Executive Affairs
Workplace Culture Jargon That Needs A Timeout
Wed, Jan 1, 2020
by Drew McManus
A snarky tweet from @OrchestraSay the other day got me thinking about workplace leadership jargon that can use a timeout. When the executive director says "My door is always open." They really mean: 1. This sounds like something a friendly person says2. This counts as trying to care3. You are all witnesses to me being
More Decisions, But Resolution Remains Elusive
Tue, Dec 12, 2019
by Drew McManus
The beleaguered Grand Teton Music Festival (GTMF) continues to make its way through the rapids of a nasty labor dispute and what is apparently a division among board members. In the face of growing pressure from an array of stakeholders that included the music director, musicians, donors, and a large swath of former board leaders
Disrupting Musician Employment Agreements
Wed, Apr 4, 2019
by Drew McManus
In her 2015 book, Reinventing Dell: The Innovation Imperative, Heather Simmons, former Dell General Manager and Executive Director of Marketing from 1992-2005 wrote “Those who disrupt their industries change consumer behavior, alter economics, and transform lives.” I couldn’t agree more, but even though disruption inside the classical music field is a tall order, it shouldn’t
A Better Way To Find New Answers To Old Questions
Mon, Jul 7, 2018
by Drew McManus
In the process of interviewing Seattle Symphony Orchestra stakeholders about their new musician pension plan, one item that stands out is the approach both sides adopted in order to arrive at their outcome. While it certainly falls into some of the parameters for interest based bargaining, what really struck me is how much more it
Those Soft Landings Are A Sharp Double Edged Sword In Disguise