Become the Maestro

The true value of a CEO of any size organization is their ability to think and translate their thoughts into organizational action – think strategically, long and deep and wide and spatially! I imagine them like a maestro, a conductor, of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Their value is keeping the orchestra members aligned, note by note, instrument by instrument, section by section, while feeling their impact on the audience. They aren’t the instrument’s virtuoso delivering each note; however, they connect all the virtuosos producing a concert. I imagine they think and envision how each section in the orchestra, strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion, will navigate through the composition, delivering the perfect combination of sounds to enchant the audience.
CEOs are the conductors of their organizations. They aren’t the virtuosos of each department. Conductors are generalists who keep the members of their organization aligned and moving in the right direction. Like maestros, their purpose is to conduct the organization so that every team member’s potential and output harmoniously deliver a superior product or service that delights their customers.
All too often, CEOs are comfortable remaining virtuosos. They never advance to the conductor level. Their comfort is in doing, always doing, not thinking. They climbed their ladders by being achievers and getting results. They’re experts at doing, not thinking, and when not thinking, they’re diminishing their value to the organization! CEOs must be thinkers, constantly contemplating the organization’s direction and how best to inspire their team to achieve exceptional results. Whether you’re a five-person startup or a fifty-thousand-person Fortune 500 company, no other position in the organization carries this responsibility.
In discussions with CEOs, I often hear them describe how busy they are. Their executive assistants tightly control their schedules and those seeking an audience. Such busy schedules and gatekeeping often ignore the fundamentals of leadership. The CEO who is too busy to connect with team members, emotionally respond to vital stakeholders, and clearly, directly, purposefully, and inspirationally communicate to their organization is stagnating as the virtuoso and not elevating to the conductor.
Not once did I hear a CEO say I’m too busy thinking, yet that should be the origin of their busyness! Busyness does not equate to productivity, and thinking is not blissfully daydreaming. It’s a discipline where you organize your thoughts and contemplate pathways and outcomes that create a successful business – sustainable, predictable, stable, consistent, and emotionally connected to its stakeholders.
Treat this as a discipline and protect the time you devote to it. When you do, you bring the most significant value to your organization. Like the Los Angeles Philharmonic maestro, graduate from being a virtuoso and become a conductor. Take the time to think!
COL Paul A. Raggio (Ret), the owner of Five Star Leader Development, is a fractional CEO/COO who develops C-Suite executives, business owners, and their management teams on leadership, management principles, and best business practices. Contact him to achieve exceptional results in your company! His email address is paul@fivestarleaderdevelopment.com, and his phone number is (252) 571-7368. Visit his website at https://www.fivestarleaderdevelopment.com.