Situational humility
We know that change occurs when we take risks and step out of our comfort zone. And we are often required to take that step with complete groups of strangers in our profession.
As conductors, sometimes we may work with a freelance group of musicians who have never played together before. And other times, the guest conductor can be the foreign factor for a group that knows each other really well.
When we encounter problems in these circumstances, we don't often feel psychologically safe to speak up, take risks, or share half-baked ideas that may not work. These problems could be something that is not working musically, something logistical, or something that is unfair.
While we can be experts in our fields and have immense knowledge, I'm learning it is impossible for us to always have the answers to every problem.
Yet, the social norms typically result in the conductor feeling obligated to come up with the answer alone and the people in the group feeling it is not their place to speak up when they might have an idea or a solution.
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This week, I rewatched this interesting TED talk by Amy Edmondson. She explains that situational humility plus curiosity is what leads to psychological safety within groups of strangers. It made me reflect on what that means for me and for our industry.
Even as experts, we can learn to have the situational humility when appropriate to say, "I don't know" and create space to invite other people's opinions and ideas. Imagine a conductor responding to a musician with, "Hmm, I don't really know the answer to your question. I'll find out. And also I wonder, what do you think about this? What would you do?"
What might ensue from those questions? The musician might think the conductor is incompetent or lazy. Or the musician might think, "Oh, I've never thought about what I think about this. Let me think about it. Maybe I can have an idea for an answer?" Every time I've dared to ask what a musician thinks, I'm pleasantly surprised to discover that I've learned something new and unexpected from them.
I find that the more musicians bring their ideas to the table, the more I learn as a conductor benefiting from their expertise. I'm learning to be more curious about finding out what others know. I'm also learning that my ideas are not always the best ones; and when I stop being curious because I think I've found it, I accept them as the best ones. I used to think that I hold the burden of being the one to find the best ideas because I'm the leader, but I'm starting to realize that my responsibility is hearing what others have to say and finding out who harbors those best ideas.
It takes the pressure off of me to have the right answers all the time, and it also empowers everyone else to contribute the best of what they've got.
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