Leaders as Conductors of an Organisational Symphony – How to Achieve Harmony?

Leaders as Conductors of an Organisational Symphony – How to Achieve Harmony?

I was recently at a concert of a philharmonic orchestra and I was impressed by the way the musicians worked together in harmony. Each had their place, role and responsibility, yet their performance served a common, greater purpose: music. The conductor was in control, but the success of the orchestra did not depend solely on him – everyone had to play their part in perfect harmony.

This experience led me to draw parallels with the way organisations work. A company can only be successful if everyone involved, from employees to managers, knows their role and carries out their responsibilities. Leaders are the conductors of the organisational “symphony” – they guide and inspire, but not everything has to depend 100% on them.

Lack of harmony: when everything depends on the leaders

In many organisations, everything rests on the shoulders of middle managers. They are the ones on whom the day-to-day decisions, the running of departments and ultimately the economics of the organisation depend. This makes the operation extremely risky, as a mistake, overload or departure of one manager can throw the whole “orchestra” out of balance.