Ensemble Mindset

In this 6th article of my series “Playing the Changes: What Jazz Can Teach us About Leadership,” I’ll explore the concept of the “Ensemble Mindset.” 

Practicing Jazz

I saw the Sullivan Fortner Trio play in May. “Play” feels like the right word. They passed the rhythm, melody, and harmony around like a playground ball, receiving each other’s ideas with laughter, surprise, or closed-eyes concentration. They flooded the room with creativity, every moment co-created - including one prompted by the elementary students sitting in the balcony. 

As the trio started playing the last song, the kids in the balcony got up to leave. They thought the show was over. Mr. Fortner looked up to see what the commotion was about. He stopped playing, picked up the mic, and turned to the crowd.

“Y’all want to sing?” he asked.

“Yeah!” we shouted.

He was listening to EVERYTHING. He noticed the music that was already there. After all, “Everything we do is music.”1 As the kids settled back in, he led a call-and-response. He nudged us into creating something beautiful together. After the last note, the place filled with noisy celebration! 

Words can’t capture this experience. Even with a bigger vocabulary and more talent on my part, I don't think they could. (Poetry could come closer.) In situations like these, language breaks down as a way to communicate. A different kind of knowing is present. When you know it, you know it.

Practicing Leadership

The experience of being in tune with everything can happen at work too. If you’ve had this experience, you know it. I feel it most often with project teams where we have shared purpose and commitment to learning what we need to learn. We are coordinated, creative, disciplined, and flexible. We reach our goals in ways we couldn’t have planned.

The folks at the Jazz Leadership Project have a term for this - the “Ensemble Mindset.” A group experiencing Ensemble Mindset are in relationship around common values and a heart-centered purpose. Individuals bring different styles and perspectives. They share their talents and see conflict as a generative force. Through their sustained commitment, they create group flow and find creative ways to achieve what they set out to achieve.

Reflecting

• When have you experienced the “Ensemble Mindset?” What conditions or behaviors support it?

• Where can you and your team get clearer on values and purpose?

Listening: “Pep Talk” by Sullivan Fortner