Social Interaction Challenges are Universal, Affecting Everyone Regardless of Societal Standing

You have to watch “We Are the World” to see it.

If you have a Netflix subscription, you have the opportunity to view the “We Are the World” documentary reflecting on the curation of an event conceived by Harry Belafonte and executed by some of the largest music phenomenon in history.

For those of us who were not in existence in the year 1985, “We Are the World” was a project to assemble the greatest musical artists of all time to try to generate awareness and trigger action in the world for millions of starving people in Africa and affirm that “We” are all together and should be united to meet the challenges human beings face beyond borders. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is the ninth-best-selling physical single of all time. But this article is not about the project itself, but a highlight of a study where anyone can observe firsthand the most powerful, wealthy, and elite encounter self-limiting beliefs, assumptions, fear, and displays of social awkwardness. As the evening unfolds, some of the most influential artists in history, the wealthiest in the world exhibit emotions and self-limiting beliefs common to many. Some of the musicians feel awkward, others feel like they are inferior or not capable of performing to caliber, others protest and get feelings of not belonging, and some step up (Stevie Wonder) to create events that empower other artists to meet the expectation. It's absolute chaos, as most of us experience in the day-to-day of our lives in human behavior all over the world.

Within this one monumental evening, you (the viewer) have the opportunity to observe as it happens in real-time, the inner narrative and self-limiting beliefs many experienced when in a room of talent and caliber that was at parity with their own.

Let's face it, many of us encounter this every day in our jobs when managers, owners, and the elite can be observed working in large offices, laughing and appearing successful while we perhaps are expected to hang our heads and grind out work in small cubicles. Many of us show contempt for leaders or peers who appear to be doing better and appear “more successful” than we are. Many people believe that money, influence, and power are ways out of feelings and thoughts that self-sabotage, but the proof is directly in the documentary.

No matter how you look at it, within this film are key insights related to human nature, societal perceptions, and the universality of certain emotions, regardless of one's status or achievements.

Watch Bob Dylan struggle to even speak. He murmurs his lines, unable to find his voice until a peer (in this case, Stevie Wonder) masterfully instills confidence in him through camaraderie. You can clearly see Dylan emerge victorious over the self-limiting beliefs. Huey Lewis feels he is inferior to the technique and prowess of Steve Perry, but he belts out his part anyhow.

The demonstration is exactly what team organizational coaching focuses on: managing the emergence of the deliverable and negotiating all the pitfalls that await each and every team member during an assignment. Heck, even Waylon Jennings quit halfway through because he could not adjust in real-time to genre styles that he couldn't effortlessly produce.

In the end of the exercise, they deliver, and a room filled with the biggest influencers in music disperses.

The same is true in every organization, in every team, and every assignment. The distortions of inferiority we all share follow us around, sabotaging us every step of the way. Heavy is the head that holds the crown, and if you are not firm in your resolve (Lionel Richie was a Brick House (Pun intended)), you will lay waste to your assumption that money, influence, or power will solve your personal or team issues. But they do not. Some multi-millionaires with millions of fans have less resolve and self-awareness than many unemployed individuals.

Make sure to identify and become aware of your self-sabotage voice and gain control over it. You may be making things difficult for the group, as many highlight during the process.

The documentary is well worth a watch.