The Mark of a Leader

So many times, I have heard this expression used to define the difference between a leader and a boss. “A boss is someone who calls out orders to their employees while pushing from behind. On the other hand, a leader is someone that offers guidance and direction while working alongside their team.” It is easy to get caught in the “administrative bubble” – that are where we are so involved with our administrative tasks that we become detached from our team. Some of my fondest memories of leadership came from those that worked in the trenches with their team members.

Over the years, I have been able to learn so much from my former general manager and still-current mentor and friend, Marc Tischart. He truly did lead by example. One thing that stuck out to me about Marc was his excited involvement in station events. It was fairly typical to send the on-air and promotions teams out for events; in most cases, however, management was not always on-site. This was not the case with Marc, however. He and his wife, Sherry, would come to almost every single event – no matter the distance from the station. He was not one who simply observed and called out orders. He let us put him to work by asking what we needed. He was never afraid to get his hands dirty, and we were always overjoyed to have him and Sherry visit.

There was another side of Marc’s leadership that I think can also apply to our work as music educators. Marc was not afraid to admit his mistakes and failures. Often times, Marc would have an idea that we as a team would implement. Not all of those ideas were a major success. Marc was very humble about these things. He did not blame the team for the problems. If it were his mistake, he would be quite straightforward and tell each of us, “I was wrong. I made a mistake.” We never like to admit when we are wrong. Frankly, it is never easy to admit that our great idea was actually not so great. In our careers, we are going to fall flat on our face some days. I believe, however, that the greatest sign of character is being to admit when you are wrong. As we transition from students into educational leaders, may we also remember that mistakes are a common part of life. How we handle those mistakes determines the depth of our character.

Photo: With Marc and Sherry Tischart at Cadillac Mountain near Bar Harbor, Maine.