How Big Band Drumming is Like Team Leadership

The essence of leadership is the ability to inspire members to perform as never before without authority. 

Assume you have no authority, no control over anyone or anything, and you need to inspire members to perform as never before. Who are you? “Oh, you must be the drummer, set your kit up next to the piano dude.”

When searching for helpful techniques to improve our leadership skills, sometimes the best place to look is to a completely unrelated field. Did you know the techniques used by a big band drummer parallel those of a successful team leader? 

On the surface the big band drummer is just another “side-man” without any authority or control. Once the music starts the drummer can invoke confidence and inspire individual members and the entire band to reach new heights.

Come and sit in the seat of a big band drummer and see what you can learn about team leadership.

This talk is 1 hour and includes 3 short workshop activities. This talk can be expanded into a deeper learner-centered workshop experience that is targeted to meet your specific needs. If interested, we will be happy to teach your senior manager a simple drum beat that she/he can perform at the close of the talk.