I had lunch with an old friend yesterday.
(Photo credit: Angela Hawkins)
As we were discussing business he told me the story of a guy he knows who had a brilliant life strategy. As soon as I heard it I told him it was going to be today’s screed so here it is:
Take up the trombone.
A reasonable person might ask, aside from the hours of musical enjoyment mastery of an instrument might provide, why that’s such a great idea. As it turns out, proficiency in the trombone is a great gateway into a job with high level symphonies. Apparently, there are just not a lot of trombonists who carry on with the instrument beyond high school, so college bands are always looking (this helps with the admissions people) and professional music organizations are in dire need as well. There are a lot of flautists and trumpet players but very few skilled trombonists.
As I thought about it I realized that my daughter’s proficiency in an unusual instrument – the bassoon – did become a topic of interest when she was looking at colleges. The baseball fans among you will immediately think of left-handed pitchers, many of whom have terrible statistics but the demand for a lefty starter outweighs their apparent mediocrity.
The point is that as we’re undertaking new products or new businesses we’d do well to consider the empty seats in the orchestra. Rather than “me too” ideas we ought to be thinking about the trombone player. How can I do something that’s both in demand and gives me a reasonable chance of success even if I’m not perfect every time? This doesn’t imply lowering one’s standards. In fact this strategy often requires a complete rethinking of the obvious and extra time to develop the new skills. It does, however, improve one’s chances for lasting success.
What instruments are you playing today? Maybe it’s time to change?
Consult Keith 