How to make the most of a bad rehearsal

When we rehearse with other people, it is the rare occasion when things fall in place perfectly, just the way each person intended them to be. More often, we know that things can be better and hopefully we can even figure out why it's not going well. If we've been under stress, tired and overwhelmed, it can become an easy thing to focus on all the things that are not working in rehearsal. As much as I hate to say it, I've been there more often than I'd like to admit. Everything would be better if the other person had worked as hard as you, had better insights, was more creative, artistic, if the instrument was a better instrument, if the set was finished, if, if, if...

In the Harvard Business Review blog, Dr. Goldsmith talks about the best advice he had ever been given. It came to him from his PhD advisor Dr. Case, after Dr. Goldsmith had become really angry and frustrated at the way things worked at his place of work, which happened to be City Hall. Dr. Case's life changing advice as expressed by Goldsmith was:

"Real leaders are not people who can point out what's wrong. Almost anyone can do that. Real leaders are people who can make things better."

So next time we are stressed, tired and overwhelmed and that we have rehearsal, let's remember to take positive steps towards making the play or the sonata better!

Share