An effective musician plays their part, listens to others, and keeps the big picture in mind. You might think that these activities happen all at once; but they don’t.

Effective musicians, like any effective professional, can only do one thing well at a time. Before they perform, they study the music. They ask what is this piece about, what’s my role in this, and what’s the goal. They imagine how others might perform their parts; they think about how they will support the others. They internalize the work before they action.

Finally, a musician actions — they play. During performance, a musician will, like a submarine, surface to hear what’s going on. They make adjustments. They play.

Great leaders are like great musicians.