The other week, I was privileged to interview Julie Drybrough of Fuchsia Blue on a Google Hangout. I’ll let the story tell itself:
The dialogue was wide ranging and we learned the following things from this:
About Organisation Development
Boards are often unaware of the habitual patterns of communication. Julie employs a range of Organisation Development practices to help boards make the most of their time together, such as process observation and feedback. The Organisation Development Matrix that I have found to be of great use over time is shown below:
The OD Matrix
About Dialogue
Dialogue differs from discussion, in so far as it is a much deeper form of conversation that leads to much better results. It turns out that we have both travelled similar roads around the work of Physicist David Böhm and Peter Senge. If you want to have more productive conversations about important things, a study and practice of dialogue is essential.
About Emotional Intelligence
Julie differentiates the idea of being human at work from ‘human resources’. If human beings are our greatest asset, we make a big mistake by treating them as human resources. This requires leaders to possess and demonstrate emotional intelligence, having mastery of themselves and being aware of their own impact on others. More on this aspect at Emotional Intelligence.
Julie may be found on Twitter at @fuchsia_blue and works predominantly in the public sector on Organisational Development Strategies and Practices. I’m looking forward to finding an opportunity to work collaboratively on dialogue using music in the future. Let us know if you wish to advance this proposition. Since Julie hails from Scotland, we must mark the occasion with some music from that Big Country:
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About the Blogger: Peter Cook leads The Academy of Rock - Keynote events with a difference and Human Dynamics - Business and organisation development, training and coaching. Contact via peter@humdyn.co.uk
I had the immense pleasure of meeting David Dimbleby after I was invited to BBC’s Question Time at the Mick Jagger Centre the other week. Click on the image to watch the show in full. I managed to get a comment into the debate about globalisation, around 38 minutes into the piece:
Click to view Question Time at the Mick Jagger Centre
The question I addressed was about global trade and its impact on working conditions. Globalisation is an inevitable consequence of the internet and global communications and is probably connected to the time when we were first able to move goods around the world. Like most things, it has desirable effects and less desirable consequences. It is too simple in my view to suggest that we can regulate bad practices in sweatshops of the world by social disapproval or tariffs, nor is it realistic to expect that ‘the market’ will solve the problem by refusing to buy cheap goods. Having travelled and worked widely in India I was surprised to find myself agreeing with David Starkey, the controversial historian, who accurately pointed out that no significant growth had ever occurred without the exploitation of human capital. That said, I also agreed with Shirley Williams, who pointed out that this did not make exploitation right or acceptable.
This problem is complex and systemic and it therefore requires a systemic and multifaceted solution. I was reminded of the ‘wicked problems’ grid, which we use in our consulting on complex and interconnected business topics:
Such topics do not lend themselves to ‘digital’ A or B type answers and I was pleased to see that this came out in the debate. Some general transferable points on ‘wicked problems’:
To resolve complex problems requires us to ask great questions. THis has the effect of reducing the uncertainty inherent in such problems.
It’s ALWAYS a mistake to jump to ‘solutions’ to ‘joined up problems’ or attempt to reduce them to A or B dialectics.
Complex problems can often be resolved by a combination of visionary thinking and systematic divergent and convergent thinking.
More on this topic in our books Best Practice Creativity and Sex, Leadership and Rock’n'Roll, available at BOOKS.
On a lighter note, we had a bit of fun off camera. When David Dimbleby arrived, his first question to the audience was “Has anyone seen the show?” to which there was only one reply I could give: ”No, is it a new series?” Later on in the ‘warm up’, I responded to the trial question, which was “Should Her Majesty the Queen now hand over power to her family?” As we were in the Mick Jagger centre, I was compelled to break rule No 2 above by saying to the panel:
“If Mick Jagger were here, he would say ‘Not Fade Away’ – in other words, she should not retire”
On that note, let’s see the song that inspired the quip:
For as long as it takes you to read The Music of Business, drop all vices and preconceived notions, then get ready for a heady ride. British author, Peter Cook has compiled a top shelf read that should remain in your library as a reference and an inspiration. This book is about the art of busines explained through the business of music.
I must point out straight away that the phrase "Top Shelf" in the main post means "good" in the US, so it's OK to read on ...
This blog is a review by US Music Journalist Janet Hansen. In my opinion she has gone WAY beyond the normal reviewer's task and created a piece of writing that stands on it's own merits as a superb set of insights into the creative process in music and business. Janet makes points from her own experience in the music business and I was delighted to receive this recently, having had nothing more than a Twitter conversation with her. Check her other blog posts out which offer rare insights into music, musicians and creativity at work. Janet is also part of a women's empowerment movement across the USA entitled 'Women Who Rock". Contact her on Twitter @scout66com and via her BLOG.
I had the great pleasure of having lunch several years back with Professor Keith Sawyer at the University of Cambridge. Keith is Professor of Creativity at Washington University in St. Louis. It was with great expectations that I recently opened a copy of his new book “Zig Zag – The Surprising Path to Greater Creativity”. I was not disappointed.
Keith Sawyer, Psychologist, Jazz Pianist, Creativity expert
Zig Zag offers a thoroughly well researched guide to the inner workings of creativity via an iterative model of eight steps to systematically move from fuzzy ideas to concrete innovation. The title of the book alludes to the notion that creativity does not proceed along a linear path but via a series of zig zag patterns, that profit from non linear thinking styles, incubation and a number of other deliberate processes that are available to all.
Professor Sawyer draws on a wide range of sources, from research through experience gained from his life as a creativity expert and consultant and from insights gained from great creative minds, from Steve Jobs, Ingmar Bergman, Tom Kelly of IDEO and even Charlie Chaplin and Socrates. This wide church provides a mind-expanding and credible grounding for the eight principles he explores at the core of this book.
I asked Keith a few questions about his background in writing this:
Peter: I know you are a jazz musician alongside your day job. Can you say something about the parallels between creativity and improvisation in jazz?
Professor Sawyer: Well in a way, all of life is improvisational! Any time we deviate from a fixed plan, and we take an unexpected turn, we are improvising. And that, I believe, is the essence of the creative process: It’s never a straight path from idea to solution. Creativity is all about engaging in a process that moves you forward, even when you don’t know where you’re going. There are sudden new developments, unexpected failures that sometimes result in new thoughts that then lead down a different path. That’s why I titled the book “Zig Zag: The surprising path to greater creativity.” The “surprise” is that the path is really not very “path-like” at all. It’s more like wandering, almost as if you’re lost. But you have to trust that the process will eventually lead to a creative outcome.
Peter: I’d agree of course, as someone who spends a lot of time improvising in music. Working alongside the great creativity expert Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi must have been something of an experience. What would you offer us as the main learnings you took away from that time?
Professor Sawyer: Mike was a wonderful mentor, and he is a warm and happy person. He was a good role model of how to work hard and have a successful academic career, and yet not be Type A neurotic workaholic. I think I am a workaholic, but maybe something like Type Z. Yes, let’s coin a new personality type right now: Type Z, the person who works hard but in flow and having a great time.
Mike (and his research) taught me the importance of intrinsic motivation in creativity, and also the central role of “problem finding”—it’s so important to ask the right question, before you start working on creative ideas and solutions.
Peter: When work is play, it does not feel like work at all. I guess I have some understanding of Type Z, but I have some way to go! Turning now to creativity and business, I’m often told these days that creativity caused the banking crash, when I put that down to gambling rather than mindful creativity. Can you say something about why we need creativity more than ever at this time?
Professor Sawyer: Interesting! I never thought about it that way. But sure, I don’t mind if people say creativity caused the banking crisis. I remember the earlier failure of Enron, a U.S. company that had been lauded as the most innovative with its new financial instruments. And then, it all blew up, and everyone blamed it on their innovations. After all, creativity isn’t guaranteed to generate positive outcomes.
Peter: That’s a very generous outlook and is of course a product of inventive search. Reading the book, I took away the word randomness from much of what you wrote, yet everyday our lives are more ordered by systems and routines to make our lives more predictable. What hope is there for us when we are run by our smart phone?
Professor Sawyer: I wouldn’t call it “randomness” and I don’t use that word in the book, do I? Instead I call it “unpredictable.”
Peter: Correct, that’s my English paraphrasing of what you wrote! :-) Tell me more.
Instead I call it “unpredictable.” But it is still deliberate. One key message of my book is that you can follow this 8-step process, and it will lead to consistently positive creative outcomes—even though you can’t predict what they will be and when they will happen.
Peter: Yes, indeed, I’d noted that the creativity process is not purely random, but also deliberate. An interesting comparison. So, turning to the practicalities as to why people need to read this book, what one thing could companies do to encourage better creativity at work (I realize this is a ridiculous question but want to ask it anyway!
Professor Sawyer: Make sure that your people have time in their schedule to work on new stuff and think of new things. If everyone is working overtime and having trouble meeting deadlines, it’s rare that they will generate radical new breakthrough ideas. All of the research shows that creativity requires some slack time. It doesn’t come for free, in other words!
Peter: Time is a killer of many things in life, but certainly creativity is one of the more fragile commodities that is stifled by inadequate time.
Zig Zag – click on the picture to buy on Amazon
Zig Zag is accompanied by a compendium of creative practices and 100 techniques that will assist the novice in escaping tramline thinking at any stage of the creative process. This ‘better brainstorming toolkit’ is worth buying the book for just on its own as compared with the more limited toolkits offered by proprietary consultants in the ‘creativity products’ field.
The book is eautifully illustrated with examples and quotes that exemplify each of the eight principles. It is is a real page-turner. I will leave you to find the examples of the Hooker Doll, The Catholic Church and The Shopping Cart.
At the end of the book Professor Sawyer provides an excellent comparison table of the various models of creativity that have existed for a century, from Wallas (1926) onwards. His 8-step model is a synthesis of all of this prior research. This, together with the extensive examples, references and notes gives a book on creativity real weight and value.
Confessions on a dance floor – The Royal Institute of Great Britain – a superb venue for science … and dancing
I attended Entrepreneur Country’s forum recently and was so impressed that I decided to write a post on some of the lessons learned. Held in the auspicious surroundings of the Royal Institute of Great Britain where the 1st Industrial Revolution began, I heard a lot about how entrepreneurship will reboot the UK plc. Although I started life as a scientist and have had 18 years teaching MBA’s and doing business improvement, music has been a constant though my life. I could not help but notice just how well the Royal Institute of Great Britain’s lecture theatre could transform into a dance floor, given the somewhat mythical arrival of Madonna as one of the guest lecturers! Oddly enough, the day was characterised by entrepreneurs telling real life stories of their hopes, fears, successes and failures, hence my title Confessions on a Dance Floor. Cue the music:
Hung up
Just like Madonna’s fitness video, a lot of the discussion was centred around what entrepreneurs do to avoid burnout. Ed Bussey of iTrigga was a prime example, having come to the conference after an all night vigil at hospital on the occasion of his wife giving birth! He did however point out the importance of pressing the OFF button from time to time to avoid the possibility of crash and burn entrepreneurship.
If what you are doing isn’t working, STOP in the name of doing something different
Others talked of rituals and routines such as working out in the gym, taking forced holidays, running the London Marathon, going to the North Pole (that’s hardly chilling out!) and so on. Seemingly obvious advice, yet not always taken by busy entrepreneurs. Recall the post on STOPPING.
Like a Virgin
Several speakers gave witness to the importance of maintaining naivety if you are to succeed as an entrepreneur. Madonna’s contribution to this area is via her blockbuster hit “Like A Virgin”, which translates to the need to treat each new business situation like it’s the very first time, or at least to see it with fresh eyes. In particular Sir Will Sargent of Framestore painted a picture of the importance of intuition, creativity and the ability to remain adaptive and flexible as your company grows.
“If I stand still for 12 months, I will be out of business 12 months later“
Express Yourself
Perhaps the personification of Madonna’s hit record about expression was the opening addresses by Julie Meyer and Dr Mike Lynch. Julie presented her ideas about entrepreneurship clearly, concisely and without apology for wanting to create an enterprise economy, which produces both economic and social benefit. Business gets enough hard knocks and we need to see business as an engine of improvement, rather than an evil empire as it is frequently portrayed by Governments and a self-riteous public sector, who sometimes try to interfere in business and enterprise. Mike Lynch extended Julie’s strident start to the day by giving us some home truths on entrepreneurship:
”Without good marketing you can have something amazing and no one will know. Marketing is not cheating“
“Avoid the myth of doing things properly”
Mark Hoffmann of Oxygen Finance added another subtle dimension to Madonna’s title. It would be too easy to assume that ‘expressing yourself’ was the realm of extroverts. Mark calmly pointed out that expression can come from an introvert stance:
“I’m quiet but very driven”
Like a Prayer
Stephen Linnecar suggested that we gotta have FAITH – Not an allusion to George Michael, but the summary of his presentation which focused on five factors which he regarded as key to success as an entrepreneur: Future, Attitude, Improvisation, Timing and Help. You had to be there to get the detail behind these buzzwords. Picking up on one of these characteristics, improvisation featured strongly throughout the day, a point that resonated personally with me, having taught creativity, improvisation and innovation for the Open University MBA for 18 years. Let’s hear Madonna’s take on faith:
Hair
What impressed me most of all about the speakers at the event was a real and unusual sense of authenticity. Truths were told about successes. Much more importantly, we gained an insight into mistakes and outright failures. It’s much more important for an entrepreneur to learn from their mistakes than their successes and many speakers were candid about their regrets. We learned the perils of not owing up to mistakes via Peter Whent’s wonderful story of “United Breaks Guitars”, when a musician could not get any satisfaction from complaining to the airline after they broke his guitar. He resorted to a viral youtube campaign and United’s share price plummeted as his youtube figures climbed exponentially:
Lady Gaga’s vulnerabilities show up in her song called Hair, which she performed unplugged and therefore conceptually ‘naked’ in her appearance on the Paul O’Grady show. I feel it’s entirely appropriate to add Lady Gaga into a piece about Madonna, as she had clearly stood on the shoulders of giants in developing Madonna’s music into her own unique brand. Listen to the words of “Hair” to see behind the makeup, pizazz and lighting to the soul of a true artist:
So, there we have it. Five lessons for Entrepreneurs from Madonna and Lady Gaga:
Hung Up – Don’t get hung up by flogging yourself to death – use the OFF switch
Like a Virgin – Treat each day like it’s the first time to remain fresh
Express Yourself – Be clear, bold and concise in your communications.
Like a Prayer – Have faith in yourself and others that can help you realise your dreams
Hair – Be aware of your vulnerabilities, successes, failures and learn
I’m offering two x 66% discount vouchers for for my Online Learning Programme, “The Music of Business” – MBA level learning for entrepreneurs blended with ideas from the world of music. That’s JUST 65 dollars for 10 hours of world class learning in exchange for a review or less than a pint of lager every hour without a hangover! There is also an option to join an affiliate scheme to earn a residual income whilst you get on with running your business. To examine the programme take a look at the slide deck below:
On Thursday May 16th we take to the high seas in the same way as the Sex Pistols did on their Jubilee boat trip in 1977:
Friggin’ in the Riggin’ – The Sex Pistols on board in 1977
Our trip takes us back to a point in history when the steady state of music was disrupted by Punk Rock. Punk grabbed Prog Rock and Glam by their crown jewels and reduced them to a quivering mass. As a self confessed lover of Genesis, Pink Floyd, T.REX, Bowie etc. I also loved the energy that punk brought back into music and its ability to wake up the establishment. Given that there is much talk of disruptive innovation in today’s management landscape, can we learn anything from the realm of punk rock? This is a theme I’m taking up with 250 Senior Public Sector HR Leaders and CEO’s this Friday, so wish me luck. I’m expecting to be about as popular as Johnny Rotten on the Bill Grundy Show! Lest we forget – bad language warning!
Here are 3 transferable lessons for business innovation from punk rock:
Punk was all about simplicity and brevity. Businesses must aspire to the same qualities when dealing with their end users, even if their technologies and processes are complex. In a busy world, simplicity and brevity are watchwords of success.
Punk destroyed itself in the blink of an eye. This is NOT a transferable lesson. Successful businesses are sustainable rather than one hit wonders.
People talk of the need for disruptive innovation, yet punk was too disruptive for some and this led to its destruction by the establishment. The corollary of this is that, if a product or service is perceived as too ‘dissonant’ with existing products or services, it may not be adopted.
There ain’t half been some clever bastards – The Blockheads from Left to Right : Mick Gallagher, Peter Cook, Chaz Jankel, John Turnbull, Derek Hussey
I had the good fortune to interview “The Blockheads” of Ian Dury fame for a TV programme last week. It was a rare pleasure to interview Mick Gallagher, who has worked with Ian Dury and The Clash, plus Sir Paul Mc Cartney, Robbie Williams, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. Clearly Mick managed to adapt from punk to the mainstream and this probably accounts for his durability as a musician. The parallel lessons are clear for businesses:
Adapt or die
Be Nimble
Be Quick
We have some innovation events coming up soon. The first of these, aptly titled “Innovation, Business and Punk Rock” is on a historic lightship on May 16th in Kent. The event is sponsored by The University of Kent and in collaboration with The Chartered Management Institute, The Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply and The Open University Business School. Details below:
p.s. If you are attending the Public Sector leadership conference on April 19, you have been warned!
Last week, the BBC reported on how ‘complacent’ British universities that fail to respond to the rise of online universities will be swept away by global competition. Even Jimmy Wales of Wikipedia agreed – see Jimmy Wales. I have to agree that the BBC, Wales and REM were right: “It’s the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine”.
Why so? I worked for the Open University Business School for 18 years on their MBA programmes and certainly would not be where I am today without the superb learning that I gained from taking and teaching their programmes over an extended period. I am eternally grateful to people such as David Mayle, John Martin, Norman Maxfield, Don Cooper and Jane Henry – modern day geniuses in their field.
However, despite my love of the institution, I must say that the university has been slow to respond to the changing expectations of the current generation of students. From the white heat of technology in the 1960’s The Open University and many other traditional universities have turned into slow followers of change in the education sector. I wish I could say otherwise. Sir Michael Barber agreed: “There are too many universities doing the same thing.” There are already big US networks of universities offering courses to students anywhere in the world, with two consortiums having already signed up almost four million students.
For my part, I was approached by Californian Online Learning Provider Udemy, who asked me to develop an MBA level online learning programme on Leadership, Strategy, Creativity, Innovation and Change. The programme, entitled “The Music of Business” offers a contrast to traditional university courses:
The programme can be taken at the learner’s pace and their own time, as it is available for life, during which time it continues to be updated.
MBA level learning at non-MBA prices.
For individuals, the programme is available for direct purchase at $169.
Individuals can also join an affiliate scheme to gain an income from referrals.
For companies, the programme can be customised, licensed, branded and embedded on corporate online learning platforms.
Take a look at the syllabus:
Will Universities go the way of HMV? The early warning signs are there. Post your thoughts on the likely fate of our Universities here. p.s. It’s got absolutely nothing to do with the post, but I enjoyed the REM track so much that I thought it was time to post another one:
Today I took the inaugural flight on Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin “Little Red” domestic flight from Manchester to London with aviation specialist and guitar supremo Steve Courtie. Cue the music:
A splendid flight, and a splendid partnership. I spoke with Steve Kelly, Fleet Manager for Aer Lingus (pictured above) and Edmond Rose, Virgin’s Director of Commercial and Revenue Planning about the partnership between Virgin and Aer Lingus. Steve pointed out that Aer Lingus have moved from a position of trying to emulate Ryanair some 10 years ago to the point where their chief advantage is doing things differently under the leadership of Christoph Mueller. This has made the merger of minds, bodies and spirit possible in ways that may not have been possible in times past.
Richard Branson continues to be a consumer champion and an innovator, moving into industries which have become tired or over complex. Here’s a few of my favourite things about the man:
Simplicity - Virgin Trains is not called Connex South Eastern. Virgin Money is not called J.P Morgan Chase – the clue is in the title. I’ve just also found that Virgin Media‘s phone and internet packages are much simpler than the competition, having just switched away from Demon Internet after years of legendarily bad service.
PR Genius - Virgin gains a disproportionately high level of publicity compared with its actual size. This spirit comes from its owner who is known to set aside about 25% of his time for public relations activity. He’s comfortable in his own skin, and also in a wedding dress. Here’s a quote from a happy traveller:
“Much respect to the man. He was mobbed in the lounge with photo hunters and even on board whilst sat in Upper could not get away from people wanting pictures. Guess it’s part of the job for him. Super pleasant man, got up 45 mins to landing and walked up and down the plane greeting people, then made an announcement as we landed thanking everyone for flying Virgin, to huge applause”
Little Red Corvette
Hippy Realist - Branson started life as a hippy with his record label, recording acts such as Henry Cow, Gong. These acts were indeed radical but without some handle on the finances Branson would probably have been selling “The Big Issue” these days. He has both a set of hippy ideals and a grip on realism to ensure that his fanciful ideas are grounded in some sensible economics. This is how creativity turns into innovation. Bob Geldof spelt this out in graphic terms when describing how Richard attempted to sign him to his record label, pointing out what a shrewd business person Branson is – decency prevents me from actually repeating Geldof’s words here! Here’s one of Branson’s first audacious publicity stunts – the release of Gong’s album “Camembert Electrique” for just 59 pence, the price of a single at that time. Photo courtesy of the great Daevid Allen via Dave Sturt, bass supremo for Bill Nelson and Gong:
Tu Veux Un Camembert?
I am showcasing one of Richard Branson’s former acts at a spectacular event in May aboard a ship in Kent. Dubbed “The Godfather of Punk” by Johnny Rotten, Richard Strange will be appearing at an event, which spans art and business, sponsored by Kent Business School. Tickets are strictly limited so hurry, hurry, hurry. Full details below:
Richard Branson, Gong, Richard Strange and Bill Nelson (all Virgins) feature in my latest book “The Music of Business”, available at author discount worldwide via The Music of Business and via our ONLINE Learning Programme. We leave with a “Rolling Stone” gathering Kate Moss and another “Little Red” theme tune from the Rolling Stones.
About the Blogger: Peter Cook leads The Academy of Rock - Keynote events with a difference and Human Dynamics - Business and organisation development, training and coaching. Check his online programme The Music of Business out. Grab discounted copies of his books by mailing him at peter@humdyn.co.uk
Introducing Alex Watson. By day, Alex works as a senior manager for Lloyds Register in London – A high pressure / high performance job. She manages to combine this with being lead singer and writer for suburban soul group Bastedo. Check out their work:
The Music of Business is a really enjoyable read. Great insights in how to approach 21st century business challenges, using lessons from the world of rock music. It’s funny and thought provoking whilst absolutely hammering home the messages of strategy, collaboration, and project execution.
I wanted to find out her own story about mixing the two disciplines in perfect harmony:
On authenticity
Peter : I know that you have walked away from record deals with Sony BMG and so on. What has guided your decisions to keep to your authentic self?
Alex: I’d always wanted to be a singer from a very early age since from around the age of five or six. When I left school, I actually started to think about how I would do it. As I sought out and became involved in a few opportunities, I began to see that there were choices about what I expected from music and what others expected from me. The way others saw me and what musical contribution I could make, was at odds with my vision. I have always relied on my intuition rather than manuals and books, or even the advice of others, to decide on what I would do with my music. I have never had any formal training, and cannot (yet) play an instrument to any practical level. However, I had my voice and the ability to write songs. I’ve tried to expand on these talents and to evolve and grow them. It is these gut feelings married with the ongoing experiences that I picked up, that guided my decisions about staying true to my authentic voice.
The parallel with leadership is very clear. You can have good and bad leadership. Leadership by consensus, or by command and control. Those in positions of leadership need to be able to make sound decisions based on lots of information streams. Trusting yourself and standing by your decisions when they affect many others takes a lot of courage, but also a strong sense of purpose. When the relationship between you and those you work for is consonant then you have an agenda for doing your best to mutual advantage. It’s about deciding what trade offs are ones that you can cope with in order to reach your dreams.
Peter : So, what’s the difference between good and bad leadership in music and business?
Alex : In terms of leadership. Good leaders are those that allow you to become your best, to harness your potential and leverage it in ways that are mutually beneficial for the business and you as the individual. Bad leaders can stifle progress, assist in the creation of toxic atmospheres and act based on purely selfish motives.
I’ve had some tremendous opportunities to work with record companies, publishing companies and individuals who I have had deals and dealings with. For example, when I was at still at University, I also had a retainer with a major record company which allowed me to have the financial leverage to work on my music and not worry about how I would survive from month to month. It allowed me to work with top songwriters and producers. However, there are always trade offs that come with such freedoms. As a songwriter, that meant I didn’t have any control over the agenda, or who I would work with. Working in some of those circumstances, I became fully aware I was part of a machine, and it often made me feel disconnected from music itself! Once I started to work with kindred spirits, I felt much happier, and less concerned with the commercial outcomes. It was always important to me that I worked with the right people as I am not necessarily that commercial with my music. That’s pretty much transferable to the business. Of course business is focussed on the bottom line, but ultimately, sustainable businesses add true value.
Urban Soul Sister
Peter : How do you create?
Alex : Creativity can happen in different ways and at different times. There is often a modus operandi for me. A natural flow and way of figuring out melodies and building a song. Often I’ll come up with an interesting melody or concept…and I try to capture it somewhere. On my phone, on paper etc. These ‘nuggets’ will often form the basis of new songs or work their way into ideas at some future juncture. For example, I have a song called “Let Me Be”. This was created over a long time period. The lyrics and the melody were written a long time (10 years) ago and had been stored in my memory bank until an opportunity to record the piece. I then shaped up the lyrics whilst working with my then guitarist Vinz, who provided accompaniement. The song finally had the opportunity to see light. It’s not a manic obsession with pleasing an audience but I have one eye on that.
However, the beauty of collaboration is that there is always a sharing of process. From these experiences you learn new ways to create. Every artist has the tension between art and commerce. Creativity is borne out of art. Vangelis pointed out that “Chariots of Fire” was perhaps not the most important piece of music he has composed, but it was THIS piece of music that captured a large audience. What he views as his most important works are ones we’ve likely not even heard of!!
Peter : How has music helped you do your job?
Alex : I find that being a musician gives me an empathy and a sympathy, that enables me to bring humanity to business. It allows me to bring more creativity when solving workplace issues. The fact that I am a musician also gives me a strong identity and sense of self, regardless of the current political tide, latest business fad, change program or initiative
Peter : Do you find that skills such as presenting your ideas and so on are enhanced by being a musician and a performer? If so, please say how.
Alex : Being a performer definitely helps with your confidence when presenting to people or putting your ideas across. As a Learning Professional, being able to present your ideas is key. Preparing training programs, working with subject matter experts, developing content, preparing for performance. There are a lot of parallels. Its that whole Preparation, preparation, preparation thing isn’t it? Know your subject. Prepare and plan well…then off you go. Monitor your performance. Take away key learning points and fold these back into future performances. I do this in both Music and Business. I also very mindfully reflect on what I am learning in both business and music, and use any lessons to improve performance in either arena.
Alex with Richard Strange at our interview meeting
Peter : Have there been any setbacks for you professionally from being a musician?
Alex : Hmmm. That’s a difficult one. I’ve definitely had setbacks. Many setbacks. The musicians road is not a straightforward one. It’s often difficult to make a decent living. So yes, there has been setback…and sacrifice. All for the love of music.
Peter : What’s transferable?
Alex : For me, the act of creating music is a pleasurable one that can often put me in my state of ‘flow.’ However, depending on what you are trying to achieve, you do need to put some mental elbow grease into the creative process. For example, if I am asked to write a top line for another artist, that’s a different mindset to writing for myself. Different brain muscles. In business, I try to look at each project, challenge or issue within its own context. The days of one size fits all solutions seem to have gone. So being able to use my creativity to solve problems is very useful.
Humility is also transferable skill from being a musician to being a leader. When I have written songs, rehearsed them, then finally bring them to an appreciative audience…its not only satisfying…it’s humbling. I try to bring that gratitude to the workplace. To appreciate the people that are there doing their bit. To pay attention to small kindnesses. The time someone takes to explain something to you, or show you how to do something. Those little favours people do for you at work that nudge things along for you. They don’t have to. I don’t take it for granted. When we provide solutions for our clients and do a good job..we should feel proud of our achievements.
Alex offered three tips from music to help you be your best
Mentors are essential to success. Unless you are in a hothouse like Motown or PWL, you can find yourself in a vacuum.
Get out and perform rather than keep rehearsing – you learn faster and better
A polished performance is the result of a lot of background practice and preparation. This is a direct analogy for meetings at work. It’s prepared spontaneity.
Alex performs with Bastedo at Cabaret Futura in London on Monday May 20th.
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About the Blogger: Peter Cook leads The Academy of Rock - Keynote events with a difference and Human Dynamics - Business and organisation development, training and coaching. Check his online programme The Music of Business out. Grab discounted copies of his books by mailing him at peter@humdyn.co.uk
In recent weeks, I’ve been doing a number of live book launch events, some shorter, others longer. I’ve attached the slide deck from one of these and have expanded on some of the points in the slides below
AC / DC and Strategy
1. AC / DC have surpassed their peers by ‘sticking to the knitting’ – developing a strong brand and reinforcing it through everything they do. They have not ‘crossed genres’, wandering into hip hop or jazz fusion. It’s rare for businesses and individuals to be able to keep doing the same thing and keep their customers in the current age.
2. When they have changed, they have built a strong bridge between the future and the past, which has allowed them to keep their audience and gain new followers. This is a very transferable lesson for businesses and individuals.
Deep Purple, Creativity and Innovation
3. Innovation needs discipline and structure. People think that creativity is enough for innovation to take place, but it takes discipline and structure to execute an idea. We see this on stage when Deep Purple were jamming.
4. Innovative teams require strong leadership. Deep Purple nearly imploded on many occasions due to creative tensions between the band members.
The Beatles and Creativity
5. Find ways to listen to ideas that seem ‘dissonant’ to currently accepted views. The Beatles were masters of bringing outside influences into the world of pop music.
6. Delay evaluation of ideas for as long as reasonable, so that you can put distance between the novelty and a sober evaluation of the potential feasibility and impact of an idea.
7. Requisite diversity is essential if you are to have an innovative business. Find ways to resolve tensions that build up by putting different people together, but resist attempts to sidestep conflict. The creative leader utilises the tension between opposites whilst maintaining a focus on the goal. The Beatles are an excellent example of this.
Lady Gaga and Innovation
8. Innovate within the familiar range of the customer’s expectation for maximum early impact. Build on that for long-term sustainability. Gaga has cleverly built her music on the firm foundations of Madonna and her peers.
9. Stand on the shoulders of giants if you want to innovate. Be a genuine learning organisation if you want to stay in business for the long term. What will be interesting is to see what Gaga does next, having established world domination.
10. Use innovative partnerships and joint ventures to enlarge your market share in ways that benefit all. Choose your partners wisely and in ways that provide genuine win-win benefits.
For more detail on these points, mail me for your copy of The Music of Business. Tomorrow, I give the final keynote at a large Pharmaceutical Conference – my title is “Innovation Lessons from the Past, Present and Future“. If you want to perk up your next meeting, conference or keynote with a healthy blend of business thinking plus live demonstrations and the engagement that comes from live participation, give us a call on 07725 927585 or via e-mail peter@humdyn.co.uk
Later on in the ‘warm up’, I responded to the trial question, which was “Should Her Majesty the Queen now hand over power to her family?” As we were in the Mick Jagger centre, I was compelled to break rule No 2 above by saying to the panel:
