Catalysts of breakthrough: Churning individual potential into performance

How beautiful would it be if the entire world were a symphony instead of the daily humdrum that unnecessarily takes away our attention? The fact that leaders can discern between noise and music is what explains their effectiveness in carrying out their daily roles in the office. Take, for example, the recent keynote address by Amrita Padda, CPO, Airtel on the theme ‘Catalysts Of Breakthrough: Elevating Potential Into Performance’ at the People Matters TechHR India 2025, began on an unusual musical note as opposed to the bland introduction of people and their positions that many meetings are known for. The nostalgia that the iconic 1988 Independence Day song “Mile Sur Mera Tumhara” created an emotional connect that served as a segue into the essential topic of the convention “How the orchestra serves as a model for high-performing teams and effective leadership”.

Exemplifying Manganiyar Orchestra for its unity amidst diversity

The conference was ideally a confluence of old emotions versus novel experiences with the speaker reminiscing her days when she had last attended a Manganiyar performance at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai. Needless to say, the effect of the musical concert was profound with the speaker falling short of words while detailing the musical brilliance, with each artist mastering his specific instrument. 

Initially, there were solo segments in sequence with each piece of music eliciting deep-seated emotions and affording untold emotions, both for the listener and performer. But the spell weaved its charm when all of them began to play together. The charm that ensued after each individual instrument, each with its own tone and tune blended into a single cohesive sound reminding us how a gradual transformation into a unified sound embodied in itself the necessary leadership skill that aligns individual excellence into a combined effect. It is this impact that delivers unmatched performance, thus, allowing some leaders to deliver extraordinarily.

Unity not of rules but direction

Leadership need not be about big talks and looking sophisticated in Armanis; it is about allowing people to create together. If you pay enough attention to a band or an orchestra, you will realise that every musician is practically playing the same sheet of music. It all seems the same but yet so vividly different with each one underlining the necessary artistic freedom while not letting go of the shared vision towards a concordant execution. This is similar to high-performing businesses that epitomise clarity of purpose and direction. 

As Amrita Padda, CPO, Airtel aptly says, “In Airtel, this principle is implemented through clear annual goals and cascading communications from leadership to the grassroots. From top management to frontline employees, everyone is aligned — understanding both their individual contributions and the collective mission.”

The focus should be on enforcing unity but not through rules but via a shared direction. You focus on conviction rather than compliance alone, which allows each team member to rise organically while also allowing enough room to push towards a common goal.

Challenging norms that impede innovation

Did this orchestra start suddenly? Did any of you feel a jarred, knee-jerk reaction to the playing of any student? Certainly not, because there was a pause – a moment of silence as if getting the mind ready to witness and experience something extraordinary. There is an anticipation of something novel and great that underlines alignment and psychological safety.

You need to feel safe within to be able to innovate. According to a recent McKinsey study, teams that feel secure and more likely to perform better. It is this innate feeling of psychological safety that encourages team members to pursue innovation no holds barred. A unique example of unfettered creativity and relentless pursuit to challenge the status quo and seek groundbreaking solutions to age-old problems is evident in the development of their spam message blocker. Top leadership did not take the plunge; it was the frontline team members who adapted old methods and experiences to create a major customer-friendly feature, sans any added cost.

A distinct voice does not disrupt

Did all the instruments in the orchestra sound alike? Surely no as the table did not sound like the sitar nor any instrument emulated the tone and tune of another. Each instrument had a distinct voice; each told a different story, and together all came up with a performance that the audience marvelled at. The conductor did not focus on the playing of one instrument alone. Instead, he played on the uniqueness of each instrument and combined their diverseness to give way to a coherent performance. Diversity is not a liability as opposed to the common corporate belief; it is rather a strength. With different brains working with a single-minded purpose towards one common goal, be it engineering or providing great customer care service, the diversity of ideas when converging on a problem brings forth equilibrium and parity that the company is looking for.

Individual efforts can be chaotic, which leaders must manage and orchestrate into collective excellence. No mind works similarly, which means that there would be individual differences that must be ironed out before being integrated for the common good.

From “I” to “We”

The leader must know when to step back similarly like the conductor who steps back when the performance hits the climax. Do not wait to step back till the curtain falls or crave for the audience to take notice of your presence. Your presence is accentuated by your team’s performance. Let your team members take the spotlight. Step aside and lend them the necessary space. The fact that the conductor stepped aside just when the audience got spell bound by the music highlights an undercurrent of leadership humility that is so much missing these days. 

Let ego not take the centre stage. Be willing to pass the baton, allow your team to own their success so that they can lead future performances without you. Every moment of success underscored by each resounding clap will help build confidence and sustainability within the team. 

Orchestrate the magic before you unleash it

Success is never by chance; it is only by design. It is not the dearth of talent that impedes great work. The true challenge lies in orchestrating and managing the talent. Be it the famous Manganiyars pulling at the chords of your heart or some regular daily street art that catches your attention, you will find examples of real-life illustrations of leadership in action. When you see some of the finest performances in theatres and auditoriums, know that they are not spontaneous but examples of planned magic. 

Some of the best leaders always plan their next move; they design their next step. There are high intentions involved; there is clarity of vision, and most importantly, there is harmonious collaboration of all involved to create an environment whose tone and rhythm are conducive to all.