New Year, New President? Posted on January 1, 2015 by SOSA
What do the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra have in common, other than Doug Hertz? They’re both in the market for new leadership. The Falcon’s rather dismal showing and the ASO lockout of its musicians were both signs that all was not well in the leadership department. While we have no advice for the owners of the Falcons, we do have a few words to say about the next ASO President/CEO.
The ASO is in a rather unenviable position. They have just gone through a thoroughly embarrassing lockout of the musicians – the second in as many years. They have reported that they have been losing money steadily for 12 years. They are in a state that ranks at the bottom, nationally, in arts funding. The WAC corporate structure (and therefore, the ASO Board structure) is convoluted and in our opinion, detrimental to the best interests of the orchestra. Whomever the ASO hires must be able to answer to not one but two boards, whose priorities and goals may conflict.
Hiring a new ASO President/CEO will be a formidable task. What the ASO needs is a leader. That leader will need to be fully informed about the difficulties he or she faces.
With those facts in mind, we have a few questions.
What do the Atlanta Falcons and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra have in common, other than Doug Hertz? They’re both in the market for new leadership. The Falcon’s rather dismal showing and the ASO lockout of its musicians were both signs that all was not well in the leadership department. While we have no advice for the owners of the Falcons, we do have a few words to say about the next ASO President/CEO.
The ASO is in a rather unenviable position. They have just gone through a thoroughly embarrassing lockout of the musicians – the second in as many years. They have reported that they have been losing money steadily for 12 years. They are in a state that ranks at the bottom, nationally, in arts funding. The WAC corporate structure (and therefore, the ASO Board structure) is convoluted and in our opinion, detrimental to the best interests of the orchestra. Whomever the ASO hires must be able to answer to not one but two boards, whose priorities and goals may conflict.
Hiring a new ASO President/CEO will be a formidable task. What the ASO needs is a leader. That leader will need to be fully informed about the difficulties he or she faces.
With those facts in mind, we have a few questions.