Week 21.39 Utopia Calling

Week 21.39 Utopia Calling

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One of the perks of living in NY city is Broadway, which is so available that it's easy to take for granted. In the spirit of Broadway opening up and the Tony Awards, I went to see David Byrne's Utopia this past week. I confess I had forgotten what a fan of his I am. The show was a magnificent concert performance. It was social commentary. And, it was a masterclass in leadership.

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Lesson #1 Generosity. There was no doubt that this was David Byrne's show - it was his music and ideas. And there was also no doubt of the value he put on the musician/performers who shared the stage with him—each member brimmed with pride for what they were collectively accomplishing. At one point, Byrne observed that people become most interested and animated when they see other people. That is why he designed the stage to be completely void of anything except people. The show was a procession of talent, moving about the stage like a New Orleans procession, all wearing the same costume, monochromatic and unique. His highlighting of each performer demonstrated the diversity of the company and elevated our attention to their talent. His generosity filled the room and infused the sound and movement.

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Lesson #2 Diversity. Diversity is David Byrne, and it was on full display. The sound structure was so complex it was hard to fathom how it was performed. Byrne admitted that he had been asked if he has used looped music to create the sounds as if the instruments on stage were not capable of this level of complexity. He responded to the challenge by building up the sound, instrument by instrument, to see how it was constructed like an intricate puzzle revealed. Much of the mystery was the use of different percussion instruments from around the world, played with virtuosity. It was a testimony to the diversity of sound, talent, and people and demonstrated the potent mix of complexity and diversity.

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Lesson #3 Clear Boundaries. With all of the generosity and diversity on display, it might be easy to think this was a group effort. Byrne exhibits excellent leadership skills here, setting the vision and establishing his authority; he led and supported the excellence of the members of the troupe. He flawlessly elevated them while maintaining control of the stage. The minimal set was bounded by a bead chain shimmering plane that can be opened with a gentle move. It was simultaneously heavy and light, solid and porous, strong and pliable. It provided a clear boundary to the stage and was also out of the way, supporting and defining the players' space.

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Leadership lessons are all around us. David Byrne has always had his finger on the pulse of culture, combining art, intellect, and humanity flawlessly. The music and the instruments are modern and primal. The layer of sound can be enjoyed entirely on its own and can stimulate conversation and social commentary. His expression vision in collaboration with the set designer, sound designer, costume designer, choreographer, musicians who are experts in their instruments is the ultimate manifestation of leadership. Vision. Generosity. Diversity. Clear Boundaries. It was an exuberant expression of the power of leadership and a reminder of the power of moving together as a group, sharing space and sound.

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My focus on leadership is one layer of this amazing production. There is so much more to the show which you can read about Inside David Byrne's Cheerful Dystopia , Building David Byrne's 'Utopia,' One Gray Suit at a Time a note from David Byrne about the show and the HBO special directed by Spike Lee which you can read about When David Byrne Got Together With Spike Lee Back in the theater again that evening was Utopia.

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Week 43 of 52 Weeks of Giving: Help Freya win her 18-month fight with long Covid

I am sharing this story this week in part to support a worthy cause and in part to highlight the potentially devastating impact that COVID is having a some people's lives. I have known Freya Williams for over a decade - she is an intelligent dynamic thought leader in the space of purpose and sustainability, establishing important practice areas at Ogilvy and Edelman. I was the runner-up after a six-week process for a senior role at Edelman, and when I lost to her, I was delighted because I knew she was an exceptional person for the position.

In April 2020, Freya Williams caught Covid-19. Being strong, fit, and in her forties, she avoided hospitalization. Two weeks later, she thought she was on the mend and was keen to get back to life as a mother of two and CEO of a top sustainability consultancy in New York. On day 16, she suffered a massive relapse – and now, 18 months later, she still hasn't recovered. Freya can currently only do ten percent of what she was once able, but although Long Covid remains a mystery, several treatments are showing real promise for sufferers. None of these treatments are covered by insurance, though, and their cost runs into thousands of dollars, which is why we have set up this appeal. We are desperate to help our brilliant Freya recover some of that lost 90 percent of her life, and funding these treatments will be her best chance. For Freya to recover, she and her family mustn't be disrupted further and forced to leave this city where the kids were born, careers were forged, and a community built. Would you please show your love and get this warrior back to where we need her to be - saving the world and having fun with her children? We hope that you can help. Thank you so much.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-freya-get-her-groove-back?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet

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Fast Company Innovation Festival starts Monday. Free pass for 100 Coaches members!

The Fast Company Innovation Festival has started and brings extraordinary personalities together?virtually?for surprising talks, hands-on workshops, and unexpected performances designed to inspire creativity and innovation. The session today Tue, Sept 28, 2021, includes:

Refreshing Your Brand: Why Authenticity Is Key in a Post-Pandemic World (9:45 am ET) Presented by Altair Featuring Jason Buechel, Chief Operating Officer, Whole Foods; Amy Messano, CMO, Altair; and Tahnee Perry, VP of Marketing, Deem

Coupledom and Beyond: A Conversation with Idris Elba and Sabrina Dhowre Elbe (11:00 am ET) Featuring Idris Elba, Actor, Filmmaker, Musician, and Activist, Cohost of Coupledom, and Sabrina Dhowre Elba, Model, Actress, Philanthropist, Cohost of Coupledom

Working 9 to 5: Workplace and Workspaces in the Zoom Era (3:45 pm ET) Featuring Lindsay Kaplan, Cofounder, Chief; Melanie Goldey, COO and CFO, TMRW; Adam D'Angelo, Co-founder, and CEO, Quora; and Hayden Brown, President, and CEO, Upwork

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JA CEO Asheesh Advani runs a marathon.

You may not believe this, but?Asheesh is taking part in the?125th Boston Marathon to raise money for JA Worldwide?(Junior Achievement) ,?which is just about two weeks away! He is honored to be part of JA Worldwide's Marathon Team, not only as CEO but as a proud alumnus of JA's flagship program for young entrepreneurs. This year, the Boston Marathon is in October and will have a?worldwide component . Over 20 others will join him from JA across the world (from countries as distant as Malaysia, Lebanon, and Argentina) who are part of the JA Worldwide Marathon Team. Turning 50 soon, he is going to pour his energy into helping JA. Each year, JA's network of 3,000+ staff and 500,000+ volunteers and teachers serve more than 10 million young people in over 100 countries. Asheesh's years at JA have shown how a few words of encouragement from a successful business mentor can change the trajectory of a young person towards a career path that was previously unknown or unattainable. Before working with JA, he did not fully appreciate the?happiness that comes from mentoring kids and seeing the impact that we can have on communities with an investment of our time, talent, and treasure. Support JA by backing Asheesh at https://www.givengain.com/ap/asheesh-advani-raising-funds-for-ja-worldwide/

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Role of Education interview with Sanyin Siang

Examining resilience through the lens of leadership, Sanyin explains how individual resilience must give way to a deeper understanding of collective resilience. She offers insights into the difference between developing learning environments for transactional education—such as knowledge acquisition—and developing learning environments for relational education that recognizes each person's contributions to a team. And she vividly paints the picture of leadership as an art form that chips away all but the "assumed awesomeness" in each person, leaving every student and staff member ready to develop their superpowers. Click here for more on the Real Role of Education.

With love and gratitude

Scott

mort aaronson

Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coach, Executive Sparring Partner, EPIC Story Guide, Fractional C-Suite Executive

3 年

a true prophet

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Freya Williams

CEO, C-Suite Sustainability and Purpose advisor, Keynote Speaker, Fractional CSO, Author, Advisor

3 年

Scott Osman how incredibly kind and generous of you to mention me in your excellent newsletter. I’ve been so blown away by the generosity and kindness of our community over the past 10 days. Our fundraiser is now closed having surpassed our goal in record time but please continue to raise awareness of Long Covid. If it encourages one person to take that extra precaution it’s worth it as I really wouldn’t wish this on anyone! All the best to you ???????

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