Over the last few months, we’ve been talking about uncovering the genius that can be found in other industries and learning how we can apply those principles to our own work. Today, we’re looking at the music industry and finding out what those in it can teach us.
Three Principles We Can Learn from Music and the Music Industry
1. Stage Fright
Believe it or not, even the best musicians in the world experience stage fright. Just like musicians, many of us face stage fright on a regular basis, whether it’s when we’re giving a speech or presentation, or even just standing in front of a room full of people. How do we get past the stage fright so we can move forward?
- Practice, practice, practice
- Practice: ways to be calm
Find out what calms you and do that before your presentation or speech.
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- Practice: the knowledge of what you do
Work at your topic. Understand it. No matter your field, stay informed with what is going on in your industry.
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- Practice: your presentation
Be prepared. Know your presentation like the back of your hand.
In music, pitch refers to the tone of the music. In business, pitching refers to selling products and services and making proposals.
- You have a short amount of time to get your point across
- Answer the other side’s needs
- Remember the basics
- Tell your story
3. Lessons from a Conductor
Though there is a lot we can learn from a conductor, we would like to focus on two primary lessons in this CityLead session:
- Don’t try to do everything yourself
Conductors are not one-man bands. Though they may be able to play an instrument, their real purpose is to make each musician shine and to bring all the individual parts together into a beautiful melody. As leaders in business, the same goes for us. It is not our job to do everyone else’s job.
- Inspire others with your actions and your words
As a conductor, everyone is looking at you, following along with your words and responding to every little piece of direction you give. In business, a good leader functions the same. Your employees are like musicians in front of you, watching the example you set and acting accordingly. At CityLead, we have learned the best way to inspire a team is to ask more questions than you answer. Don’t just jump in with a solution. Inspire creativity by asking good questions.
We hope you enjoyed this CityLead session. If you would like to receive more content like this, or are interested in hosting your own CityLead session, contact cameron@citylead.com for more information.
