Kick Out the Jams!
Welcome to the Why to Wow newsletter, which is all about the Power of Differentiation in our world of AI and commoditization. I thank our power readers who find our messages worthwhile. It’s inspiring to see that thousands are reading and recommending Why to Wow! I ask you to continue sharing this newsletter with friends, family, and associates to help change our world for the better.
In the world of business, there’s pressure to ensure everything you are doing is correct and measured for effectiveness. Likewise, in healthcare, a doctor certainly wants to be precise and as close to “perfect” as possible in diagnosing and treating the patient. But my message today is to allow for imperfection, experimentation, and yes, making a mistake or two, in the search for better ideas.
As a former washed-up rock-and-roll musician, I experienced many jam sessions, maybe thousands of them. And most were not very productive; however, a few were priceless. And in those cases, the results were inspiring, as they led to songs and performances that were magical.
My firm conducts hundreds of jam sessions a year for businesses, and I’ll share a few secrets that can lead to breakthrough ideation.
The most important aspect of a jam session may surprise you. It’s natural to assume that in a business or rock-and-roll session, it would be the “idea” that you present to the group; but it’s not. The most critical part of a jam session is listening. That means total concentration on what others are sharing so that you can absorb it and “play” with it. The worst rock-and-roll jam sessions happen when the musicians are “doing their own thing,” making noise instead of actually listening to others in the group. The exact same thing occurs in business conference rooms or virtual meetings every day: too many people throwing opinions around without paying attention to others first. Listening creates opportunities to build on ideas, refine them, and make them great. So, the next time you’re in a meeting and someone is sharing their idea, resist the urge to focus only on what you want to say. Instead, actively concentrate on what’s being presented, let the idea sink in, and you just might find a way to make it stronger.
The other secret in jamming is allowing for mistakes. That’s where it gets scary—making a mistake or “flubbing” your part. But this is critical to creativity, as many, if not most, great songs (and ideas) are born from what might be considered a mistake. A strange note or chord that was played accidentally can be magical.
So how in the world does this apply to business? Barry Schneider, President and COO of Steel Dynamics (SDI) and guest on our podcast, guides his teams to get things done, make decisions, and if they screw up, no problem, they’ll learn from it. This provides not just accountability but the authority to make a difference without the paralysis of trying to be perfect. A brilliant engineer and creative talent, Schneider infuses that ethic into his people. This has contributed to SDI innovating breakthrough products and processes in what is considered a conservative, traditional industry. There are no boundaries in his eyes.
As a hobby, Barry channels his talents into creating one-of-a-kind guitars. From design and sanding to painting and finishing, he transforms each instrument into a custom work of art for musicians nationwide. His most recent opus is a hand-painted guitar commemorating our firm’s 45th anniversary. He took design elements from our book cover and then “jammed” on making it even more rock and roll, adding illustrations of guitarists (even one smashing his instrument in a nod to the famous band, The Who). In this video, he shares the inspiration behind this truly bespoke masterpiece.
Difference-Maker #1: Listen first, before sharing.
Stephen Covey’s famous quote, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood,” is a reminder to truly listen to take in concepts and perspectives without judgment. That means resisting the urge to rush to a conclusion or anticipate how great it will be to share your own idea. Ideally, by doing this, you’ll be inspired to improve on your concepts. You can learn more about our proprietary LABOV Jam Sessions™ here. We share how we’ve engaged organizations to ideate while fostering a level of teamwork they may never have experienced.
Difference-Maker #2: Embrace errors and mistakes in the pursuit of creativity and results.
Allow for imperfection by letting go of the pressure to be perfect or exact. Mistakes will happen as you experiment, and the more you allow them, the more likely you will find the magic. I remember, decades ago, presenting a handful of concepts to an Amish-owned RV company that was in a sales slump, desperately looking for ideas to pull them out of it. We presented numerous pilot programs to test. Based on their results, they would be refined or canceled. One of the company leaders turned to me and asked, “So, you’re guaranteeing these will all work?” I replied (and I was uncomfortable doing this) that, “No, I guarantee they won’t all work, but we will find something that we can build on to help you.”
Difference-Maker #3: Give yourself permission to explore beyond the boundaries.
Barry Schneider, while being a leader at a multi-billion-dollar company, still finds time to enjoy designing and painting guitars. Who’s to say, in that process, he doesn’t identify new ways to approach business challenges? I am sure that he is not only refreshed but inspired by that creativity as it fuels impactful ideas across his entire team.
What would happen if you listened intently before prescribing a solution? If you allowed imperfection from yourself and your team in the process of creating a better idea? Maybe it’s time to kick out the jams, breaking through boundaries and embracing what’s next.
Hear one of our clients share how a LABOV Jam Session made a positive impact on his organization in this short video.
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