Major and Minor: The Balance of Champions

My 16-year-old daughter Emmy is a fantastic songwriter and has won a few national awards for her songwriting.?? She won another?prize recently for a professional studio recording for her song.? Emmy has a gift, as all good songwriters do, of creating tension in the music that matches the story.? The balance communicates the emotion, the inspiration and the connection we feel with music. No tension = no connection.?

BB King, the great blues musician, was asked about his gift in blues music, and he said, ‘Oh man, without the minors, I wouldn’t be a major’!? It is all in the timing and the balance.

In the world of music, the choice between major and minor keys isn't just a matter of notes; it's a deliberate way to evoke specific emotions and connection. Similarly, in high-performance sport, you have major and minor keys that serve distinct roles.? Major keys have little tension; they are clear and more obvious than the minors.? In music, they say the major keys are ‘resolved’.?? In high-performance sport, your major keys are your big obvious rocks—like skill development, fitness, technical skills, tactical skills and game strategy. ?They set the foundational tone and are non-negotiable for success. They stir the emotions of confidence and capability, just like a major key in music often resonates with feelings of happiness or triumph.? These are the basic, simple elements that everyone sees, the metrics that are straightforward to measure, and the basics you absolutely have to get right to be a high performer in your chosen sport/profession.

Every musician knows the minor keys add emotional depth, tension, and complexity. In the sporting world, your minors bring out the conviction, flow and performance depth—like team dynamics, resilience, anti-fragility, alignment, and simplicity act as your minor keys. They might not be the first thing people notice, but they add layers of richness and subtlety and enable your performance to communicate!?

I see many sports (and businesses) focus on the major keys, and they are missing the minor keys.?? You can feel the missing energy in the room!? Majors are easy to measure.? Minors are harder to quantify, yet their absence is deeply felt at the event, but also in my experience in the months and sometimes years before the event.

?If major keys get you into the game, minor keys enable?the?victory.? They are both a priority of balance.

The art of performance (music, sport,?business,?life…) comes in knowing when to?lift?the major keys and when to?lift?the minor ones.?The sweet spot is the balance between the two.? You can feel this in the teams (sport or business) that really drive and thrive!???The balance creates such a positive?emotional tension?that empowers people and performance and sustains the long-term journey.

?In the quest for sustained/consistent high performance, the symphony of success?is harmony through balance! Are you clear on your major and minor keys, and how balanced are they?

A Book I Am Reading

In "Principles of Orchestration," by composer Rimsky-Korsakov, Orchestration isn't just for music; it's a lens for seeing the elements of team dynamics?for?higher performance.

?In "Principles of Orchestration," we learn that the?skilled leader?is in knowing the unique capabilities of each instrument.

Your major priorities?are your lead instruments, but?the?minor priorities add depth and?connection.

Actionable insight: Master the art of orchestrating both major and minor elements to find your breakthrough performance.

Highlights of Ways I Can Help

A new 8-week masterclass focussed on Anti-fragility.? The most popular topic covered in the New Performance Series is now its own 8-week masterclass.

?Leaders are looking to move their teams from resilient and robust to anti-fragility.?

Our ability to respond to anything in front of us, no matter what and make better decisions.?

If you're interested in Masterclasses for your leaders and support team, reach out here; [email protected].

Is your performance system in shape?? Gaps, blind spots and assumptions always balloon?at the big event under pressure.??But they are visible months and years prior!??

I use experience from 5 Olympic cycles to provide a system health check. This is an interview format and online.

There are limited places so reach out here if you want to book or know more; [email protected]

Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear what you found interesting and useful.?If you’ve got a question, I’d love to hear from you; [email protected]

I look forward to the conversation.

Go Well,