In 2019, I took a three-month intensive leadership program. At that point, I had no way of knowing I would be taking a yearlong intensive leadership program in 2021.
But as I look back, I can see that leadership training has been a part of my ongoing development since 2011. This is because I’ve understood something about leadership a lot of artists haven’t.
I don’t just engage in leadership development because I run multiple businesses. I would have gotten into this even if music was my only passion or focus.
See, I got something from leadership expert John C. Maxwell I hadn’t gotten from anyone else. He says leadership is your limit on success.
It was hard for me to accept this at first. I could see that I wasn’t the shining example of a leader, and not sure I could ever develop into one. But example after example illustrated his point, and I just couldn’t deny it anymore.
More than likely, you’re familiar with McDonald’s. It’s one of the biggest fast-food chains in America, and it was founded by brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald.
What you may not know is that, while McDonald’s was a humble success under their leadership, it was capped. The brothers could only take it so far because they didn’t know what to do next. It was ultimately Ray Kroc that blew the lid off that jar. His leadership skills were miles ahead, and he knew what to do to make McDonald’s a worldwide success, not just a national one.
So, you might be asking yourself how this applies to your music career.
Well, as artists, we tend to think that we do everything best. No one else can do what we do, or they can’t do it as well. If it’s to be, it’s up to us. There are all kinds of mantras that support this type of thinking.
And yet, you would probably agree that your genius zone is your ability to write music, or play guitar, or make beats, right? And you’re doing a lot of other things that take away from your ability to focus on exactly that. Emails, blog posts, social media posts, website updates, and more. It’s not that all this doesn’t need to get done. But does it need to get done by you?
Even to this point, you’ve probably had the opportunity to delegate responsibility – give other people tasks to do, whether it’s friends, family, or fans. What made you hesitate? Or, if you tried it, what made you give up on it? Why didn’t you keep going?
Your leadership is putting a ceiling on the success you can achieve, because you’re doing a lot of things you shouldn’t be doing. And it’s only through leadership that we can create opportunities for others to shine in their strengths.
For a proven, step-by-step framework in cracking the code to independent music career success, and additional in-depth insights into making your passion sustainable and profitable, be sure to pick up my best-selling guide, The Music Entrepreneur Code.
Don't die with your music still in you. Accomplish more with the Productivity, Performance & Profits Blackbook.
