Encouraging kids to be rock stars
Please note that I have a call to action for all of you at the end of this post !
Over the last several years I have tried to make time to speak to high school and university students on the topic of leadership. I consider it my way of giving back (and it also makes me feel young !!) In these talks, one of the things I discuss is my view on the importance of kids and young adults participating in the arts. My thesis is that those experiences, over time, help build differentiated leadership and life skills. Even Elvis (one of the most respected scholars in history) said that "the world is a stage and everyone must play their part". One of my best kept secrets is that I myself studied piano and performed for many years and as I reflect on those years on stage, I know for sure that they were formative in multiple ways and that I draw on many of those "muscles" in the corporate world I live in today:
- I learned about passion ... it’s extremely difficult to do anything artistic devoid of passion (just try singing a song you hate and pay attention to how that makes you feel) ... in business and in your career I am absolutely convinced that passion is the primary ingredient to extraordinary achievement. Nothing amazing has ever been accomplished devoid of passion.
- I learned about focus ... try performing anything in front of an audience without extreme focus ... mission impossible. In business, focus allows you to compartmentalize, separate signal from noise and put disproportionate effort on few, high leverage items.
- I learned about candor ... audiences are tough (unless it’s your mother) ... my time in music taught me brutal candor. In that world, if people love what you're doing, you'll know clearly, quickly and transparently, also true if they hate you ... audiences vote with their feet. In business, candor allows you to communicate clearly about expectations and deliver feedback (of both the nice and the difficult flavors) that drives improvement and advancement. A business world without candor is just rainbows and unicorns.
- I learned about discipline ... try doing anything in the arts without relentless practice, rehearsal and preparation. In business, winning over the long term, is ALWAYS more about practice and preparation than sheer brilliance. The most successful people generally out-practice, out-prepare and out-work others far more often than they out-smart them
- I learned about humility ... in the arts, just when you think you are pretty good at your craft, you'll meet someone that completely blows your mind. You learn quickly that talent, creativity, and artistic expression are unbounded and this massive expanse of possibility is both paranoia-inducing and humbling. In business, humility and paranoia make you a learning machine eager and willing to respect, accept and process signals from all sources (CEO to plant floor). That learning inclination makes you better, faster, stronger and more finely tuned in a global business environment that operates at break neck speed with ever changing variables and market forces
So now my call to action to all my friends out on LinkedIn. My wife Sandra has been working as the creative director for a group called Close Encounters Theatre whose mission it is to encourage kids to experience the theatre and to discover and hone the very skills I describe above. Their work is excellent and their impact on the kids and young adults they work with is extraordinary. They are working on a new project and would like to crowd fund their way to being able to deliver it in world class fashion. Take a look and if you would like to "play a part", then go ahead and contribute a small donation (or a big one if you're a big shooter !!). https://wemakeit.com/projects/spring-awakening-the-musical
Let's encourage kids to be rock stars !