Photo by Riccardo Annandale on Unsplash
What happens when icons in the business and nonprofit worlds strike up a friendship? Tom Morris shares how Jim Collins’ “Good to Great” principles helped reframe the purpose of his nonprofit, revitalize fundraising, and spark a culture of renewal – and not just for organizations, but for individuals, too. Apply “greatness practices” to your situation to sharpen vision and clarify what success looks like.
Guest
If you’ve listened to this podcast for long, you probably know that I love books and reading; I love chatting with authors about their books, especially new releases – and also timeless classics. Today’s guest is the author of a new release, and is joining me from Cleveland, Ohio. Thomas Morris had a 50-year career in the music business that included leadership of the Boston Symphony and Cleveland Orchestra. He is in demand internationally as a consultant, teacher, and writer, most recently of the book we’re talking about today that released in the fall: Always the Music: How A Lifelong Passion Framed a Future for Orchestras.
Notes
We discuss:
- Our orchestra model was established in the early 1900s, and it has remained remarkably unchanged, in spite of major changes to things like music education in schools; the competitive landscape of entertainment options; consumer access to music on demand; not to mention a global pandemic.
- How Tom’s friendship with Jim Collins came to be, and how Jim’s insights informed Tom’s work in the music world.
- How Tom and Jim’s collaboration resulted in Jim’s publication of a supplemental monograph, Good to Great and the Social Sectors.
- Tom’s recommendations for listeners who want to follow his lead in clarifying vision for their non-profit, or for stimulating renewal in their organization (whether it is an orchestra, other fine arts organization, or educational institution).
Connect/Other Resources
- More info on Tom’s book, Always the Music: How A Lifelong Passion Framed a Future for Orchestras; available on Amazon.
- Jim Collins’ work with Tom was a significant element leading to Collins’ publication of a supplemental monograph, Good to Great and the Social Sectors (which cited The Cleveland Orchestra several times as a case study).
- Tom mentions The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).
Other episodes we mentioned or that you may enjoy:
- Ep. 184: Run It Like a Business – Proven strategies to grow your audience and sustainably fund your art; with Aubrey Bergauer
- Ep. 180: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness – Renee Fleming’s comprehensive interdisciplinary anthology
- Ep. 75: How Pfizer, Sony, and Unilever use music to develop their executives’ business & leadership skills; with Maestro Roger Nierenberg
- Ep. 195: Classical Regenerated – AyseDeniz on AI, Creativity, and Bridging the Past and Future of Music
- Ep. 175: Unveiling Opera’s Enchantment – Demystifying the magical world for music lovers of all ages; with Carolyn Sloan
- Ep. 61: The moral, artistic, and economic power of color in classical music; with Afa Dworkin
- Ep. 40: Does society serve art, or does art serve society? A metropolitan opera utilizes music as a community development program teaching academic, vocational, and life skills.
- View all episodes related to Education & Community and Business
In-Episode Promo
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Coda
Tom shares about the most meaningful concert of his life.
Closing Words
Thank you so much to Tom for sharing that story, for joining us today, and for putting this book and its insights out into the world.
You can always connect with me on email (mindy@mpetersonmusic.com), Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
Thank you so much for joining me today. Until next time, may your life be enhanced with music.
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