Traits of Successful Orchestra Managers

Empathy: This to me is the most important one. An orchestra manager deals with a huge range of stakeholders and constituencies--far more than the corporate CEO. (That has been confirmed to me by major corporate CEOs who served as board members or chairs at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.) Empathy is not to be confused with sympathy. Empathy means that you really hear and understand other people, even those with whom you disagree. You understand why they disagree--and that understanding of the reasons behind someone's position can help lead you to a solution that may meet their needs even if it isn't the solution they proposed. When board members of the Chicago Symphony were resisting the major renovation that I knew Orchestra Hall needed, I didn't just try to persuade them by repeating myself louder.  I asked myself why they didn't understand the need--and I realized that they truly didn't realize how much music had changed since the hall was built. When I switched from saying "but you know, this hall was built in 1904 and has been basically unchanged since," to "you know, this hall was opened seven years after the death of Brahms," jaws dropped. It changed their entire perspective on the need. And the thought came from my realization of just what perspective they were or were not bringing to the issue.

Passion for music and those who make it: You don't need to be a musicologist; you don't even need to have a deep musical knowledge, as long as you possess the next trait (see below). But you must believe in the power of our music to transform those who experience it, and you must believe in the importance of music in our communities' lives. Managing an orchestra is hard, and without that belief you are more likely to veer from the mission. It is easy to get caught up in your day-to-day budget or operational or fund-raising issues. But you must remember what the budget, the fund raising, or the operation supports--the music. When I do seminars for young managers, I usually begin by reminding them of this one central fact of the career they have chosen: No one will ever buy a ticket to see you manage. Dealing with orchestra committees and unions can be frustrating, as can dealing with some conductors or soloists or composers. (And I suspect they would all say the same thing about managers.)  But you must remember that it is about them, not about you. Never get like the classic librarian who would much prefer that no one ever took out the books because it wears out the pages!

Knowing what you don't know:  This to me is one of the most important characteristics in any profession or endeavor. No one knows everything about everything (even if we've all met people who seem to think they do). Know what it is that you don't know, and find expertise around you--whether among your staff, your board, your community, your volunteers, or your musicians.

A thick skin: Working in an art form with emotional artists, and working with such a huge range of stakeholders, it is inevitable that at times you are going to be criticized, in less than flattering terms, and perhaps even unfairly. In fact, that is quite likely. Or perhaps other people will take credit for something that you actually did. None of it matters. You keep your eye on the ball--that is, on the mission and vision of the organization--and you don't let yourself get shaken by the criticism. This does not mean that you don't respond to the criticism. Depending on the circumstances, you can respond, and even directly. I once stopped a New York Philharmonic musician in his tracks as he was screaming at me--I had, indeed, made a mistake in judgment--by shouting his name at him when he took a breath, and then by calmly asking him if in all his years at the Philharmonic he had even once played a wrong note. He admitted that he certainly had. I asked him if he would appreciate my yelling at him the same way the next time he played a wrong note. "That's a really good line, Henry," he said. The battle was over. And that leads to the next trait.

A sense of humor: I happen to think that you need one to successfully navigate life, not just orchestra management.

A business head--but not too much: I am always amused by board members who say that they're looking for an executive director from the corporate world because they need to bring a better business sense to the orchestra (although few businessmen should be particularly proud of the business and corporate world these days). Of course we need a certain amount of business sense in our orchestra administrators. But orchestras are not businesses, any more than banks are orchestras. (I'll bet that no banker would think I could come in from my background and run a bank.) In his tract From Good to Great and the Social Sectors, Jim Collins is very clear about the differences between the corporate world and ours, and about the need to have orchestra administrations headed by people who understand the difference.

The ability to think quickly and to multi-task: Sometimes in our world of performances, things happen quickly and need a quick, intelligent response. And often you find yourself dealing with many things at once. You need the ability to see ahead, to see the impact of a decision, and sometimes you don't have a lot of time to make that decision.

I wouldn't claim that this is a complete list. But I will claim that an administrator who possesses these qualities will be very likely to succeed.