Late afternoon sun through the meeting room ceiling to floor windows afforded a full view of the Boston skyline and the Charles River. Several of us were adjusting chairs and distributing the pre-meeting materials; I introduced myself to the person closest to me. As we worked our way back and forth across the rows of seating, I learned that she had trained as a flutist, that she had auditioned for and played in several different symphony orchestras, that she can play almost any wind instrument, and that she owns a cello that she doesn’t play well (not good with stringed instruments).

Recalling that symphony orchestras have been very slow to include women, I asked her about her experiences with auditions.

“…even ‘though the auditions are ‘blind’, we’d wear long pants and men’s shoes – women’s shoes sound different on the floor – so that the judges couldn’t tell we were women…”.

I asked her about practicing for auditions or performances. She replied with a question.

“Some players learn pieces so they can play them well. Others learn pieces so they never make a mistake. Which do you think is the amateur and which the professional?”

“The professional,” I responded, “is the one who learns a piece to play it well. The amateur learns it not to make mistakes because they’re afraid of making mistakes.”

“Nope, it’s the other way. In top orchestras, there’s no tolerance for mistakes. So, professionals practice so they can play without mistakes. Not in rehearsals. Not in performance. Never. Because, if they make mistakes, they can be dismissed… just like that,” she said snapping her fingers. “Just like that.”

Nick Miller is President of Clarity Advantage based in Concord, MA. He assists banks and credit unions to generate more and more profitable relationships, faster, with business clients, their owners, and their employees through better sales strategies and execution. Additional articles on Clarity’s web site.