Show up for everyone else
Let's consider why conductors are typically frustrated in the rehearsal space:
The performance artistically is not up to par. (Using whose standards? Yours.)
The interpretation doesn't make sense. (Through whose eyes? Yours.)
Conductors usually show up for themselves and to serve what they bring as ambassadors for the composer. In doing so, they have specific artistic standards and convincing, personal interpretations. That's not wrong.
However, because the standards and interpretation are seen through the conductor's own eyes, it is blatantly obvious to the conductor what's not quite right, what's not measuring up. That's not always the case though for the ensemble musicians. They may see a cloudy image of what the conductor's going for. Or most of the time, they see a partial image that wouldn't make sense until they see the whole thing. They don't usually see exactly what the conductor sees through their eyes.
So the conductor may get frustrated that the musicians don't understand them and don't want what they want. And the story typically stops there, with both parties sitting in that frustration where each side doesn't see what the other sees.
Now let's think about the people who make the music. They have specific standards too and they want what they say to be coherent and meaningful. They want to show up for themselves (and the composer) too. And they are not ignoring the full image on purpose, but they simply don't see what the conductor sees.
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What if the conductor could reframe things?
Instead of saying something is not good enough for me or even for the composer (or some higher being), challenge musicians to question whether it is good enough for themselves. Offer them a clear, full vision of a standard they may not have even imagined for themselves. Once they see, they will be more motivated to move that bar up and find ways to achieve it - because they want to be better themselves, not because they want to do what you want.
Instead of offering interpretation prescriptions (like emphasize these notes here) or simply say "play what's on the page", offer ways to see the entire picture more clearly or differently and help them understand why what's on the page exists. Allow the musicians to be motivated to paint that picture more and more clearly for themselves. Helping musicians improve the coherence of their own interpretations gives them the purpose (and tangible guide posts) to be better and the ability (and permission) to think similarly in the future.
Everyone's putting the puzzle pieces together. And though the conductor may be the only one who sees the full picture on the box, purposeful teamwork can only happen when more and more people get to see and understand that picture on the box. Otherwise, everyone just puts their one piece in the puzzle and stops without questioning why, how it fits, and what's the actual picture.
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When the people are motivated to be better themselves and have a clear purpose to be better, they show up - again and again. They don't need anyone else to convince them it's a good idea.
When we as conductors show up for ourselves, the people become lost and distracted trying to chase what is perceived as important - what the conductor wants.
When conductors show up for others, we help each musician reach their own highest potential defined under their own terms and within the context of the collective picture.
That feeling of growth and defined purpose promotes lasting fulfillment in our work.
On the other hand, doing something right or good enough according to someone else only gives us momentary fulfillment. We don't want that for ourselves as conductors, so why would we want that for our musicians?
I'll sum it up with a quote by Uber's first Senior VP of leadership and strategy Frances Frei: "Leadership is about making others better - as the result of our presence and in a way that lasts into our absence."
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