Blog – Leadership Makes Others Shine And Leads By Example
A few years ago in November I went to a Drive In to watch the much talked about Michael Jackson's “This Is It”. Much as it was hyped up and said to be a wow show, I was a tad disappointed. My expectations were, I suppose unrealistic as this was a rehearsal. Having said this though, I took a different look at the whole movie. Genius he (MJ) was, needless to say I am a fan so maybe there is a bit of biasness in this.
Some of my observations were as follows: everything he did during his concerts was pre-rehearsed which for me indicated how much he respected his audience and fans. He never left anything to chance. There was thorough planning for each and every note, bit and move including waving to the crowds. It got me thinking – how much do we prepare for our work-day or exams and assignments or that which we need to delegate to our team members. Do we not leave it to the last minute and take pride in being under pressure and being adrenaline driven! Does this not add to our already stressful life? When we take delegates through continuous improvement which has elements of project management, we emphasize that at times some things need minor tweaking, sometimes it is big changes. It is the minor changes that usually show improved efficiencies.
The other part of the movie which impressed me about Michael Jackson was the high standards he sets for himself and expects the team to do the same. There was a scene where he got the keyboard member of the team to do a piece over and over until he was happy it was perfect (could have been about 6 times). Making sure the piece was not rushed in any way. He also asked for some of the pieces to be played again so he (MJ) can get the volume, the melody and flow right. He led by example which every leader irrespective of where they are, work, home, politics or leading whatever you are good at, should do. Set the standards you expect and lead by example in achieving them. Sometimes leaders are placed in positions and expected to function without any training or development. They then led based on how they were lead, whether lead by a good leader or not, they emulate what they experienced and do exactly the same. In our leadership programs, we challenge leaders on this so that they are conscious of how they are leading and therefore lead better.
As mentioned before, every piece of the concert is rehearsed. The other scene was where the guitarist (a female) had to go solo and in the other scene joined by her male counterparts. As part of the concert preparation, he let them play and showcase their talent which would be the same during the live rendition of the specific song. He really allowed them to shine. This, by the way included the Dancers. As a leader (whether home, office or politics), allow others to shine. We cannot all do everything that is required. There are other people who are better at what they do than us, why not let them shine. When they get the glory, you get the glory. One of my mentors always used to say to me when I was growing up "make them shine". I never used to understand this until one day when the penny dropped - 'This Is It' this is what He was talking about I exclaimed.
It’s amazing the satisfaction you get when you create an environment that allows others to shine, whether your child, friend, family member, colleague or even your pet. So yes the King of Pop is gone but we can learn something from his rehearsal, this is it.