Symphony
Mission Bells
The Sound of Leadership by Jules Glanzer cleverly uses the language of music to give audible sound to Leadership. I appreciate the use of a different sense then sight to understand a concept. Words like harmony and frequency are ones that span several fields that they can be applied to, making a great connection between music and leadership. The Voice of One, or what I like to think of as the conductor of a full part orchestra is God. [1] As a leader and her organization seek to fulfill the mission, all the players align by playing all the parts in the same key and tempo. There are all the varieties, such as the alto, the base, the harmony, that blend for a full beautiful sound.[2] The crescendo comes from making decisions filtered through the mission, vision of what the end goal sounds like, values that are based on the deepest convictions and the accrual of the proper resources.[3] The importance of a clear mission and value system is a theme that is fairly consistent in good leadership models. Camacho in Mining for Gold, talked about the leadership qualities he learned from being in the military.[4] Vision and clear communication are essential and leading others to pursue the vision by seeing their part in the whole inspires.[5] Shirly Sagawa and Deborah Jospin, in their book on nonprofit leadership, The Charismatic Organization, write that an organization’s existence is because of its mission.[6] The mission builds charisma because it keeps its focused on what is important.[7] A “compelling” mission consists of a problem that needs solving, a reliable response and an inspiring vision.[8]They found in their studies that charismatic organizations have solid and clear mission’s statements.[9]
Four-Point Harmony
The musical score for the team seeks to have perfect four-part Harmony.[10] Jesus exemplifies the soprano, speaking the truth in love.[11] In Mark 10:17-31, Jesus speaks the hard truth to a righteous, rich man by telling him to sell what he has and give it to the poor to gain eternal life. Jesus had looked at him and it says he loved him. Glanzer talks of his executive team that openly spoke their minds but in an accepting and honest environment. He talks about how heated it could get, but that each member knew where each other really stood and were committed to telling their views with a heart of love.[12]
Glanzer uses the example of Jesus telling the disciples of his coming suffering and death in Luke 18 as an example of the bass, embracing hard realities.[13] I always contemplate on how shocked and confused the disciples where at Jesus’ death. There are several instances in the Gospels where Jesus clearly tells them that he will suffer and die and the prophecies of old predicted this, yet they seem to be lost. The harsh realities are hard to grasp, but they need to be realistically discussed.
Entrusted responsibility is the tenor and is explained through Jesus sharing his authority and sending out his disciples.[14] His work is multiplied by entrusting it to others. Jesus leaves the church with the responsibility spoken in the great commission in Matthew 28:18-20. Glanzer completes the harmony with the alto, loyalty.[15] Jesus was clear about the loyalty he asked for. To live in the freedom and power in Christ, he needs to be Lord of our lives. Glanzer returns to the executive team and its open discussion and disagreements. Though, once a decision was made there was an expectation of loyalty to the team and its decision.[16]
Sagawa and Jospin also speak to harmony in a team, though not using that term. They talk of the importance of transparency around why and how decisions are made that builds trust and keeps leaders open and honest even in the hard choices.[17] Teams that hold each other accountable to a common purpose and approach build relationship, skills- sharing and buy-in.[18] People want to be trusted with open communication to be successful in their work.[19]
The One Composer, Conductor and Song
Jesus’ song is what put into being the complexity of physical reality. His breath song prophecies and scriptures into the hearts of his followers.[20] He rejoices over us with singing.[21] His song orchestrates his kingdom, with hills and trees[22] and rocks[23] and the harmonies of his people. His mission is the chorus of our realms of influence and his example of love and truth are our melodies. Minor keys express the suffering, and the musical score is dotted with the notes of his and our loyalty. What a great composer and conductor we serve!
[1] Glanzer, Jules. The Sound of Leadership. Plano, Texas: Invite Press. 2023: 32
[2] Glanzer, 23
[3] Glanzer, 23-24
[4] Camacho, Tom. Mining for Gold : Developing Kingdom Leaders Through Coaching. La Vergne: Inter-Varsity Press. 2019. Accessed April 9, 2025. ProQuest Ebook Central.
[5] Camacho, 19
[6] Sagawa, Shirly and Deborah Jospin. The Charismatic Organization: 8 Ways to Grow a Nonprofit. San Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass. 2009: 38
[7] Sagawa and Jospin, 39
[8] Sagawa and Jospin, 40
[9] Sagawa and Jospin, 43
[10] Glanzer, 72
[11] Glanzer, 72
[12] Glanzer, 73
[13] Glanzer, 74
[14] Glanzer, 75
[15] Glanzer, 76
[16] Glanzer, 76
[17] Sagawa and Jospin, 135
[18] Sagawa and Jospin, 137
[19] Sagawa and Jospin, 141
[20] 2 Timothy 3:16
[21] Zephaniah 3:17
[22] Isaiah 55:12
[23] Luke 19:40
About the Author
Jess Bashioum
4 responses to “Symphony”
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Jess, this post is wonderfully syntopical. You had a scripture for three of the parts: soprano, tenor, and bass. But you didn’t have a scripture for alto – loyalty. If you had to pick a verse or story, which would you choose?
Robert, good question? I sort of avoided a verse for this one because I could not think of one that had some musical imagery or at least be somewhat poetic. I’m thinking of John’s dialogue with God in John 17:20-23,
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” This one feels like being enveloped in the trinity with each other- that is a profound experience that speaks to the connectedness and loyalty we have in God.
Jess, I feel a huge relief that I am one tiny little sound in a rich orchestra conducted by God! What a sound we make together!
I am a huge fan of the value of transparency and have it on all my organisations values posters. You note that Glanzer speaks of how his team would openly speak their minds and Sagawa and Jospin speak about their process to decisions in a transparent way.
I have always secretly wondered if I like transparency because it is easier to trust people when we know the process and journey to why they did what they did. Like a maths sum- when we see the journey we can make sense of when they problem may have first messed up the final number. But I know I also value it because none of us can really point out the speck in another’s eye when we are honest enough to say we are really trying to do our best and up for any help along the way. I guess thats humility, so i think maybe transparency and humility are a vital pair to create safe work and home environments. What do you think?
I am convinced that transparency and humility are essential for safe teams and places. I committed a long time ago to choose to be transparent. It has a cost and it is sometimes humiliating, but it always makes relationships grow. My mess ups are often a form of the mess ups for many people in the room, If I choose to be the one to put it out there, it creates a space of openness and honesty. There is such a thing of oversharing that I try to be aware of. I have been in many a group that has that person, or two, who shares their triggering and traumatic story for most of the session. Though I want safety to share, sometimes some things need to be said with a small few you trust. Sometimes I wonder if I say too much, I don’t want to take up all the space, which is easy for me to do, because I have so much to say.
I truly appreciate your openness and honesty, it is refreshing to know what is going on inside of you, because it so often resonates with what’s in me. That creates safety. I hope you never back down from being honest about what you feel and think. Don’t let anyone try to silence the song you bring to the orchestra!