They Told Me Not to Take that Job: Tumult, Betrayal, Heroics, and the Transformation of Lincoln Center (48 page)

Pick Up the Pace

I have committed many more errors through inaction or delay than through timely or even premature conduct. Mistakes by omission, not commission. Mishaps by neglect, not abuse. These are habits I have worked hard to break. Getting things “roughly right” on time or early is appreciated much more than taking a “perfect” action step too late to matter. Whether the issue is preparing a funding proposal, drafting a letter, including an item on the executive committee agenda of a board of directors meeting, or asking a poorly performing employee to resign, do it sooner is part of my credo and operating style.

Opportunities fade too quickly, and rectifiable difficulties morph into crisis rapidly, if they are left to managerial drift and inattention. A nimble, athletic style on day-to-day operational matters is devoutly to be desired. As a general rule, problems do not age well.

At Lincoln Center, speed was required, not just in adapting our programs and often altering where and when they were presented, but in every other phase of our work. Recruiting trustees. Raising funds. Influencing people.

One of my constant clarion calls to staff was always to pick up the pace.
Ahora, no mañana
. Correspondence answered on the day it was received. Phone calls welcomed with courtesy, tact, and a genuine offer of help. All of us at Lincoln Center were privileged to live in a city filled with ambition and competition. We needed to learn from what others do, especially newcomers. They are smart, savvy, hungry, eager to succeed. We had to keep moving. The race goes not to the big versus the small, but to the fast versus the slow.

Organizational Change: How Much, How Soon

On the other hand, one of the most common and misleading pieces of advice offered to new CEOs is to begin wholesale organizational change quickly. Discharge mediocre, underperforming employees or those resisting your leadership. Hire new staff who prize loyalty to you above all, preferably those who have worked at your side in the past. Announce new initiatives that signify a brisk departure from past practice.

This act first, act now, listen later approach to major institutional change rarely works. It triggers resistance. It spreads insecurity and worry throughout the organization. It leads to accusations of arbitrary and capricious behavior on the part of a novice, know-it-all CEO. It cripples morale. Who is (s)he to take that step so soon? What does (s)he really know?

Moving too quickly, except in the case of a genuine emergency, rarely works for the organization or for the fledgling CEO. Instead, become an insider. Lift expectations for individual and collective performance. Raise the metabolism of the place. Lead by example. Arrive early. Leave late. Exhibit energy, curiosity, empathy, and optimism. Emphasize steady, incremental progress and connect its achievement to employee incentives and recognition. Respect your colleagues.

Do all of that, and watch what happens. Employees who can’t keep pace with activity and higher standards begin to leave of their own accord. They are replaced by more energetic and ambitious newcomers, who help to change the institutional culture. Momentum builds. Some incumbents actually change their habits and get with the program. It all can happen naturally and organically. The pace of change is deliberate. The CEO allows for time to reach decisions intelligently,
to develop new information, and to course correct. Letting employees know what is expected of them and why is essential. The critical mass of the organization must be in agreement and in alignment if ambitious goals are to be realized.

Overcoming an organizational immune system accustomed to resisting innovation and change requires persistent and measured pressure. It rarely happens quickly, or dramatically, without the CEO encountering strong pushback or countervailing opposition.

At Lincoln Center, the search committee members who recommended that I be hired knew that there were many challenges to be addressed, but they were also justifiably proud of what they and their colleagues had accomplished. Indeed, two of the search committee members, Nat Leventhal, my predecessor once removed, and Beverly Sills, the first chair of the board with whom I needed to work closely, were both largely responsible for many achievements as well as for a state of affairs that called for change.

By necessity, such change occasionally meant altering what they had created and dismantling what they had built. Proceeding too quickly could easily have been viewed as a repudiation of much of their legacy. Instead, mutual trust had to be developed. Positive experiences together needed to be enjoyed. Generous acknowledgment of the achievements of predecessors would be warmly welcomed as well. Then, and only then, could recommendations for change be judged on the merits. Then, and only then, were those responsible for the status quo likely to be more receptive to change. They became allies and supporters, rather than sources of resistance.

Treat your predecessors as mentors. Ask for their advice. Consult with them as you reach critical decisions. The tendency to act as if organizational life began with your arrival is not only naive; it can be fatal. There is plenty to learn from those who came before you.

Leading from Outside In

Are we open to fresh ideas from sources outside Lincoln Center, like journalists, donors, and customers? Do we consciously look to other institutions, for-profit and nonprofit, to identify best practices that Lincoln Center would do well to emulate? The movement to demand-based
pricing and yield management was probably first exploited best by Broadway theaters. The transmission of live performing arts, in the case of opera, by the Metropolitan Opera, to several thousand movie theaters. Successful examples of Internet and social media fund-raising campaigns originated with sister institutions. Best-in-class food and beverage service. Superior sales of branded merchandise. Innovative special events that draw funds and institutional attention. Where are the models of these practices worthy of emulation?

Encouragement by the CEO always to look outward, to learn from the positive experience of others, broadly construed, is indispensable. How does Disney handle long lines? Pepsico, advertising? American Express, customer service? The National Theater, subsidized-ticket pricing? Look for admired analogues. Identify how other institutions cope with challenges you are now encountering. These are the signs of a dynamic, ambitious organization, filled with professionals eager to learn.

Board members and staff colleagues are a wide-open pathway to such learning. Communication among them generates ideas and enthusiasm and should be encouraged. Too many CEOs view their boards of directors as intruders, even necessary evils, rather than as senior partners with impressive professional and social networks and storehouses of intellectual capital. In Lincoln Center’s case, their associational and professional circles reach, literally, to the ends of the earth.

The inward-looking forces are strong. The tendency to compare one’s own institutional performance year over year as the one and only benchmark to examine is typical. The inability to escape from the stay-at-home comfort zone is endemic among nonprofits. These are problematic tendencies at most workplaces.

Resist them. Overcome them. Dare to be open, most of all, to new ideas.

The Means and Ends of a Workplace

In the frenzy of the typical day, too many executives treat their peers and subordinates as only a means to achieve a short-term result. Beset by the pressure to complete tasks or respond to the felt needs of a boss, a client, or a customer, they lose sight of the human element at the workplace.

Driven by transactions, they neglect to nurture relationships at home or on the job, sometimes to the point of a downright lack of kindness, bordering on abuse.

Often CEOs or heads of departments are like Jekyll and Hyde figures. They “manage up” with sensitivity and concern, expressing curiosity about the lives of their superiors and sensitivity to their challenges. Little time or space seems left for those with whom they work every day. Even worse, blue-collar workers—folks like ushers, security guards, or maintenance staff—can go virtually ignored.

Try the exact opposite approach. Invest in the professional and personal lives of peers and subordinates. Support. Encourage. Teach. Assist. Greet warmly. The business you are in, more likely than not, is labor intensive. The capacity to attract and retain talent often depends more on whether workers feel truly valued, whether they are learning and growing in their jobs, and whether they are acknowledged and appreciated, than on the size of their latest salary increase or bonus. Employees want to work in a place where they are highly regarded, a place that they can call a second home, no matter their name, rank, or serial number.

The people with whom I spent most of my working and waking hours were always important to me. It was from them at every job I ever held that I drew inspiration and learned much. If they felt that I truly cared about their lives and did not see them as vehicles, like Zip Cars to be used only when needed, then productivity would zoom and the work setting could be regarded as a means to self-realization, not only to achieving organizational objectives.

In such a trusting atmosphere, when bad news occurred, I would be alerted to it immediately. No one would fear retaliation or anger. What staff could expect was, “Okay, let’s roll up our sleeves and figure out how to fix this problem. There will be time enough later to determine what went wrong and how to prevent a recurrence. For now, let’s correct this, all of us.”

That collective approach, which focuses on “we,” spreads quickly in an organization. It grows to embrace even your bosses, because they learn about how you treat others and they sense how positive people at work feel about themselves and their employer. At Lincoln Center, it was reflected in the way patrons, donors, employees, and trustees were drawn to our campus.

Do not fool yourself. If you treat a fellow employee poorly, word spreads fast. Lincoln Center is not the only organization possessed of a prison-quality grapevine. Messages about a mean or inattentive boss ricochet around organizational corridors. Mr. Jekyll, meet Mr. Hyde.

Temperament

If the secret to success begins with whom you are surrounded by, talented staff and gifted trustees, it necessarily ends with you as their leader. Maintaining an upbeat, optimistic, and energetic mood is not just essential, it is infectious.

In achieving your ambition for an organization or cause, you will encounter obstacles, active and passive resistance, conflicts, and problems. Some of your colleagues and trustees will be allies as long as good fortune prevails, but not a moment longer. Summer soldiers and sunshine patriots abound in any organization. Others can be relied on to adhere closely and consistently to the status quo they know best and from which they often benefit.

It takes stamina, fortitude, and persistence to lead in the creation of a new order of things. It demands that you possess the courage of your convictions. Those around you can easily sense any lack of confidence, any hesitations that betray weakness. How poised and self-possessed you appear, the posture you assume, really matters.

When you approach each day with vim, vigor, and determination, when you leave your doubts at home, your followers are encouraged and your detractors dwindle in number.

As a leader, you will be tested. A can-do, roll-up-your-sleeves enthusiasm; a problem-solving, consensus-oriented approach to resolving conflict; and an abiding respect for all with whom you work will tilt the odds in your favor.

Protect and Enhance the Brand

One of Lincoln Center’s most treasured attributes is the strength of its brand. The power of an excellent reputation for first-class quality in discharging its multifaceted mission is a prized asset.

Worldwide, anyone who cares about the performing arts knows of Lincoln Center.

Is it possible to love orchestral music and not long to hear the New York Philharmonic?

Can you be drawn to opera as an art form and die happily without frequent trips to the Met?

If it is ballet you adore, then the home of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins is a place where you must be a frequent guest.

Beyond affinity for particular art forms and therefore specific resident companies, the Lincoln Center brand manifests itself in “house trust.”

If Lincoln Center presents a piece of art, no matter how challenging, then it must be worthy. After all, it has passed the test of cultural arbiters of impeccable taste.

Lincoln Center’s imprimatur is powerful. If you wish to be anointed as a software engineering guru, then holding a degree from Stanford, Cal Tech, or MIT can hardly hurt. Doors open when one has graduated from the Harvard Business School. Got a serious knee or shoulder problem? You can’t do better than the Hospital for Special Surgery. What should you see or listen to in the performing arts? Lincoln Center is your go-to institution.

Recently, the power of the Lincoln Center brand has been demonstrated not only by its attracting over five million people annually, by its award-winning ensembles and productions, and by the continued success of the now forty-year-old syndicated television program
Live from Lincoln Center
, but also by its showcase sixteen-acre campus. Hardly a week goes by when the Center is not hosting delegations from every corner of the world, whose members wish to visit the physically transformed outdoor spaces and indoor venues. These visitors include government and private dignitaries, who come prepared with dozens of questions about how Lincoln Center is governed, how it sells tickets, how it balances its budget, how it relates to its neighborhood, and how it decides what art to produce and present.