Listen to the orchestra and to the idealized version; the gap is the work.
technique — attributed to Roger Nierenberg
Nierenberg's conductor practice is a continuous gap analysis. He listens to the orchestra as it plays and to his idealized version of what the music should sound like. He subtracts one from the other and arrives at what needs to be done to bring them closer. The discipline is operationally rare. Most leaders either focus on what is happening or on what they want, but not on both at once. The conductor's work requires holding both simultaneously and acting on the difference. The technique generalizes to any leadership context. The leader who can hold the current state and the desired state in mind at the same time can intervene precisely. The leader who only holds one ends up reacting to one without moving toward the other.
For managers, executive coaches, and leaders thinking about how to give precise direction. The technique is most useful as a self-discipline when the leader has been giving feedback that is either descriptive or aspirational, but not both.
gap-analysis, idealized-version, conductor-practice, subtraction