Orchestrators Drive The World

Movements have grown strong when they involve citizens from all walks of life. Business is done most productively when they center around a global viewpoint. Classrooms are better when diversity of viewpoints are honored. Among these examples it’s clear that the often stigmatized diversity, equity and inclusion yield tangible benefits for society.

Why is this the case? Doesn’t cohesion make things better for everyone? Isn’t it easier to work with people who have things in common? The truth is that questions like these are leading and biased towards homogeny when, in fact, social cohesion should not be relegated exclusively to instances of sameness in ethnicity, race, or the like. If people of all different backgrounds have the same goal in mind, they can work just as effectively with the same amount of cohesion as if they had the same exact racial, ethnic, or other identity-based backgrounds.

As someone who used to work at a Fortune 500 company, I know this to be the case. Most of my direct colleagues weren’t even from the same country, let alone being the same ethnic or racial background as I have, and we still worked effectively. There were also many instances where I did not exactly get along all too well with other Filipino employees since I was too “Americanized” as someone who was born and grew up in the United States. Even with superficial homogeny, it also needs to be recognized that diversity of thought goes deeper than surface-level expectations of sameness.

So why do I mention all of this, and the hot button non-issue of diversity, equity and inclusion? It’s because the glue that ties teams, organizations, and movements together are the orchestrators.

Who are the orchestrators? The orchestrators are those who understand how to best utilize the skills, talents, and interests of those in their teams, organizations, and/or movements to assign responsibilities to said individuals. These are the people who I look up to the most simply because they wield empathy as a weapon against the challenges that they, and their collective, face and, rather than bowing down or accepting defeat, the orchestrators empower those who entrust them with leadership and allow the collective to successfully overcome the challenges and obstacles ahead of them.

Dr. Martin Luther King, for example, orchestrated the Montgomery Bus Boycott, empowering citizen activsts, like Rosa Parks, to make history. He also learned from the examples of the, now infamous Mahatma Gandhi, to understand how to mobilize Black citizens towards the goals of the Civil Rights Movement. His leadership also led to the rise of famous figures, such as the late Representative John Lewis, by providing them with a platform during the March on Washington. In fact, as an orchestrator, Dr. King’s legacy has continued to influence other leaders, such as Huey P. Newton, who referenced Dr. King’s nonviolent philosophy and call for Black economic and political power, in his formation of the Black Panther Party, as well as in helping to lead the Rainbow Coalition, which also mobilized white, Asian, Latino, and other citizens of color towards policies meant to improve the material conditions of the working class. Of course, it cannot be understated that Dr. King’s principles have also been found in more recent examples, such as protests in support of Black Lives Matter and Palestine and more recent protests against ICE in 2025, with these movements having been noted by Dr. King’s daughter, activist, lawyer, and minister Bernice King, as being causes that her father would have supported, as evidenced by his post-Civil Rights Movement political activities against the Vietnam war.

But, in more relatable (and more ordinary) terms, businesses thrive when managers are not just towing the company line but, rather, ensure that their employees are empowered to provide their best work. Only then is it the case that businesses succeed, that employee satisfaction increases, and that deliverables are unique, creative, and inclusive. Innovation thrives when bureaucracy is limited, and when orchestrators serve as leaders who understand the business context and understand how their employees fit into the equation.

Though change is inevitable at all times, this is a particularly sensitive time in the global landscape. Now is the time for more people to become orchestrators, believers, and dreamers who will architect the future that we deserve and want to see the world become. I seek to be one of these people and to be able to mobilize others into doing what’s right for us and others. When I see these leaders at play, I am in awe of their abilities. From Senator Bernie Sanders to Mayor-elect of New York Zohran Mamdani, Representative Jasmine Crockett and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, I’m personally inspired by the stories of leaders who use their abilities to empower and mobilize instead of solely benefiting themselves. Given the plethora of crises that threaten today’s world, including climate change, the genocides in Gaza, Darfur, Kivu, Rakhine State, Xinjiang province, and Tigray, and global poverty and hunger, effective leadership is a key component to bridge the gap between where we currently are and where we need to be to rectify these issues.

So, yes, watching orchestrators at work inspires my admiration and provides for me a framework for why I, myself, would like to engage in similar ways.