Results vs. People in Pipe Band: A False Choice

“I was told I care more about results than I care about the band. How do I navigate?” In a pipe band, that line hits hard. It can make you defensive. Or it can make you question everything. Neither response helps. Because feedback like this is usually abstract.

“You care more about winning than about band members.”

Okay. What rehearsal? What comment? What decision? What tone? What pattern?

If feedback is not tied to something observable — something you said, did, or repeatedly modeled — you’re being asked to fix a shadow. And you cannot fix what you cannot see.

If no one can point to:

• A specific rehearsal exchange

• A specific lineup decision

• A specific critique

• A repeated pattern in how you respond under pressure

…then what you’re hearing is an interpretation. Not evidence. That does not mean it is wrong. It means it needs clarity before it earns correction.

Results and Care Are Not Opposites

In a pipe band, standards matter. Tone matters. Ensemble matters. Preparation matters. Standings matter. The real question is not whether you care about results. It’s whether you pursue excellence in a way that preserves dignity. Before you defend yourself — or doubt yourself — run an audit of observable behavior.

You might be prioritizing results at the expense of care if:

• You correct someone in front of the full band instead of pulling them aside

• You cut people off mid-discussion to “keep rehearsal moving”

• Your default question is “Why isn’t this fixed?” instead of “What are you hearing?”

• Members hesitate before bringing you mistakes

• Effort is invisible unless it translates to medals

• Urgency is your permanent tone

This is not about softening standards. It is about examining behavior. Replace emotional interpretation with observable evidence.

Or… It Might Be a Culture Issue

There is another possibility. You may not be the problem. Some bands confuse accountability with aggression. In certain environments, discomfort gets labeled as “toxic.” Deadlines become suggestions. Harmony is valued more than harmony on the chanters. When someone introduces structure — tune deadlines, measurable goals, hard feedback — they get labeled “too results-driven.”

Disrespect is a problem. Public humiliation is a problem. Lowering standards and calling it compassion is also a problem. A sharper question is this: Are people afraid of you? Or are they uncomfortable being measured?

Fear looks like silence, avoidance, withheld information. Discomfort looks like debate, pushback, tension around tempo, attack, expression. Those are not the same thing.

A band aiming to move from Grade 5 to Grade 4 — or from middle of the pack to the circle — will feel discomfort. Growth always does. The question is whether dignity remains intact while standards rise.

Make It Observable

Whether this is a leadership blind spot or a cultural tension, the solution is identical:

Make everything observable. Abstract labels do not change behavior. Observable standards do. You cannot correct what you cannot see. You cannot defend what you cannot define. If feedback is valid, you need tangible behaviors to adjust. If feedback is noise, you need tangible behaviors to anchor yourself to. Either way, the work remains the same: Make care visible.

Because “I care about this band” means nothing if no one can point to evidence.

In a pipe band, care looks like:

• Setting clear expectations before contest season begins

• Defining what “good” sounds like so members are not guessing

• Giving corrective feedback privately

• Saying, “This attack was late,” instead of “You’re not prepared.”

• Asking, “What are you hearing?” before declaring a verdict

• Holding tempo standards without attacking identity

• Coaching someone through tuning struggles instead of replacing them without conversation

Care is clarity + consistency + dignity.

Excellence With Humanity

If someone tells you that you care more about trophies than about people, start with questions. “What did I do?”

“When did you experience that?”

“What would care have looked like in that moment?”

You may care more deeply than you are being credited for. You may also discover room to grow. The answer is never lower standards. It is stronger relational intelligence. The best Pipe Majors and Lead Drummers do not choose between music and membership. They develop musicians.

And that is how they produce sound worth listening to — on the field and off.