Monday, May 10, 2010

Be Like Gustavo

When was the last time you felt like this when you’re working?

Meet Gustavo Dudamel, the joyfully passionate conductor of the LA Philharmonic. Watching him conduct Dvorak and Tchaikovsky left me breathless and thrilled to my toes. A true maestro, he drew stellar performances from his soloists as well as the orchestra and swept the entire audience along with him. Brilliant.

See him live if you can for the full effect (the LA Phil starts their U.S. tour today). In the meantime, consider this photo and bringing some maestro mindset to your next “performance”….

Age is irrelevant. Dudamel is all of 28 in a field where age is revered. Yet he commands the respect of talented, experienced musicians twice his age. How? Dogged preparation. Respect for the individual artist and their collective work. Sharing every bow with one or more of his players. Sheer passion for the perfect performance.

Leave it all on the stage. Last week, he was so intent on conducting Dvorak’s Cell Concerto that he popped a neck muscle. In great pain, he insisted on conducting Tchaikovsky’s highly physical Sixth Symphony. Only intervention by a clear-thinking Executive Director got him immediate medical attention.

Serve up a little drama. Not for the sake of drama (who wants to work with a drama king/queen?) but to advance your art. A pregnant pause at the right spot in the meeting. A compelling photo (not a PowerPoint bullet) to make your point. A pitch-perfect story that inspires your audience to act.

Go ahead. Try it. Embrace your inner Gustavo.

3 comments:

  1. Rochelle,

    Your hit the nail on the head with this timely post. I think leadership and inspiration are the missing ingredients that you have to have if you want stand out from the crowd.

    Best Regards,

    Wayne

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  2. Rochelle, Outstanding insight. We all have an inner Gustavo, it's just a matter of re-connecting after years of conditioning/conforming.

    Thank you for reminding me to unleash my inner maestro!

    Rebecca

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  3. Thanks Wayne and Rebecca. We all have it in us--we just need the courage to let it out!

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