Trust, Respect and Engagement

A Harmonious Experience

Kelly Hart, Intern at the Richmond Symphony

Sometimes getting along with your coworkers can be a grueling task. Following orders from a totalitarian leader who doesn't care about you is beyond frustrating. Working with people who get by with the skin of their teeth is enough to make you go insane. Why do so many organizations have these problems in the first place? It's always easy to point the finger and place the blame, but a chunk of the problem is missing the big picture. The view from the top is significantly different from the office cubical.

So the real question is, how do we see the big picture and create a more pleasant work environment?

The Music Paradigm, a nationally known workshop program initiated by conductor Roger Nierenberg, is a truly unique, interactive professional and leadership development opportunity that can benefit professionals from any field. The dynamics of a symphony orchestra are used to bring a variety of workplace issues to life.

On Tuesday March 22,  participants were able to sit among the musicians of the Richmond Symphony onstage at the Carpenter Theatre.

As a previous musician and current intern with the Richmond Symphony, I was able to sit back and watch as the audience members experienced the power music has to offer. In my adolescence I played numerous instruments including the guitar, piano and clarinet. Of all the instruments, my passion was the clarinet and I played it for ten years. When I graduated high school and moved on to VCU, my clarinet stayed at home and collected dust. It wasn't until three months ago, when I started interning with the Richmond Symphony, that I realized how much I missed playing music.

I find that there are a lot of misconceptions about musicians and often a negative stereotype of being "nerdy." But what people don't understand is the intelligence, passion and brilliance that musicians must have to create music. What interested me most about the Music Paradigm was the fact that non-musicians could really witness the creativity and genius it takes to be a musician. From the sidelines, I smiled as the audience members went through exercises to help them understand what being a team player is all about.

One exercise the audience members were asked to do was pick a musician, watch them as they played, and analyze what they were doing. One woman said it was almost as if the instrument was part of the musician; it was a very intimate experience.

Of all the metaphoric examples that were shown, one woman's comment stuck with me the most. In this woman's particular company, their core values are trust, respect and engagement. Listening to the symphony perform together with such ease left her thinking that these three values, which are often put on the back burner, can be used effectively to help an organization build a stronger connection.

Trust:

• Can you build a harmonious workplace without trust? The answer is, no.
• The Richmond Symphony uses trust to carry each other through when there is no leader (conductor).
• As the symphony demonstrated, the musicians were able to perform a piece without a conductor. How did they do this? They trusted each other. The musicians have enough confidence in each other that they are able to lean on one another for support.

Respect:

• Leadership is about giving back. If the leader is not respectful of their employees, there is no order.
• In the symphony, respect is acknowledged throughout the performance by listening to others and creating one voice.
• In order to create one voice, the musicians must be respectful of each others own unique sound.
• If there is a problem, approach it with curiosity. Asking questions like, "What is the deal?" or "Why are you messing up?" are not effective ways to get an appropriate answer. Rewording them with curiosity allows the leader and the worker to talk rationally. Examples, "How can I help you fix the problem?" or "I feel that something is off, are you OK?"

Engagement:

• I feel that this value is often neglected in the workplace.
• Often times, people are so focused on being an individual and receiving praise, they forget how important working as a team is.
• To get things done effectively, you must communicate

Creating Harmony in Your Business (The Music Paradigm)

My Music Paradigm Experience with the Richmond Symphony

Bobbie Barajas
Music Director, WCVE Public Radio

I have attended concerts by and have “conducted” (Celebrity Maestro) the Richmond Symphony.  I have hosted live broadcasts by my favorite orchestra.  I’m happy to say I’ve even become personal friends with members of the orchestra and its staff.  My last symphony wish was to one day sit within the body of the orchestra as they played.  On March 22, 2011, my wish came true when I experienced The Music Paradigm with the Richmond Symphony. 

What is The Music Paradigm? In a nutshell, it proves what I have always believed; that there are lessons to be learned through music and music makers and that these lessons can be applied to every aspect of our lives including our careers.  Conductor Roger Nierenberg, the creator of The Music Paradigm, recognized this too and created a program to help businesses learn to “play” as sweetly as any talented orchestra.  The analogies between orchestra and conductor to business staff and managers are tremendous and obvious to all who attended, whether musically inclined or not.   

Here’s how it worked.  Attendees were invited to sit in designated chairs spread throughout the body of the orchestra.  We weren’t sitting along the perimeter of the orchestra; we sat elbow to elbow with musicians.  From this vantage point, we could appreciate the skill of the individual.  At the encouragement of Maestro Nierenberg, one noticed the skill of each section.  You could see the non-verbal communication that takes place between players.  It became apparent to the eye and ear that each section took turns supporting the other when the whole of the orchestra made way, for example, for the flutist to take her solo.  Most of all, you began to realize that although playing very different parts, the individuality of the players came together in perfect harmony to create the kinds of sounds that can transform the soul.  Once you snapped out of the musical trance, you couldn’t help but think of your office.  Do we communicate well?  Do we reference our managers?  Do we support each other and our fellow departments allowing them to shine?  Is the work we do as a team transformative to our companies and to the communities we serve? 

Standing on the podium leading both orchestra and audience was Roger Nierenberg, who demonstrated different management styles through his craft as a conductor.  We all spotted the micro-manager in an instant when Nierenberg conducted each and every beat while exaggerating every accent played by every single player.  Annoying!  The lackadaisical “there-in-body-only” manager made an appearance and was quickly recognized.  Members of the orchestra were asked to comment on the various styles of conducting (managing) and the response to this style was “I just started to ignore you and think about lunch.”  It’s easy to laugh about a comment like that in this situation but then you remember why you’re there and wonder “how many of my employees have been thinking about lunch because I wasn’t truly present in a meeting?”  Not so funny anymore. 

The biggest lesson for me was that a leader should be able to provide their staff with a clear vision of where the team is going, providing guidance when necessary, but otherwise, trusting the team to do the job they were hired to do.  In theory, we all know this but when you see it come to life through The Music Paradigm, it’s a whole new ball game. 


Other blog posts of interest on The Music Paradigm experience:
John Bryan, President, CultureWorks
http://www.richmondcultureworks.org/Blog/tabid/85/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/160/Paradigm-Shift.aspx

Olga Molnar, Research Manager, Greater Richmond Partnership, Inc.
http://www.businessfirstrichmond.com/blog/leadership-and-the-music-paradigm/