On being humbled.
I watched a documentary called the Greatest Night in Pop on Netflix about the making of the song We are the World. The song was recorded in 1985, so the clothes and hair make it worth a watch just for the hairspray. The documentary is incredible for a whole bunch of reasons, here are some of my favourite moments:
- Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson wrote the song in like, 20 minutes (I exaggerate but you get the gist)
- Producer Quincy Jones (he produced Michael Jackson’s album Thriller) managed to herd the biggest pop stars in the world into recording a song the night of the American Music Awards – after the show. They recorded from 11:30PM to 7:30AM
- You get to see Tina Turner at her absolute height of stardom, looking bored and tired ยท
- They couldn’t figure out why Cyndi Lauper’s mic was getting a bunch of feedback until they realized that the jewelry around her neck jangled every time she sang a note
- Stevie Wonder is a very fun sh*t disturber
You get to see the biggest pop stars in the world as nervous, tired, and humble human beings.
Because there were so many star vocalists, when they recorded the song, each singer got to sing just half a line. To do this, Quincy Jones had the singers stand in a semi-circle and sing their half lines one by one. This meant they got to wait and watch each other sing. It came time for Journey lead singer Steve Perry (the man behind the song “Don’t Stop Believin”) to belt out his line. He nails it. And then the camera goes to Bruce Springsteen. And Bruce just says: “Steve Perry can sing. He’s got that high range thing.” Insert awestruck face emoji here.
Bruce Springsteen is the Boss.
At the time of recording the song We are the World, Springsteen was at the absolute top of his game. His album “Born in the USA” was on track to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, was nominated for Album of the year, and lauded by critics as one of the best albums of all time. In that moment, none of that mattered. He was just awestruck by Journey’s Steve Perry.
What humbles you?
When you see someone crush something that you love to do, or consider yourself good at, how do you respond? Does it motivate you? Inspire you? Does it make you mad? Jealous? Sad? Defensive? (i.e.” well of course he can hit that note, he’s been singing in the choir his whole life”. Eye-roll)
They say comparison is the thief of joy. I believe it can be the great motivator. It can inspire. When we are caught up in comparison, and we try to emulate others without appreciating our own unique gifts, it can diminish us as we may pursue things in a way that is not authentic to who we are. And as humans we are drawn to authenticity. It’s what connects us. And we can sniff out inauthenticity super fast – it’s how we’ve survived as a species.
Consider this,
as leaders, whether we like it or not, we are always being watched by those around us. Take a moment to reflect on the following:
- Who do you humble?
- What is the gift you bring to the world that is deeply and uniquely yours?
- What are the things you are working on and want to keep building, growing and getting better at? Where you seek out others to motivate and inspire you?
- When it’s your turn at the mic, how do you belt out your line?
- When others crush it, how do you respond?
Definitely check out the documentary. It’s awesome.