Jazzmasters Eli Newberger on tuba, Ted Casher on sax and clarinet, and Bob Winter on piano with jazz aficionado Donald Cutler and Tina Packer of Shakespeare & Company led the CEO Roundtable members on a journey of improv and self-awareness from traditional jazz to blues to the big-band era to modern jazz to bebop, fusion and cool jazz.

“Although we’d like to believe that CEOs lead their organizations just as conductors lead a symphony — following the written score – that’s just not the case,” said Loren G. Carlson, Chairman of CEO Roundtable, LLC®. “Jazz gives us a much more accurate metaphor for how successful and dynamic business is conducted.”

Using the language of jazz, CEOs talked about the possibilities of stimulating creativity in their organizations through jammin’, improv, sitting in, focused listening, tunes, harmonies, style, tempo, rhythm, chords, keys, notes, riffs, the two-person “conversation” of call and response, risk, instant rewards, minding the store, and bringing it home all within the horizontal organizational chart of a jazz ensemble. 

In jazz, improv is the norm, not a response to the unexpected.  CEOs who want their companies to stay competitive need to develop a culture within their organizations that thrives on creativity that is driven by improv — a culture where improv is the norm.  Good improv always stays within the tune selected by the leader.  Improv by a group is jamming, which is the same as a good conversation around a theme.  You want there to be ongoing jam sessions within your company.

One of the highlights of Thursday afternoon was a master class taught by the three jazzmasters working with three graduate music students. The CEOs noted that the masters created an environment of “ respect for others in the group, trust in the integrity of the group, tolerance and even admiration for the opinions and insights of others, an acceptance of errors and mistakes as inevitable and forgivable, the importance of encouraging others, particularly those who are somewhat reticent in group process, subverting the drive for individual recognition and power to the creativity of the group,” as Donald Cutler described it. One member remarked that the masters were “elegant” in their encouragement. Do we mentor and evaluate our own people this graciously and this kindly?  One member said that the master class reminded him of his responsibility to mentor his senior team in much the same way.

“The underlying point is that improv work carries risks of failure that more deliberately paced work might avoid, and one way to sustain the risk is to quickly praise good performance and perhaps also quickly to show that a failed improv isn’t going to garner the kind of criticism that might lead someone not to risk so much the next time,” Donald pointed out.

Everyone stressed the practice and discipline required for good improv.  A member asked the musicians how much they continue to practice now that they are at the "top of their game" and Ted Casher, the elder statesman of the group, casually answered that because he is working a "gig" almost every night he can cut back his practice to "doing the scales" front to back and back to front and middle to middle five times a day.

Tina Packer encouraged the CEOs to focus on what it means to work in a group, what the responsibility of each player is, to build on the energy created by the player before you and greet that energy with “yes.”

The evening jam session proved every point made during the day. Two CEO members joined the masters and students on cello and drums.  And the culmination of the first day was an improv on “Night Train” by Oscar Peterson, a request from one of the CEO members. Exploding with energy and excitement, the piece stole the night with a level of supreme achievement, awe and satisfaction.

On Friday we discussed that improv and jamming are always a response to a challenge. Charles Mingus, the great jazz musician said, "You've gotta improv on somethin', man, you can't improv on nothin'." The CEO who wants productive jamming must start by understanding the important issues in the company, framing them as inspiring challenges and delivering them to the targeted audience with power and stagecraft. Tina coached several members in the formulation and delivery of the challenges they needed to deliver the next week.

Eli Newberger offered two summary suggestions:  “Always respond with ‘yes,’ and always take requests.”  And, he added, "Remember, chance favors the prepared mind."
 

Eli had predicted the CEOs would take some Duke Ellington, some Louis Armstrong, and some John Coltrane with them when they left.  That proved true. 



One member said, in part, “Wow…What a phenomenal retreat…!The decision to use jazz, jamming, and the art of improvisation as this year’s theme — brilliant. The playing of all three musicians — absolutely brilliant and inspiring. Tina’s contribution to the retreat — superbly brilliant. The ability to create an environment where CEOs can laugh, cry, learn more about themselves and the world, feel less alone, become better people, become better leaders, and walk away with more tangible ideas than come out a year’s worth of staff meetings — priceless. The privilege of sitting in with the masters and the incipient masters was one of the highlights of my musical life (and my life in general). Joining the CEO Roundtable has without any doubt been one of the best decisions I have made as CEO.”