual work on a practical basis.  Musical humans will have a natural tendency to interact to the point where they produce something which is noticably better than the sum of its parts. Of course in some people's ears it might not be 'perfect' but it will always tend to be better than it was before.

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Certain values such as kindness, respect and supportiveness are present. Listening skills in particular are deepened. Even if things go wrong in this regard musicians usually have enough self-awareness to pick themselves and start again.

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Outside music, teams and organisations could do well to examine and take notice of how this 'collective musical wisdom' might be transferred to the non-musical team or organisation. Much better results become possible just unlocking a few of the secrets embedded within the musical framework. There is a model here in "The Musician's Way" which could bear fruit.

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Leading a team, a business or an organisation can be complicated and occasionally chaotic. When you are in the thick of things you aren’t going to necessarily reach for the text book.

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Musical leadership is leadership 'in the moment' guiding complex simultaneous activities. Musicians will lead themselves and their 'team'; their band or orchestra, in a variety of different styles to suit the piece. The leadership style must 'fit', relate to what is happening now, with a sense of what's coming towards them, hopefully leading to the best outcome. Use the wrong 'style' of musical leadership and 'it just doesn't happen.'

 

Complexity can manifest at any time depending on how the dice fall. Making on the spot adjustments to leadership style can make the difference between a problem being solved or catastrophe. Your preferred behaviours could be insufficient for the task in hand. A huge array of variables can all play an important role in what leadership style to adopt for any given situation. How do you decide how to respond? What options do you have? What factors might come into play when you are called upon to 'raise your game'?

 

There's something about what we musicians do which could offer some of the answers. Yes, you heard it. Some of the answers to Life & The Universe might be musical! ... read on