“Choosing ignorance might seem a terrible quality to exhibit in your workplace—a sure path down the stairs and out the corporate door. But stick with me here and see how it leads you upward. You’ll understand why great leaders embrace ignorance and use it to elevate their people to new heights of achievement.”
A conductor in front of his orchestra is an iconic symbol of leadership—but what does a true maestro actually do to enable the right sort of cooperation among his players, leading to an excellent performance? If you think his primary job is making sure the musicians play the right notes, prepare to be surprised.
For twenty years, in addition to conducting orchestras around the world, Itay Talgam has been a “conductor of people” for companies large and small, for CEOs of Fortune 500 companies as well as start-up entrepreneurs, and beyond. Drawing on his decades of experience on the podium, he teaches nonmusicians how conducting really works and how the conductor’s art can help leaders in any field.
In his lectures (including an acclaimed TED talk) and now in this book, Talgam shows why imposing your vision on your people is likely to backfire. Great conductors may know in advance how they want a piece to be played, but they make room for the creativity and passion of their musicians. They respect the gap between the baton and the instruments. They focus more on listening than on speaking. And they embrace their own ignorance, knowing that others may have better ideas than the conductor can imagine.
Talgam explores the nuances of leadership by describing the distinctive styles of six world-famous conductors: the commanding Riccardo Muti, the fatherly and passionate Arturo Toscanini, the calm Richard Strauss, the guru-like Herbert von Karajan, the dancing Carlos Kleiber, and the master of dialogue Leonard Bernstein. All took different approaches to the age-old leadership dilemma: how to maximize both control and creative freedom at the same time.
The Ignorant Maestro will empower you to help your own team make even more beautiful music. Talgam’s anecdotes and insights will change the way you think about listening, humility, and the path to unpredictable brilliance.
Itay Talgam's international conducting debut took place in 1987, when he was chosen to conduct the Orchestre de Paris, with Leonard Bernstein himself conducting the second half of that same concert. Talgam has conducted many orchestras in Europe and the United States and has conducted and recorded with all of Israel's major orchestras, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Israeli Opera, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, and the Israel Chamber Orchestra. Talgam created the Maestro Program of seminars and workshops to help everyday people develop a musician's sense of collaboration and a conductor's sense of leadership.
Lary Bloom is an author, columnist, editor, teacher, playwright and lyricist. His eight books include The Writer Within, Letters From Nuremberg (with Christopher J. Dodd), The Test of Our Times (with Tom Ridge), and Lary Bloom's Connecticut Notebook. He is at work on a biography, Sol LeWitt: A Life of Ideas.
His columns have appeared in the New York Times, Connecticut magazine, the Hartford Courant and other publications. He and Suzanne Levine founded Writing at the Mark Twain House and, with novelist Wally Lamb, Praiano Writers, a program on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. He has taught writing at Fairfield University, Trinity College and Wesleyan University. His plays include Wild Black Yonder, Worth Avenue and the musical A Woman of a Certain Age.
