Jazz as a metaphor for effective collaboration and leadership

I already wrote about what leadership means and how models - why useful tools - are also framing our thinking. Still they remain useful to reflect and think about what leadership can be.

Traditional models and metaphors of leadership often focus on sports, war, etc. Not to say they are not valid ones, just overused.

Say yes to the mess: leadership lessons from Jazz - as the title suggests - uses Jazz improvisation as a metaphor.

It specifically provides a useful frame about how leaders (we are leaders in some way) can cope with constant change, complexity and uncertainty by developing our ability to improvise.

Say yes to the mess

Saying « yes to the mess » is about acknowledging the inherent chaotic nature of (business) life and how we can skillfully improvise and find unexpected, often imperfect yet workable solutions.

According to Benett, skilled jazz musicians have to master a series of skills such as the art of unlearning, lead and follow at the same time or how to perform and experiment simultenaously.

7 principles

The author describes 7 principles that if applied can support the emergence of creative problem-solving, better conversations and innovation.

Mastering the Art of Unlearning - or how to challenge self by leaving routine and open up to new possibilities.

Yes to the Mess - or how when facing « the mess », saying yes more often, letting go the need for control, and trust that something good will emerge from it.

Performing and Experimenting Simultaneously. Embracing Errors as a Source of Learning - or how when playing we embrace the unexpected and see errors as opportunities to learn.

Minimal Structure – Maximal Autonomy. Balancing freedom and constraints - or how to build agile structures with what I quote « as much structure as needed, as little as possible ». This to allow diversity and creative tension/debate to emerge.

Jamming and « Hanging Out », Learning by Doing and Talking - or how by allowing conversations (music) to happen in informal settings, newness can emerge.

Taking turns Soloing and Supporting - or how when we balance leading and following, we strengthen a culture of collaboration, give space for new ideas to surface and leave space for other’s brillance to shine.

Leadership as provocative competence - or how leaders can push teams out of the comfort zone, making them leave the « competency trap ». Small changes that break the routine and inspire learning.

My fifty cents - we are all natural born improvisers…

Improvisation can be learnt again. I say again because it is a critical life skill that we all mastered when we were kids. But we loose it because social norms of what is right and wrong take over. We learn that making mistakes, experimenting, following others is valued much less than being right, controlling as situation and being in the lead. Most of the companies struggle to rethink leading from a different perspective.

Deep down I am convinced that most leaders would like to improvise more but also struggle to keep up with the demands of their organisations. Not to say everything is improvisation, yet I am sure that there are situations that would allow for more improvisation.

Is this book for you?

It is a fantastic way to start thinking about improvisation as something valid not only for leaders but for all of us. Think of other activities during which you don’t plan for everything, might be in sports, art or any area that your are passionate about. Doesn’t it work too?

So if you are curious to learn more about those principles as well as to read about tactics on how to embed this into your leadership practice, then go for it. Besides that, it is a book that offers an unconventional angle from the usual leadership books.

Buy the book