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“Gerald, you have a very interesting background and the story about how you combined the principles of creating great jazz performances in the musical world with creating high-performance productivity in the business world. I’m excited about your book. I liked reading it and I’m going to apply some of the principles with my team. ”
“Congratulations, Gerald, on your new book. You have obviously put a lot of heart into it. This wonderful, enjoyable book entertains you and opens your mind and heart to inspire others. It can change your life and the lives of others.”
“In his latest book, Workplace Jazz, Gerald J. Leonard provides fresh new insights and practical tools that will allow leaders to adapt their organizations and to develop agile transformation project teams to excel in the new world of constant change.”
An Awesome Book on Teamwork in Technology In Workplace Jazz, Gerald Leonard has written a compelling, fun, and enormously helpful book. It describes the spirit of imagination, teamwork, and improvisation that exists on the best workplace teams, particularly those with a technology focus.
“Workplace Jazz contains transformational ideas if you’re willing to think differently. I’m a jazz saxophonist, but the first time someone asked me to play jazz I froze. I didn’t know what to play. I didn’t know how to listen to music. After decades of training, practicing, and playing I know how to express myself in a band. The same thing happens in our companies. People freeze up because they don’t know how to express themselves, or they “play over” everyone by not listening to what anyone else is saying. Gerald J. Leonard shows us how these seemly disparate worlds fit together. Beautifully. As a master jazz musician and project manager, he shows us the power of improvisation as the way to creating the culture we always wanted to be part of. Well done, Gerald.”
“Workplace Jazz could not come at a more critical time. Our organizations are frayed, businesses struggling and failing at an alarming rate, and employees have never been so distant and disengaged. In this hyper-competitive, disruptive world we find ourselves, we need a better way to work. This book does just that, in a relatable way that harkens back to the essence of what makes us human: music and communication.”
What a fun read! Gerald has composed an insightful book that will help you take your organization’s culture and performance to the next level. Truly a joy to read! Andy Kaufman
"Gerald provided exceptional leadership, vision, and a remarkably patient and steady hand during this multi-year, multi-iteration installment. His knowledge, organization, temperament, positive energy, responsiveness and follow-through were all critical to VDOT’s success. He provided expert guidance on improving efficient and effective project oversight. Gerald led the development team, and consistently championed schedule data quality. He provided training for project managers across the Commonwealth, and prepared a variety of training aids and reference materials."
“As a musician myself I love the analogy/metaphor of music being compared to business. There are lots of similarities, as you show us.”
“Gerald Leonard is an exceptional person in both fields. He understands systems and cultures and processes plus he is a world-class professional musician. I've performed with him in the National Speakers Association's "All Star Band" and was amazed by his rock-steady performance and his unbelievable versatility.”
“Gerald, I enjoyed reading the metaphor of how a great culture is like an orchestra. You can't make beautiful music and enjoy harmony without a commitment from all to play their part. You must have the right leadership, and the right players, playing to their strengths.”
“Gerald, you created a masterpiece. Using music as the metaphor for culture opened up my mind, and it is so true in the business world. I never equated music and business, but I now see the direct correlation.”
“I love this - Having an on purpose culture is vital to the success of any group - and I believe Gerald J. Leonard has it down.”
“Gerald. Congrats on breathing life into a topic that is often uninteresting - I don't think one needs to be a musician to appreciate your metaphor.”
“Culture is so difficult to define and affect. This approach really makes sense.”
“Gerald, I love the analogy of the orchestra to business, because just as the conductor needs to surround his / herself with the best players, so does the CEO or manager. Companies can't make beautiful "music" for their clients without the right people, in the right chairs.”
“What I love about this book is the analogy. Ever listened to just the tuba? Or second fiddles? It's really not that interesting. But when you put it together, it can move your soul... And professional musicians know that a good conductor brings a vision that transports the performance to a whole new level... but it's the underlying culture that forms the platform on which the conductor builds.”
"This concept and book are genius! Gerald's performance/speech about the book's strategies- brilliant! Gerald uses his considerable music skills to turn you into a better business leader FAST. Thank you, Gerald! You are ready for a fantastic TEDx talk!"
“Gerald has the unique ability to take a subject such as Portfolio Management and simplify it and make it understandable to a diverse group of professionals in various job fields. I look forward to working with Gerald in the future on other PMI alliance endeavors”.
“Gerald, demonstrated a deep knowledge of portfolio management and responded with confidence to attendee questions. From my perspective as the event planner, coordinating with Gerald was exceptionally easy.”
“Gerald is a genius at public speaking, he has a unique way of drawing you in, using music to help underpin his message”
