Logic, statistics, data, product features…those should play a supporting role not a leading role.

You need to inform and highlight on important information that helps put into context the issue you’re addressing or the benefits of your product, but this information, although important to tell your whole story, plays a supporting role.

The leading role is the why, the reason you get up in the morning, the higher motivation for what you do. The reason that will move people to take action and to become not just a client but a loyal customer, someone who not only buys your products or services but recommends it to their friends and family. 

Statistics and product benefits may get you some transactions, some people through the door, but alone they will not create long lasting change, loyalists, fans, people who will stand in line to get your product or who will get a tattoo of your logo.

You’re not trying to generate one time clients, you want to develop relationships with fans. The only way to do that is if you lead with your values, your passion and beliefs. The why you do what you do.

Last night I had the good fortune of attending a concert by Chucho Valdez, a renowned jazz pianist from Cuba. During the concert one of the most amazing things was to see the players that formed part of the group, take turns performing these amazing solos.

During these solos the music was outstanding and I noticed how the members of the group were looking at each other with awe, respect and admiration. It struck me that this group of amazing musicians were demonstrating not only their music virtuosity but the qualities of a highly effective team.

Here is a group of people who work closely together, each with their own role and responsibility but all depend on each other for the success of the team. They have rehearsed for their performances, but at times different group members would break from the prescribed structure of the song and would go into these improvised solos where they would take the song to different places, new dimensions. During these improvisations, the rest of the band reads the soloist signs, trusting where he is taking them and follow their lead.

So here we have a highly skilled team that prepares itself to do the best work they can but that also trust each other to take risks and push their limits. The result is amazing pieces of work that can’t be reproduced by anyone else.

Each member persistently doing their best and pushing their own limits, not to compete with the other group members or to try to out do the other’s solos but out of inspiration from what they’ve seen their team members do.

Imagine if we can apply this to our own work teams. Imagine what we can achieve if we have the trust, and give the space and the opportunity for each individual to shine and inspire the rest of the team. 

We all want to avoid mistakes, specially costly ones. We grew up with this, getting good marks in school means making no mistakes in tests.

We associate making no mistakes with quality. After all if you have attention to details you wouldn’t make mistakes.

Although attention to details is important, this aversion to mistakes stops people to take risks, to push their boundaries and to get out of their comfort zones. This tends to create a culture of what you what is necessary, what is your job description and nothing more, because the more you do, the more likely you are to make a mistake.

Although this may lead you to consistency in the delivery of your products and services it does not lead to innovation, to challenging the status quo, to substantial improvements or to being remarkable, outstanding.

A safe culture is not an innovative culture. A safe culture is not remarkable and does not give more than expected. And giving more than expected is part of quality. If your competition is giving more than expected and you’re not, you already lost, but if your competition is not giving more than expected,  then you have an opportunity but you have to be willing to take the risk and yes, make mistakes.

Most of us would say we are busier than ever. We spend our time in meetings, emails, phone calls and rushing to meet deadlines. We live in a constant adrenaline rush. But most of what we are doing is focusing on what needs to be done, on tactics rather than strategy.

This adrenaline rush is contagious and when we happen not to be in such a rush, we almost don’t know what to do with ourselves. So we usually turn our attention to things such as filing, doing paperwork and other tasks that have been neglected.

We like the rush because it makes us feel busy, useful…needed, but also because it is the perfect excuse for not doing the hard work, the thinking, or tackling the projects we are afraid of.

So we go through our lives, checklists at hand, checking off everyday tasks or even some bigger projects, but not taking the time to strategise or to tackle what would really make a difference, what we would really like to do.

We may allow ourselves a few days to retreat with our colleagues and strategise.

Most companies do take the time to create a business plan, but after that the individuals divisions in the company go away and get right back to their routine rush trying to meet the overall plan without a strategy in place.

Doing, making things happen, shipping is a good thing. We don’t want to stop that. But doing with no strategy or plan in place, will not lead to the best results you can get.