What a pleasure it was to meet with Itay Talgam, acclaimed Israeli conductor and author of my favourite TED talk yesterday (I’m not the only one – Al Gore is also a massive fan). Over coffee – and over the irritatingly noisy group of engineers on the next table pouring over plans of the Westbourne Grove sewer system – we discussed his innovative approach to leadership and creating team culture. Using the examples of different great conductors, he demonstrates how their styles limit or create the space for enhancing the orchestra’s performance. Even more brilliantly, he has started doing group workshops where he brings along a string quartet and allows the audience to witness the effects of his lesson immediately and first hand.

Take a look at his TED talk here – I promise you’ll never have seen anything like it.