TAG: arts leaders,

Conflict Management for Emotionally Intelligent Musicians: How to Run a Conflict Meeting

In my last post on how to prepare for a conflict meeting, we took a look at how the members of a string quartet could prepare for a brewing ensemble conflict stemming from a perception that one of the members of the quartet was not fully committed to the ensemble and was engaging in behaviors that undermined the rehearsal process, threatened …

Conflict Resolution for Emotionally-Intelligent Musicians: How To Prepare for a Conflict Meeting

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Working successfully with other musicians in an ensemble or another collaborative project involves not only an exquisite blend of musical styles and skills but also a high degree of emotional intelligence to manage the relationships with your fellow musicians. Inevitably, when creative people come together, there will be varying ideas on how to approach the music as well as how …

Quadrant II Time Management for Musicians: Achieve Your Goals by Focusing on What’s Important

The life of professional musicians is complicated! Professionally, musicians engage in a wide variety of activities both for creative stimulation and financial stability: Rehearsals Performances Tours Running concert series and festivals Teaching Collaborations Creating new ensembles and ventures Tending to the business side of being a successful musicians That’s just on the professional side.  They also have families and friends, …

Conflict Management for Musicians and Arts Leaders: 4 Tools to Diffuse Conflict and Build Stronger Relationships

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This week, I had the pleasure and privilege of working with the Fellows of Ensemble ACJW/The Academy, the preeminent teaching artist program and ensemble collective of young top-level musicians, on the fascinating topic of conflict management.   Conflict is inherent in the work of musicians and arts leaders who are passionate and have strong ideas about and high standards of excellence …

Relationship Management for Musicians and Arts Leaders : 3 Strategies for Making an Effective Connection with Others

My last post on developing your emotional intelligence focused on how to build successful relationships by mastering 3 communication skills. Relationship management also means that you know what to say in order to make others feel understood and be seen as a trustworthy person. You can start by mastering 3 strategies for making an effective connection with others: Compliments Showing …

Emotional Intelligence for Musicians and Arts Leaders Part IV: 3 Communication Skills to Help Build Quality Relationships

In the course of your work as a musician or arts leader, you inevitably encounter conflict, challenges and other “slippery” situations.  How do you handle yourself and your relationships with all of the people with whom you deal?  Here is where the fourth emotional intelligence skill comes into play:  relationship management. Relationship management is the ability to create successful bonds …

Building Empathy: Lessons from the Heroically Thwarted Georgia School Shooting

In my most recent post on how to build emotional intelligence for musicians and arts leaders, I focused on how to develop empathy and 5 other strategies for social awareness. Empathy is particularly effective in creating a social bond because it enables you to understand what someone else is going through and see the other person as a fellow human …

Emotional Intelligence for Musicians and Arts Leaders Part III: How to Develop Empathy and 5 Other Strategies for Social Awareness

As a musician or arts leader, you have undoubtedly dealt with some “interesting” personalities in the course of your work!  Inevitably in the course of putting together an artistic venture, people put forth strong ideas that might clash with your own. Have you ever stopped to think what might be going on with the other person that would lead him …

Living “in the Zone”: How Music Entrepreneurs Optimize Their Flow Experiences

Creative people know the feeling of being “in the zone”,  the state of effortless concentration and joy where your skill level meets the challenge at hand, you know what you want to achieve and you are receiving the feedback on how well you are doing, time whizzes by because you are doing something that you love, and you are thus inspired …

Conflict Management Styles: The Start of Effective Conflict Management

Conflict is part of life. Conflict is any situation in which people have incompatible interests, goals, principles or feelings and experience.  In other words, conflict means that two people experience discomforting differences.

Despite our best efforts, we find ourselves in disagreements with other people in all aspects of our lives:  at work, in our relationships, in our volunteer activities.  How we respond to provocation can determine if conflict moves in a beneficial or a harmful direction.  The good news is that we can learn skills, strategies and processes to manage conflict.