Find your business 'groove'

We talk a lot about storytelling in business - building your brand voice and carrying your audience with you on a journey by inviting them to share both your and their own stories as part of the adventure. Our brains connect deeply to the pictures a story will create in our minds - I am a big fan of this.

But there is another analogy that resonates deeply with me, and one I talk about a lot when on stage or presenting in workshops - instead of your business being a story to share, what if it were a song to sing along to?

Find your business 'groove'

Better yet, what if it was a rhythm, an infectious groove that your audience and clients found irresistible. A beat that got them out of their chairs and onto the dance floor. An ostinato that sticks in their heads?

(I can't help think of that great Peter Kay routine of the 'walking to the dance floor dance', when you're already dancing as your backside leaves the chair and even before you hit the parquet.)

It's a nice thought...

But what does it actually mean, practically speaking?

In business there are four core principles that move you forward on your journey to success:

• Action - what you do day-to-day to move your business forward
• Impact - the difference those actions make in terms of moving you closer to success
• Energy - the effort you put into your actions (noting that energy, like time, is not infinite)
• Technique - the manner in which you achieve all of the above

Building your groove

As you find your business 'groove', here are some drum-related thoughts that apply to your business also:

• Action - One of our biggest challenges in business is knowing what actions we should (and shouldn't be taking. Our options are limitless (unlike our energy) so how do we know which actions align best with our business goal? In drumming there are no more than 40 accepted basic riffs, beats or drum rudiments. These rudiments form the foundation of all Western drumming in music. Just 40. If you were to limit your actions to a choice of only the most valuable 40, what would they be and why (spoiler alert, when you take into account unsexy but must-do actions such as accounting, legal compliance etc, you soon run out of essential actions so choose wisely!)
• Impact - Every action creates impact. Is it the impact you desire? Is it a short, sharp, loud crack on the snare to capture attention? Is it a more dynamic build, a roll on the floor toms to create interest, tension, intrigue? Is it an ongoing, steady pulse to build familiarity, consensus, support? As you have chosen your actions, so now you are niching into the area on the kit that will best serve the impact you wish to create. Your impact is how you are going to be remembered (your personal brand perhaps?) Again, choose your instrument wisely (are you playing as massive kit with lots of drums and cymbals, each representing a different channel or platform through which you run your business? or are you 'one-up, one-down' achieving all the music you want from a limited but perfectly selected palette?
• Energy - You want your business to be successful AND sustainable which means playing your groove for a long time. But your actions and impact exact a physical (and emotional) toll. Is there a way to create that impact, tension, long term interest... get the people on the dancefloor, without you burning out before the second chorus? This question brings us to...
• Technique - Using less overall movement, a more relaxed grip of the sticks and a touch of science (Newton's Third Law of Motion - I cover it in the video) you can actually take more action, create lasting impact and use less energy.

There is a lot to unpack in this analogy and, if you're not a drummer, the leap might feel a little big at first. The following video may help - do please give it a watch / like / subscribe:

Equally, as I say, I love demonstrating this on stage to an audience (who doesn't want a drum solo at their events right?) so let's have a conversation about how we might bring the principles of 'Action, Impact, Energy & Technique' into your next business event.