In Complex Environments, we need to be more like a jazz band than an orchestra.

In an orchestra, everyone knows their part. The conductor holds the baton, directing, signalling, and controlling. It’s structured, hierarchical, and rehearsed to perfection.

However, in emergency management, especially when people, animals, and environments are deeply interconnected, the real world doesn’t follow a score. What we need is jazz.

In a jazz band, there’s a shared rhythm, but no one’s waiting for permission. Leadership shifts naturally to whoever has the insight, the skill, or the feel for what’s needed in the moment. A saxophonist might take the lead not because it was pre-planned, but because the music calls for it. The drummer adjusts without being asked because they’re listening.

This is collective leadership in motion, where roles shift fluidly and everyone has a voice. It’s power with, not power over, and is built on shared purpose, not control, and a relational approach, grounded in trust, deep listening, and mutual responsiveness. It’s not just about what we do, but it's about how we show up for each other.

It honours different kinds of expertise, lived experience, cultural knowledge, community wisdom, and technical skill. It makes room for the type of equity that recognises when it’s time to step back so someone else can step forward.

In emergencies, being able to shift roles, adapt to the tempo, and build on each other’s cues is capability in action. It’s what relational resilience looks like, in the flow state of working in rhythm with others. We don’t need to follow the same sheet music; we need to find the rhythm together.

Lead like jazz musicians, listening closely, creating together, and moving in flow.