Failure is only "failure" if you choose not to learn.
All in Leadership
I've learned to realize what matters. Many things don't. When you can tune out the noise and focus on what needs focus, amazing things happen.
My father would tell me, as a kid, "God and 'me' make a majority." He would later come to regret imparting this advice.
When I used to be a bandleader, I had a terrible reputation as being a hard ass. I was. I dedicated my entire self and soul to the music I performed. I expected no less from those playing with me. That was my problem. My expectations did not allow for mistakes.
If you know me, you know that lawyers raised me, two of them. It's almost like the wolf pack raising Mowgli. My parents bred me to be a fighter. I don't like this quality about myself. Well, no, I like it in balance.
On Impressions
"The best impressions are when people expect them the least." - John Brady
They Don't Try to Suck.
If you are like so many other leaders, consider using the sentence I suggested. Take a step to see a bandmate's problem and invest the time to be an answer. Empathy helps.
"He who begins to be your friend because it pays will also cease because it pays." - Seneca
If you want to create an epidemic, generously share your stories, and serve others. Give your tribe something bigger than themselves to believe. And whatever you do, make sure your message is simple enough to stick! If people can't remember it, they can't carry the word to others like them.
Instructions describe a process, that if followed, will lead to a predictable outcome. But, humans are not predictable. We do not come with an instruction manual.
You cannot be the answer if you cannot see the question.
What are you doing each day to show up for the world? Your tribe? Yourself? Are you engaged in a creative pursuit to help build a better world? I've struggled to do this and I'll share my story of how I came around. Learn more.
As a Leader - You believe in a future possible for your tribe. You hope that our actions will create a result that leads to our safety. You know how to inspire us to create it.
The belief you have, not yet realized, is our future possible.
The human-animal needs two things to survive:
Find sources of safety; and
Avoid threats.
The human-animal is simple. All we need to do, to survive, is to find safety and avoid threats. How come we're not doing this?
Connect yourself with others who believe what you believe. We need a leader. That leader is you. Go find your tribe and connect them.
As steward's of the tribe's mission, as a chief storyteller, as our leader, you must present to us an inspired view of the world we seek to create. So, boss, what do we do now?
It's not enough to tell us why you're here. Tell us why WE are here. Show us how WE came into existence. Steward OUR mission and help us be the change WE want to see. Share our story.
Who Are You For?
We, the world, do not need you wasting your time doing something for those that you are not intended to serve. We need you to be helping the people you are meant to serve. Who are you for?
To me, celebrating "Labor Day" is not honoring the historical work and effort of labor organizers and workers. To me, the celebration is for those that do something meaningful, that connect with customers/fans/guests, that side-by-side actively engage in something bigger than themselves.
Leave a Legacy
Legacy is not about you. It's about the people you support. It's about bringing these people around something bigger than themselves. It's about being the one to carry the torch. It's about being comfortable to hand the torch to someone else when the time is right. Legacy is the culture we create for the people we love, care and support. Leave a legacy.