Leadership Jazz
One of the more unique takes on leadership is that of Max De Pree. Pree is the author of the best sellers Leadership is an Art and Leadership Jazz. He was recently elected by Fortune magazine into the National Business Hall of Fame. In an excerpt from his book Leadership Jazz, he relates leadership to a jazz band. When examining leadership, there are many factors to take into place. Instead of relying on their techniques, one should rely on their premises; instead of their tools, their beliefs; and instead of their systems, their understandings. A leader needs to be able to look through a variety of lenses to effectively lead their organization. They need to have an understanding of what it feels like to be in different positions of the company. Pree states that we need to look through the lens of a follower, a new reality, hard experience and failure, unfairness and mortality. (Pree, 1992. Page 454.)
A jazz band can easily be related to an organization. The leader must first choose the music, find the right musicians, and perform. The performance depends on many factors such as the environment, the volunteers playing in the band, the need for everybody to perform as individuals and as a group, the absolute dependence of the leader on the members of the band, and the need of the leader for the followers to play well. “Jazz, like leadership, combines the unpredictability of the future with the gifts of individuals.” (Pree, 1992. Page 454.)
Out of the many qualities a leader must possess, faith is a large portion. Faithfulness can be hard and can not simply be caught like a cold. Pree introduces five criteria that can be used to begin thinking about faithfulness.
The first is “integrity in all things precedes all else.” In order for leaders to be effective, they must have integrity. Many leaders are put in the limelight and will quickly be called out if their intentions are not pure. How people perceive you can be influential on how successful you or your organization will be.
The second criterion is the “servanthood of leadership.” This servanthood needs to be believed and practiced in order to remain faithful. A quote from the book of Luke describes this best as saying, “The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules, like the one who serves.” Remaining equal will encourage followers to become faithful in your leadership intentions and capabilities.
Leaders must always remember their accountability for others. They should be willing to help others up when they have fallen. They must care not only for the people on the top, but also those on the bottom.
Many people believe that the leader is either in control or not in control, but Pree believes the practice of equity is the legitimate alternative. (Pree, 1992. Page 455.) Human relationships in an organizations plays a dominate role and should be handled with respect and honesty.
The last criterion to think about when looking into faithfulness is that the leader needs to be vulnerable. They should admit when they have made mistakes. Every human has made an error in their life and by admitting wrong you are showing confidence and humility, not weakness.
Although leadership is a job, it can be very rewarding. Combining faithfulness with hard work and effort can create wonderful results within an organization.
Sources:
Wren, J.T. (1995). The Leader’s Companion. Leadership Jazz. New York: The Free Press. Pages 454-455.