“The principal task of a Conductor is not to put himself in evidence, but to disappear behind his functions as much as possible. We are pilots, not servants.”
- Franz Liszt
A group of people can be extremely powerful. If they have a shared purpose. If what they do is drenched in meaning.
Like the Conductor of an Orchestra, a Facilitator helps groups of people to practice the meaning, live the purpose, unleash the power.
“The Conductor of an Orchestra doesn’t make a sound. He depends, for his power, on his ability to make other people powerful.”
- Benjamin Zander
A good Conductor helps all musicians to play better. A good Facilitator brings out the contributions of all group members.
A good Conductor is not a better instrumentalist than any of his Orchestra musicians, but he creates the most beautiful music they can play together. A good Facilitator doesn’t know as much as his group members, but he creates the best possible outcome they can achieve together.
“The most important thing for the Conductor is that he or she listens. Her listening will make things sound a certain way. If the Conductor listens well, the musicians will listen to each other better. The Conductor can, in fact, impose a certain kind of listening for everybody.”
- Laurence Equilbey
A good Conductor and a good Facilitator listen more than they speak. And when they speak, they do so to help their Orchestra or their group perform better.