The right music motivates us and makes challenging tasks more enjoyable; just picture any fitness center without music. William Taylor’s reference to “listening musically” on Fast Company got me thinking about the motivating quality of music.

Taylor suggests that “listening musically enables leaders to get underneath and behind the surface to ask, “What’s the real argument that we’re having?” In other words, listen to not just what the individual is saying, but to the feelings that lie behind the message. I don’t know all the reasons behind the use of the coined phrase, but the term itself has created a visual image that remains with me.

How do we listen to music? We listen to the whole piece. We also--if we appreciate good music--listen to the individual notes, the volume and the pitch. We look for meaning behind the lyrics.

Listening definitely also has a visual component. We appreciate the visual expression of music by watching videos, dancers, or artistic performances. Taylor suggests that leaders benefit when they listen musically.

But, how does music motivate us?

Music portrays everyday challenges in ways that resonate with listeners. It describes experiences that are similar to ours while at the same time giving hope. Music instills hope through either the lyrics, the story told, or the notes themselves.

Effective leaders demonstrate that they hear and understand our challenges, but they also provide us with hope.

Music often inspires us to move forward and work harder to reach a goal; just as a good leader would.

Music can make mundane or repetitive tasks more enjoyable. It can make difficult tasks less stressful. A good leader can accomplish both of these.

Taylor’s choice of the term “listening musically” to describe active, empathetic listening serves to remind me of the critical elements of a well-functioning team: seek to understand, support others, remain hopeful, work as hard as is possible and have fun.

References:

Taylor, William C. “The Leader of the Future.” Fast Company [www.fastcompany.com]. December 19, 2007.