Tag Archives: life lessons

September 3, 2013 · 10:10 am

The Moment In Between

Our TunesDay thought today is courtesy of The Grateful Dead (no shock there). Before I get to it, I’m wondering if you’ve ever taken a ride on a roller coaster? If you have, there’s always the moment when the cars are done climbing and before you plunge down that first drop.  It always seems very quiet to me – a pause to collect yourself.  Those moments in between exist in music as well, and today I want to talk about one of my favorites.

English: The Kraken roller coaster ride at Sea...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sugar Magnolia was a staple of the Dead’s repertoire for nearly their entire existence.   In fact, it was played more often in concert than any other song they performed save for one.  The song had a coda called “Sunshine Daydream” that the band often used as jumping off point for a jam or for vocal histrionics.  There was always a moment in between the song itself and the coda.  While the topics of our TunesDay screens are the songs themselves, today I want to call your attention to that moment.

What was intriguing about the moment is that you never knew how long it would last.  Sometimes it was a second, sometimes it would last until the end of the next set when the band, having played a dozen other songs, would pick back up with Sunshine Daydream.  The longest it ever lasted was a week – in between two concerts held to memorialize Bill Graham.  For me it’s a time to enjoy the brief silence, to collect myself (the pause always followed a raucous jam) for what’s to come next.

I think we need more moments like that in our business lives.  We careen from one project to the next barely pausing to savor what we’ve done.  Taking a moment DURING the project – that brief pause before we hit the coda – can make a huge difference.  A breath before the daily roller coaster plunges forward, if you will.  Silence in negotiating can change a dynamic and turn a deal around.  Silence is a stillness that we all need at some point.  The silence in music allows all the other dynamics to hit the listener more forcefully.  The coda from The Dead always did the same.  Maybe that moment in between is worth a try?

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August 30, 2013 · 9:04 am

Cookbooks

This Foodie Friday, let’s talk about cookbooks. I have…well, a lot. Probably 50 linear feel of cookbooks – maybe more.

cookbook shelf 1

(Photo credit: chotda)

There are hundreds and they’re separated by cuisine (if you call BBQ a cuisine) – Italian here, Cajun there, vegan, baking books – dozens of classifications. On the one hand, I’m never at a loss for inspiration when I come home with a bunch of great ingredients and no clue what I’m going to do with them. On the other hand, it’s really overwhelming.  Why make one meatball recipe when there are 45 variations at your fingertips?

The odd thing is that I don’t generally cook out of these books much any more.  Oh sure, on the rare occasions when I bake something, a good cookbook is a necessity.  After all, that kind of chemistry is not something one does off the top of one’s head.  Even so, I use them to master techniques. While it’s fun to  produce a perfect copy of something tired and true out of a favorite book,most of the time I’m  turning to a familiar volume for inspiration or reassurance.  Which is really the business point as well.

There are business cookbooks.  There are volumes that outline everything from sound fiscal policy to managing employees to developing new products and services.  In  a way, I hope that this screed serves as a daily mini-volume of inspiration.  For some things  – accounting rules, for example – it’s almost like baking.  Follow the rules or you’ll end up in trouble.  In other areas, follow the business recipe any of the great sources lay out and you’ll probably do pretty well especially if you’ve got great people and products with which to work.  Greatness, however, is something that you won’t find in a cookbook.

Many of the cookbooks on the market today are dumbed down (thanks, Food Network).  Follow the recipes they contain and you’ll present relatively good, if uninspired, food.  Using the flavor profiles as the inspiration isn’t a bad idea but just as writers use a dictionary and thesaurus, a cookbook should serve as a reference volume, not as a script.  It’s the same in business.  Books can inspire and serve as an adjunct to creative thinking based on sound fundamentals..  They’re tools, not crutches, and brilliant business pole don’t get their answers in books, because the great recipes are truly one’s own.

I can’t imagine not having not having the resources my cookbooks provide.  You should read as many business books are you have time to absorb.  Then distill them into your own recipes and make something great.

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August 15, 2013 · 8:47 am

Karaoke

I suspect by this time you’ve probably sung some karaoke, even if you don’t exactly know what the word means. Translating from the Japanese, it means
empty orchestra, meaning that the lead vocal has been stripped way from a popular song.

Cover art

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The instrumental track is there but the thing that gives many songs their passion and meaning has been left to you to supply.  That would be the lead vocal – the main thing that puts the words to the music.

I’ve done karaoke, and despite having sung lead in rock bands for many years, I can’t do justice to most of the songs I undertake.  Oh sure, I can hit most, if not all, of the notes.  But it’s not the same, and I  suspect it doesn’t matter how well amateurs such as me try to sing the songs; they’re just not getting it done.

What does this have to do with your business?  If what you’re doing is trying to sing the lead vocal to some other business’ song, you’re probably going to come up as short as  do when I’m  trying to be Bruce Springsteen or Roger Daltrey.   It’s not just about hitting the notes.  It’s about lending meaning to the lyric and bringing passion to the verse.  Think about how many great singers have done wonderful interpretations of someone else’s song.  That’s far different from karaoke.

The business point is that too often we’re thinking about doing karaoke and not about providing our own interpretations.  It’s not so much about hitting the note or the raw material.  It’s about how we bring our own meaning to the lyric.  You can’t run a business as a karaoke exercise.  You have to bring your own passion and perspective.  Otherwise, you’re just some person pretending to be something they’re not, and your customers will see through that in a heartbeat.

You agree?

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