We’ve lost count the number of times we’ve listened to the “Hamilton” soundtrack.
Or watched the movie on Disney+.
We’ve even been lucky enough to see it in person.
But even after countless times of listening/watching/singing along, there’s a lesson in leadership in the show that we didn’t realize until recently.
The best leader in the musical isn’t Alexander Hamilton.
It’s not George Washington, either.
Thomas Jefferson led a party, but he wasn’t the best leader.
Aaron Burr wanted desperately to lead, but there was a better leader..
The best leader in the musical isn’t even in it. The best leader on stage is the man behind Hamilton: Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Go back and watch or listen to the show again.
You’ll see (or hear) Miranda as Alexander Hamilton, and he is amazing. Everyone in the show is! All of the hours and hours of work and dedication show in the flawless performance.
The more you watch or listen, the more you can see how intricate and difficult the lyrics, choreography, and staging are.
It’s a masterclass in performing. Most of it was written by Miranda himself, and it will blow you away! (Yes, that pun is intended.)
But in the very last scene, pay close attention.
Because after two hours of shining brightly as the star, Miranda chose to end the show. . . in the background, dimly lit. The show ends focused on his character’s wife, Eliza played by Phillipa Soo.
Miranda’s on stage, but the man who made the show stands in the background. Because it’s not about him at the end.
Miranda knew that a true leader lets his team shine and doesn’t make it about themselves. By allowing each of the cast members to shine in their roles, he made the show better. If he had grabbed on to the spotlight for two hours and said, “It’s my show, they came to see me!” the show wouldn’t be half as good as it is.
But instead, Miranda emphasized the unique talents that each cast member brought.
He was thrilled when they had a chance to show what they can do.
And at the end, he gives the final scene and spotlight to someone else.
A leader lifts up the team.
Where does this fit into fundraising? Only you as a fundraiser can say how it fits for you—as everyone’s cast is different.
But it’s important to make sure everyone has a chance to shine and feels they have room to stretch their wings. When people feel like a cog in the machine with no real ownership or chance to be creative, we get stagnant and the overall work suffers. Fundraising is already too difficult to let that happen.
But it doesn’t mean letting bad copy or design go out to donors, either.
Maybe it’s letting someone junior in the department spearhead the gala, and at the end let them make the closing remarks.
It could be wrestling the phone away from your social media coordinator to write a post about their hard work and how it connects donors to your organization’s mission.
Or letting someone on your team lead the next donor tour and impress donors with the work being done.
Whatever it is, you’ll know the opportunity when you see it—as long as you look for it.
A good leader lifts up the team.
Photo by Sudan Ouyang on Unsplash
