TED Talk Sensation Maestro Itay Talgam Visits Manila

Last May 5, Filipinos finally got to hear Israeli orchestra conductor and TED Talk sensation Maestro Itay Talgam speak live at the Rigodon Ballroom of The Peninsula Manila. The event was made possible by training and consultancy firm, BusinessWorks, Inc. 

From Maestro Talgam, we learned that whether in an orchestra, in the work place, or even in the family, music has the power to create teamwork (or the sense of community) and reinforce shared values. He was very engaging and shared with us the stories of several conductors who each has his own way of leading their team of musicians.

He showed us videos of the conductors and asked us who we'd like to work with or possibly let teach our children. Many disliked the others like Maestro Ricardo Muti who looked really strict and too uptight while another conductor (whose name I didn't quite catch) looked bored and too lax. Most preferred Maestro Carlos Kleiber and Maestro Leonard Bernstein, who also happened to be Maestro Talgam's mentor, because they obviously love what they're doing and inspire their musicians in the process. 

Maestro Talgam further discussed how making music involves individual effort as well as collective achievement. In an orchestra, or any organization, a good work environment presents a lot of opportunities for excellence and self-actualization. Audiences got to learn how the different aspects of music making can actually provide stimulating insights into common management concerns like leadership, teamwork, personal development, and creativity. 

From him, we realized that leadership and collaboration should be more about experience rather than instruction; that there should always be a good connection between leaders and followers. As a parent, I was reminded to really pay more attention to inspiring my children to be independent thinkers who should know how things should be done instead of always depending on someone to simply tell them what to do. 

I think everyone who came that day was motivated to make better use of our communicating and mentoring skills in developing our own leadership styles to, in turn, empower our teams (in my case, my family) so we can all make "beautiful music" together. 

To learn more about the Maestro Program, please visit http://www.talgam.com and also like https://www.facebook.com/BusinessWorksPH to keep updated with interesting future talks/events.