Friday 19th March 00:28

"Leading Without Stripes"

Hi Everyone,

Have you ever thought about the role of the second violins in an orchestra?

If not, stop what you're doing and listen. You'll find this interesting.

A full orchestra consists of 100 or more players all grouped according to instrument. There is a brass section, a woodwind section, a string section, and so on. In each section, there are sub-sections for each set of instruments. So, in the brass section, there is a place for the French horns, a place for the trumpets, and a place for the trombones, and so on.

It's a bit like the departments and sections of a typical medium-sized company.

But, when you come to the violins, there is something a bit odd. There is a hierarchy. Nearest the audience and nearest the conductor are the first violins. And tucked away next to them and out of the way are the second violins.

The first violins are by general acknowledgement the stars of the show. Their leader, the "first" first violin, is the top guy in the orchestra. A bit like the Chief Executive. He or she has pride of place next to the conductor and traditionally comes onto the platform after everyone else is seated. He or she always gets applause and responds with a little bow.

The second violins have none of this glory. Because they play exactly the same instruments as the first violins, you wouldn't even notice that they are different. But they are.

That's because their role is to serve, not to lead.

Let me explain.

When the orchestra plays a piece of music, it is the job of the first violins to play the melody. These are the tunes that the composer writes and which the audience has come to hear.

But on their own the tunes are not enough. To sound right, tunes also need harmony and that's what the second violins are for.

Harmony comes by blending notes into a harmonious, balanced, and pleasing whole. Interestingly, the word "harmony" comes from a Greek word, "harmonia", meaning "to join", or "blend", or "unite". And that's what the second violins have to do.

Now before you run away with the idea that this is easy, let me quote what Yehudi Menuhin, one of the greatest-ever violinists, said about the second violins.

Menuhin believed that without the selfless dedication of the second violins, the orchestra could simply not produce a pleasing note.

He said: "Unlike the melodic line of the first violins, the second violin player must observe the strictest control of his own impulses and a total subservience to the needs of the line above him, and in fact of all the other instruments of the orchestra. His playing of what we call the inner part of the harmonies is a most precise task and I have the greatest respect for it."

In the workplace, there are those who stand out as stars like the first violins and those who stay in the shadows like the second violins.

Think of the cleaners, the odd job men, the cooks, the receptionists, the PA's, and the junior filing clerks. Where would the leaders and frontliners be without them? Quite simply, playing tunes without any harmony.

So, the next time you run a training event, look out for the people in your audience who play second fiddle. Let them know that theirs is a vital role. Let them know that subservience is nothing to be ashamed of. And that, without them, the organisation could not produce as pleasing a result as it does.

Louis Tice once said that we are all called to be leaders but not all of us make it. Some of us get to wave from the balcony and some of us get to wave from the street. But in the final analysis, we all need each other. Playing second fiddle, and playing it well, is just as important as playing the lead. It's just a different form of leading. Like leading without the stripes.

Happy music-making and happy training!

Eric

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