I Work with Leaders

The people I work with care about getting better at whatever task they are working. They care about the people involved in that task. Most of all, they care about helping others discover the satisfaction of empowerment.

My training is in music. I started as a pianist (yes that’s me…the tall thin one doing the fig leaf, with my piano teacher and another student), but discovered a call to be a conductor (that’s my back conducting my Canadian university chamber choir at a national choral event). A conductor is a vision setter, a teacher, an inspirer, and a community builder. As a leader, a conductor works with a group of people toward a specific goal in a limited time frame. In this collaboration, the best results are achieved when every member of the team is empowered to do their best, not out of duty, but out of the joy of the end result.

You probably already know that most teams don’t work that way. The same can be said for a high percentage of individuals. I assure you that any group of people can develop into that kind of team, and any individual can develop into that kind of leader. Over the course of my life I’ve helped make it happen for all kinds of individuals and teams (that’s my official “glamour shot” when I was working as an administrator for a non profit organization dedicated to integrating the arts into worship).

Not everybody wants to work that hard. I understand. They want a “quick fix.” To be sure, I’ve learned a few tricks that clearly produce discernible improvement in a very short period of time. If that’s what you’re here for,  my most famous trick can be found in my book The Choir in Modern Worship. But I’ve found that people who are only looking for the “tricks” are generally not interested the work it takes to be an inspirational leader in the long run.

Lately the people I’ve been working with most are those who are in “semi-startup” mode. They have a business or a service but can’t quite get something to work. At one extreme, I’ve helped people refine (or create) their business plan, which is something I had to do from scratch when I started a winery. In a lot of cases, I’m helping them do better marketing, particularly through social media, and especially by using twitter to grow a list or create better engagement and more sales.

The people I’ve helped the most have been eager to know how to sustain improvement over the long haul. Those are the people that put a smile on my face, because I know that I’m not just helping them, I’m also helping them help others. Want more info? See what I’ve done as a musician and creator.

If you’d like to work with me, I’d be happy to talk with you. Call or email me during reasonable hours Pacific time.