As a leader, you don’t have to say everything out loud.
Duane Davis told me today, “Shaw never talked about singing with passion.” He sang with Robert Shaw in the Cleveland Symphony Chorus, shortly after he graduated high school. To his memory, Shaw talked about rhythm, dynamics, pitch accuracy, phrasing, etc. but never spoke directly about singing with passion.
But Shaw led with passion, always. His passionate demeanor told the singers everything they needed to know about how they should approach their work with the chorus.
Now, I don’t necessarily think we should never talk about passion. Students, especially, need practice. Shaw benefited from the work of many educators who probably did talk about passionate singing.
But the larger point remains: the people we lead are learning from us every minute, and making choices based on how we lead and how we behave. Based on who we are.
Your leadership isn’t just what you say – it’s everything.