Hitting the right note...

Over the years, through economic highs and lows, the question of how to build strong teams with good working relationships is one we’re asked by clients time and time again. In my mind, it’s not possible to apply a staid formula or model in how best to achieve this, teams are made up of people, not a group of overheads on a spread sheet. Teams involve a complex set of individual and multi-way relationships which must be allowed to develop and flourish naturally over the course of time.

Of course, in a business context time isn’t always on one’s side. However, when a last minute client pitch or presentation to the board crops up unexpectedly, teams which start from a position of mutual respect, trust and understanding usually rise to the challenge. This is because they don’t need to rely on a forced repertoire or ‘rehearsed’ performance due to the underlying strength of the relationships they have in place.

Moreover, apart from the obvious benefits of being able to rise to the challenge, the type of ‘in the moment’ creative ideas and flashes of genius that make the difference between a good and great team, can and do happen.  Even within a highly pressurised meeting environment.

Many of my thoughts on the subject of team dynamics relate to the world of music, much of which translates to the business environment extremely well. Jazz musicians, for example, are some of the most intuitive and creative professionals in the music business – given their ability to improvise intuitively with each other.

In the words of Josh Linker, professional jazz musician/CEO of Detroit Venture Capitalists;

“In jazz, less than 1 percent of the notes are on the written page. The rest is improvised as you go. Even though it’s a very small percentage, that 1 percent is critically important to the creativity happening. It tells you important things. It tells you chord changes, key signature, tempo and things that allow all the musicians to collaborate and create in a meaningful way. Without that 1 percent, the whole thing falls apart. It sounds like a train wreck.”

When we transfer this to the business context the one percent is the structure, knowledge and skill colleagues bring.  The real magic which enables a seamless negotiation or discussion is provided by the relationships and harmony in the group. This enables the flexibility and creativity to flow collaboratively into a successful solution or plan.

Crucial to this improvisation of course, and how jazz musicians pull off a fantastic set night after night, is how each individual understands and responds  to the subtle cues their colleagues provide. Relying solely on non-verbal cues, jazz musicians are masters at listening  - both to the tone and tempo of the music to find the right moment to contribute - and to the subtle eye contact and body language given off by their colleagues during the set.

Naturally, with a different audience each night, each time the musicians perform they must collaborate in the context of how their audience is responding.

While in a business meeting one is not simply relying on non-verbal cues – these subtle signals are often a much stronger indicator of what a person is really thinking or feeling than what they are saying. The ability to read these signals as well as what is being said by a colleague in a meeting increases the potential for a successful outcome making them confident in their ability to go with the flow of the meeting and build in a relevant and interesting point suitable for the current audience, that isn’t ‘pre-rehearsed’.

Jazz music comes together beautifully when, able to read each other, musicians transfer the focus of the piece from one musician to the other with amazing fluidity, allowing each person to take control of the set and add to the overall effect. When this effortless transfer of power and status between musicians is replicated in the business world – allowed to happen regardless of team members ‘rank’ or job title – the impact is enormous.

Jo Ouston
November 2011