Music has always been a part of my life. Whether it’s classic rock in the car, jazz in the background while I work, or a steady playlist on a long run — I’ve always appreciated the way music brings order to chaos. But the more I’ve led teams and built businesses, the more I’ve come to see something deeper:

Leadership is a lot like conducting music.

No, I don’t mean playing guitar in the boardroom. I’m talking about how the principles of music — harmony, tempo, rhythm, composition — apply almost perfectly to building and leading high-performing business teams.

Here’s what I’ve learned.

Harmony: Everyone Has a Role, and It Matters

In music, harmony happens when different notes — often from different instruments — blend together to create something richer than any single part could achieve on its own.

Business is no different. A strong company is a team of different talents, backgrounds, and perspectives working toward a common purpose. But to make it work, you can’t have everyone playing the same note. You need complementary strengths.

The best leaders I’ve worked with — and tried to emulate — are like conductors. They understand the unique role each person plays, and they bring those voices together. It’s not about uniformity. It’s about alignment.

If your marketing team is playing jazz, and your operations team is doing classical — but no one’s listening to each other — you’re going to hear noise, not music. Harmony is built through communication, mutual respect, and shared rhythm.

Tempo: Set the Pace, Then Hold It

Every song has a tempo — a pace that holds it together. Too fast, and the notes blur. Too slow, and the energy dies.

In business, leaders set the tempo.

When I was scaling CTS, I learned how important this was. If I moved too quickly — launching initiatives without structure — the team couldn’t keep up. If I moved too slowly — hesitating on key decisions — we lost momentum.

The sweet spot is setting a tempo that’s challenging but sustainable. You want urgency, but not burnout. You want focus, not frenzy. The best CEOs I know have a natural sense of pacing — they know when to push, when to pause, and when to let things breathe.

And just like in music, the tempo might change between verses — but everyone has to stay in sync.

Rhythm: Build Consistency Into Your Culture

Rhythm is the heartbeat of a song. Without it, even the best notes fall apart. It’s the repeated, reliable structure that carries the music forward.

In business, rhythm shows up in your systems and rituals.

Team meetings, feedback loops, planning cycles, daily check-ins — these aren’t just calendar fillers. They’re your rhythm section. They give your organization a pulse.

During our biggest growth years at CTS, we created rhythms around hiring, performance reviews, and project execution. We weren’t rigid — we still made room for improvisation — but we had just enough structure to keep everyone moving in time.

Rhythm is where consistency meets creativity. And when done right, it builds trust.

Flow: Know When to Lead and When to Let Go

One of my favorite things about music is flow — that feeling when everything clicks. The instruments don’t just play their parts — they respond to each other, build off each other, create something alive.

As a leader, there’s a moment when you need to step back and let the team play.

It’s tempting to micromanage every note. But real flow happens when you’ve built a strong enough structure — and a strong enough team — that they don’t need constant direction. They know the song. They’ve practiced. Now it’s time to let them lead in their own space.

Flow in business is when the team is aligned, energized, and autonomous. And it’s a sign that you’ve done your job as a leader — not just by being present, but by getting out of the way when it counts.

Composition: Start with Vision, End with Impact

Great songs don’t happen by accident. They start with a vision — a melody, a message, a mood. From there, they’re crafted carefully, layer by layer.

Great businesses work the same way.

You start with a clear purpose. Why are we doing this? Who are we serving? What impact do we want to make?

Then you build the structure: strategy, product, people, process. It’s not always perfect. You revise, rewrite, even toss whole verses and start over. But if you stay committed to the vision — and open to iteration — you end up with something meaningful.

Leadership is composition. It’s about turning raw ideas into something powerful, emotional, and lasting.

Lead Like a Musician

You don’t need to play an instrument to lead like a musician. You just need to listen closely, trust your team, and aim for something greater than the sum of the parts.

Whether I’m hiring new talent, troubleshooting a problem, or rolling out a big initiative, I still think in musical terms:

• Is the team in harmony?
  
• Is our tempo right?
  
• Are we in rhythm?
  
• Do we have flow?
  
• Is our composition worth listening to — and worth repeating?
  

Because at the end of the day, business — like music — is an act of creation. And the best leaders aren’t just managing — they’re conducting something that moves people.