This month, Leadership Colorado visited the world-class Colorado Symphony Association. While the CSA’s mission is to inspire and connect people through music, there’s a whole other side to what they do. Participants drew parallels between a conductor leading an orchestra and a business executive leading their team, learning that leadership is less about “playing the music” and more about creating the right conditions for a team to perform at its best. The parallels between conductor and leader, score and strategy, and the collaboration across orchestra sections as a reflection of cross-functional teamwork were especially insightful.
Participants learned from Daniel Wachter (CEO), Coreen Miller (Chief Financial Officer), Tony Pierce (Chief Artistic Officer), Julie DeWoody (Chief Philanthropy Officer, and Andrew Rogers (Chief Audience Experience & Revenue Officer) about how they handle the full scope of running an organization – setting strategy, generating revenue, fundraising, managing expenses, finding the right talent, and negotiating union agreements, facing many of the same challenges as any organization to grow and thrive.
The program featured an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of Boettcher Concert Hall and a happy hour where networking among their class is taking off. Thank you to the Colorado Symphony for hosting such an engaging program for Leadership Colorado!
