HGSE News: Standing in Possibility: Benjamin Zander at the Principals' Center

On July 31, concluding "Leadership: An Evolving Vision," a 10-day summer institute sponsored by HGSE's Principals' Center, renowned conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra Benjamin Zander gave an animated presentation about the power of possibility to more than 100 principals and school leaders attending the institute. Between symphony excerpts performed on piano, Zander applied his interpretation of leadership—namely, that a leader's power lies in the ability to "awaken possibility in other people"—to educational professions, labeling children as the potential beneficiaries of efficient leadership.


Benjamin Zander (photo: ©2002 Peter Schweitzer)

Founded in 1981 on the belief that principals make a profound difference in the quality and culture of schools, the Principals' Center offers functional and motivational information to principals nationwide as a way of encouraging the development of their leadership and administrative abilities, thus providing schools with the means to flourish and effectively serve their students. Designed by the Principals' Center to challenge, provoke and ultimately foster a life commitment to the calling of teaching and learning, their Summer Institutes demonstrate a belief in the need for continuous effort towards the achievement of personal and professional successes.

Benjamin Zander's presence at this latest institute was noteworthy, given his wide-ranging experiences both as a conductor, and as a published writer and acclaimed speaker. His application of his own realizations to the transformational change demanded of successful leaders reached audience members at a personal level, offered Milli Pierce, Principals' Center director. In Pierce's words, Zander "teaches us how to believe in ourselves and—perhaps more importantly—in others, by transcending internal and external conflict." Zander's book, The Art of Possibility, expands these theories, and Pierce hopes that it may ultimately serve as a resource for principals and teachers on a broad scale.

Teaching: A Healing Profession
116 principals, visiting from around the United States and abroad, participated in the "Leadership: An Evolving Vision" institute. The majority of these participants attended Zander's lecture, during which he characterized teaching as a "healing profession" because of its profound, positive impact on children. He continued by asserting, "Of all the things I do, the most important to me is the teaching of young people"; numerous anecdotes about his engagement with students, including as the long-time conductor of the New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, bear out his claim.

Zander's presentation emphasized the responsibility of leaders to maximize the daily opportunities that life offers. He shared his belief that both personal and professional relationships—and even world affairs—should be examined with the philosophy of "radiating possibility." Rather than falling into the "downward spiral" of the victory vs. failure mindset, Zander used his invitation to address the institute to encourage participants to actively look beyond life's regulations and to adopt a philosophy of contribution. "The secret of life," he offered, "is that it's all invented. The question of 'How can I contribute?' should replace preoccupation with goals and success."

At the conclusion of his lecture, Zander exhorted the principals in attendance to apply the philosophy of The Art of Possibility to future decision-making, both personal and professional. Each institute participant received a copy of the book, courtesy of the Principals' Center.

About Benjamin Zander
Benjamin Zander has served as the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic for more than twenty years and as the conductor of the New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra for more than three decades. His recording of Mahler's Ninth Symphony received a Grammy nomination in 1999, and he has conducted critically acclaimed recordings of Mahler's Fifth and Sixth, and Beethoven's Fifth and Seventh as well. Audiences for his lectures on leadership and possibility have included Fortune 500 companies and State of the World Forums, as well as NASA, the U.S. Army, Sprint, and IBM. The Art of Possibility, which he coauthored with Rosamund Stone Zander, was published by the Harvard Business School Press. More information about Zander is available on his web site.

For More Information
More information about the Principals' Center and its institutes is available on its web site.

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