Jazz Blog

When Jack Welch wrote a book with his wife, Suzy, called Winning (2005), I don’t think anyone was surprised. Winning was what Jack Welch was all about during his career in business. And he believed fervently that such winning produced a broad range of benefits that were the foundation of a free and democratic society.

Welch identified eight essentials of leadership that can be linked in provocative ways with the dynamics of jazz.

1. Leaders relentlessly upgrade their team, using every encounter as an opportunity to evaluate, coach, and build self-confidence. Every performance provides jazz musicians with an opportunity to hone their capacity to perform better. They are constantly helping and encouraging each other to reach their full potential, then reach beyond that.

2. Leaders make sure people not only see the vision, that they live and breathe it. When a jazz group really swings, they have tapped into their passions, applied them to the chosen music, and allowed that spirit to infuse their whole beings.

3. Leaders get into everyone’s skin, exuding positive energy and optimism. Jazz groups thrive on the possibility of achieving something truly inspiring and satisfying, both for themselves and for their audiences.

4. Leaders establish trust with candor, transparency, and credit. Relationships that are characterized by honesty, openness, and mutual acknowledgment lie at the heart of great jazz.

5. Leaders have the courage to make unpopular decisions and gut calls. Jazz musicians rely heavily on their instinct and feel for the best interpretation of the piece with this group for this audience at this time. It takes courage to push both performers and audiences beyond their comfort zones at times, but that’s what real jazz does.

6. Leaders probe and prod with a curiosity that borders on skepticism, making sure their questions are answered with action. Jazz is created through questions such as, “What would happen if…?” and “Why don’t we try this …?,” then doing it.

7. Leaders inspire risk-taking and learning by setting the example. Leaders of jazz groups motivate others to improvise by first taking the risks themselves.

8. Leaders celebrate. Watch a live jazz group. Not only the leader, but everyone involved is nodding, smiling, appreciating, and celebrating what is being created. That keeps the spirit and momentum up for ever improving performance.

This flow of leadership practices works well in whatever field of endeavor your have chosen. You will notice that most of the practices are shared by all the members of the group. In jazz, the leadership role shifts from player to player and all contribute to the desired results. Developing the capacity to perform in this manner will improve your leadership performance significantly, regardless of the position you hold in your organization.

By: Brian Fraser