Monday, December 20, 2010

What if bosses began the process of believing again?

There’s always something entertaining in the way we move; no step is taken without there being a journey willing to be shared. Even during times of embarrassment, the shadow generated has enough staying power to make someone laugh, giggle or cringe in the years you never assumed would approach so quickly.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono are piecing together Double Fantasy; she’s convinced her side of the bargain should be recorded in ¾ time. A studio musician hired to play guitar heard differently making it 4/4 instead. Yoko voiced her discouragement. John calmly stepped up to her and whispered, “Let’s take a walk.”

Once free from the pressure cooker John turned to Yoko and said, “Never bring judgment against the musicians.”

Yoko bit hard into her lip; trusting John was extremely important. Once the project was complete he turned to her and asked, “Is everything alright?”

Yoko still wasn’t happy with her song not being in ¾ time. They returned to the studio and remixed it then compared the creative piece to the selection the guitarist put into motion. Side by side Yoko couldn’t just see but felt what John was sharing; never bring judgment against the musicians.

In ¾ time the song was too predictable. Making it 4/4 allowed the listeners imagination to explore.

There’s always something entertaining in the way we move.

No job, no start up business partnership, no family layout or relationship with a friend is complete without this incredible tool from Mr. Lennon. In most cases the musician in question might be a coworker whose personal experiences lend to a successful conclusion but because the majority of us believe we’re fully capable of doing it ourselves any act of attaining a higher level of play is cut off in the middle because your vision proved to be the more solid path and nobody has the power to pull you away from the dream.

An art gallery in New Orleans blessed me with an opportunity to display my pieces but to make the agreement valuable for both parties the works had to feature what I painted in Charleston, SC. I didn’t understand. Nobody in New Orleans will purchase something from our side of the fence. Verbally I came across as the typical artist with an ego.

“People in this part of the world love structure and your art gives that to me. They won’t see Charleston or New Orleans; they’ll feel progress combined with flow. Take it or leave it.”

The experience reminded me so much of Andy Warhol’s dislike for Canadians; anyone north of the boarder didn’t nor chose to understand American culture yet they constantly invited him to shows where he would sell nothing. The galleries failed to listen to the musician.

Not one painting sold in New Orleans, the only thing I got for accepting her challenge was a brutal letter about how ugly the material was and how dare I come across thinking I had what it took to be an artist.

I don’t set out to win wars. The goal is to locate rivers that meander into larger bodies. It takes several streams to generate a reason to search for an ocean.

In Julia Cameron’s book The Artist Way at Work she opens your eyes to the thought of utilizing the presence of all the players in the room. Just because Kevin likes to text over listening to proper direction doesn’t mean he couldn’t show you how to better use the forces of Social Networking.

The companies that are winning are the collection of leaders that have reignited the energy of being a great listener first. We’ve stopped seeing the entire picture because the only downside of the mission is wasting unheard of dollars on a dream team thought to be better than what you already have. Who better to know your product, ambition to achieve success and ways to deliver it to clients than those your heart chose to turn on because new visions suggest you constantly feed new players into the plan.

Never bring judgment against the musicians.

Innovation means nothing if you’re stuck training people how to do your job. Even if you don’t believe in making New Years resolutions, be original and begin the process of believing in your worker bee team again. There’s a lot to be said about good old fashioned experience.

I will always believe in you first…

arroecollins@clearchannel.com

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