The following contains excepts from the book, The Right to Lead (John Maxwell).
At our music school in Midland, Texas we believe that music is more than sound, it is relationships. When discussing the subject of relationships, the concurrent subject of Leadership comes into play.
The premise of ‘The Right to Lead’ is that in order for people to follow a leader, they must want to follow him, based upon several characteristics. The author states, “The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow.” In order to do this, a person must: 1) Let go of their ego, 2) Become a good follower first, 3) Build positive relationships, 4) Work with excellence, 5) Rely on discipline, not emotion, 6) Make adding value their goal, and 7) Give their power away.
Our goal at our music school in Midland, Texas is to bring each of our students to a place of autonomy, where they can pursue a lifelong commitment to learning, being self-directed and self-disciplined.
The book is divided into seven sections that focus on the growth a leader must make to earn the right to lead: 1) Action, 2) Vision, 3) Sacrifice, 4) Risk, 5) Determination, 6) Service, and 7) Integrity.
Under 1) Action, Maxwell tells the story of Norman Schwarzkopf, how he demonstrated the character and courage to lead under the most difficult of circumstances.
Under 2) Vision, Nelson Mandela is highlighted as a visionary for South Africa’s cultural metamorphosis, enduring imprisonment and persecution, finally rising to become the president of South Africa at age 75 after a life-time of striving to have a chance to live peacefully in a nation with democratic rule.
In order to develop vision, a leader must 1) Look within, asking the question, “What do I feel?” 2) Look behind, asking, “What have I learned?” 3) Look around, asking, “What is happening to others?” 4) Look ahead, asking, “What is the big picture?” 5) Look above, asking, “What does God expect of me?” 6) Look beside, asking “What resources are available?”
Under 3) Sacrifice, the story of Eric Liddell (the runner in the movie, “Chariots of Fire”) is used to demonstrate uncommon sacrifice, as he, in addition to being an award-winning runner, worked with Red Cross as a missionary following the Japanese invasion of China, working tirelessly to aid those who suffered, even being imprisoned himself, serving everyone around him and ultimately gaining their respect.
In order for students to succeed at our music school in Midland, Texas, the first lesson they learn is that you get out of what you put into something. Sacrifice is part of the process, and this gives each student the opportunity to learn an important life-lesson.
Under 4) Risk, Harriet Tubman’s story is used to show remarkable risk, as she risked her own life to deliver slaves through the ‘underground railroad’, guiding them to safety through the assistance of sympathizers along the way. Between 1850 and 1860, she guided out more than three hundred people, including many of her own family members. Even though she was uneducated, living in a culture that didn’t respect African Americans, she ultimately won the respect of an entire nation.
Under 5) Determination, Maxwell tells the story of Eddie Richenbacker, whose father died at age 12, causing him to have to quit school to become the family’s breadwinner, selling newspapers, eggs and goat’s milk. He moved from working in a glass factory, to being an auto-mechanic, eventually setting the world’s speed record. He was refused by the military as an aviator, since he was overage and undereducated, becoming a chauffeur instead. He enlisted in flight school anyway, not fitting in with his college-educated fellow aviators, and began to excel as a pilot. By the time the war was over, he had logged 300 combat hours (more than any U.S. pilot), survived 134 aerial encounters with the enemy, claimed 26 kills, and earned the Medal of Honor, 8 Distinguished Service Crosses, and the French Legion of Honor. He was called the “American Ace of Aces.” He went on to become the vice-president, and finally the president, of Eastern Airlines, running it successfully for thirty years, retiring at age seventy-three. He is said to have had the motto, ‘I’ll fight like a wildcat!’
Persistence and courage are lessons that are learned by students at our music school in Midland, Texas. Without these, there can be no progress. Our expectation is that each student rise to the level of their potential, which ultimately requires these character traits.
Under 6) Service, George Washington is given as an example of a man who was called on to serve in a number of stages of the newly developing nation of America, as a general and ultimately as Commander in Chief. Washington had earned the right to lead the nation, being respected as a man who valued service rather than power.
We encourage students at our music school in Midland, Texas to take upon themselves an attitude of service to their community, helping them see that it is not all about them, but about helping others, providing beauty and excellence through music and the arts.
Under 7) Integrity, Maxwell tells the story of the great Roman general, Commodus, who became emperor at age 19. As a skilled bowman, Commodus began to politically position himself as ‘a man of the people’ by showing his courage in the Coliseum, killing lions, rhinoceroses, and elephants. Facing wild beasts eventually wasn’t enough for him, and he began to face the finest gladiators, beating them all. He saw himself as a modern-day Hercules, occupying himself with taxing the rich, distributing money to the poor, having senators and other political enemies executed, while barbarians from the north continued to encroach upon the empire’s borders. The night before he was to accept the highest and most revered office in the land, dressed as a gladiator, the people closest to him drugged him and strangled him to death while he was only 31 years old. Commodus had everything going for him except character.
“In order to be a leader, a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence the supreme quality of a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible…If a man’s associates find him guilty of phoniness, if they find that he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose.” (Dwight D. Eisenhower)
There are many life-lessons that can be gleaned from studying music at our music school in Midland, Texas, and perhaps one of the most important is that of humility, which breeds trust and relationships.
Music is ultimately about relationships and relationships only work when there is trust. We trust our students to grow and succeed, and we hope to gain and maintain the trust of our students and their families as we, together, grow in a successful relationship.