Working in Harmony: What Development Teams Can Learn from Musical Groups
summary
Development teams adopt four concrete behaviors as evaluation criteria: smart humble hardworking collaborative. Evidence comes from choir practice: ensembles spend 40–50 hours of rehearsal to nail a 1–2 hour performance, some choirs of ~100 rehearse three hours weekly, pairing novices with veterans, lending privilege, and using direct-but-caring feedback (Kim Scott’s radical candor). Companies (Slack referenced via Stewart Butterfield and Ben Horowitz) embed these traits in performance frameworks, so individuals can lead by modeling listening, continuous learning, disciplined practice, and timely feedback.
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chapters (9)
- 0:00Introduction and background
- 1:28About the speaker
- 3:58Four team attributes defined
- 6:34Being smart in teams
- 10:36Humility in practice
- 15:17Hard work and discipline
- 18:28Collaboration and feedback
- 20:58Summary and takeaways
- 22:03Leadership without management
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