What is a business book? What qualifies as a book on leadership? To my mind, it’s any book that brings insight about my work, how I serve my clients and what lessons I can share with them. I have a very eclectic list of business books, to which I have added: “Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones”. I am literally reeling with the many lessons on the art of music, mastery, business, leadership, and living a life of purpose and joy – despite the hardships, hills, valleys and troughs that have made his life spectacular. He published the book in 2001, and he’s still alive and ticking, so I am really hoping for a Volume 2! In the meantime, here are 5 of the lessons that are resonating with me:
HONOUR YOUR CALLING:
“The people who make it to the top are addicted to their calling. You have to honour the gift God has given you”
Quincy found his gift as a child. He had innumerable ups and downs, regrets, choices, unforeseen circumstances, destitution, despair, and soaring heights. Through it all, he kept going, driven by something in him bursting to express, to give, to share – his calling. We see him today and say “He’s a success” without understanding what he went through. Success is not some permanent grant endpoint – it’s a looking at life, your work and saying to yourself “all things considered, this is success”.
Perhaps we are not all as fortunate as Quincy to have a gift this massive. But I believe that we have each been born with our own special gift, which we are duty-bound to share as widely as possible. Spend some time answering this question:
“What is it that I, and only I, am the best in the world at?”
And then commit to sharing it as widely as you can.
MASTER YOUR CRAFT:
“I put in twenty-five, twenty-eight years of my life before I really thought about business. I wanted to cultivate a core talent”
Quincy was (and I believe still is) dogged in his pursuit of mastery – not just excellence – mastery. He was constantly writing music in notebooks, on slips of paper, in his bathroom, on trains, in concert halls and clubs, on the road. Wherever he was, he was writing.
It occurred to me as I read that the quest for mastery is the process to achieve excellence – an ongoing process of learning exploring, pushing, taking risks, constantly in pursuit of greater and greater.
A famous admonition by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, the beloved Ashtanga Yoga teacher, was: “Practice and all is coming”. Whatever our gift, we should never stop pursuing mastery through practice.
NEVER STOP LEARNING:
“Surround yourself with the best – learn from the masters”
Linked to mastery, is Quincy’s never-ending quest to study, learn from other masters, from the greats. I had no idea what’s involving in scoring, arranging, composing, orchestration – how technical it is, the attention to detail, the pushing of boundaries – and then the art of it all, when you tap into your creative side. He shares details of his conversations with legends about the intricacies of music, and his brazen openness to ask to be taught by them – even if it meant being at Clark Terry’s doorstep at 6.00 a.m. for lessons from the master trumpeter.
CREATE MAGIC WITH YOUR TEAM:
“Drawing out each individual’s talents is a skill I can relate to orchestration. Ellington’s band was like that. He would take the personality of each players and find a special place where each could contribute to the whole of the Duke Ellington sound …. The composite sound was hypnotic”
In his chapter on the recording of “We Are the World”, Quincy shares how he brought together 46 master performers to create magic. But it was NOT easy. It is a fascinating read about how a leader has to plan to the nth detail, decide on and convince the right people, figure out where each one contributes best, keep them focused on the big picture, and …. manage some massive egos!
This is such a lesson for anyone who leads people – to get to know each person on your team, their individual gifts and quirks, and then so orchestrate the team to come together to create magic!
BE GRATEFUL, AND EXPRESS IT:
An undercurrent of gratitude runs throughout, as he acknowledges with love the people who contributed to who he is – even if at the time, he viewed their contribution as negative and hurtful. His list of acknowledgements at the end of his book is 12 pages!
As I completed the book, I asked myself how I can apply these lessons to my life and my work. I know what Quincy did, but how can I? Then of course, the universe supplied the answer when I came across this quote:
“With enough attention, just about anything can be mastered”
– Sadhguru
Attention to your calling, your gift, your craft, your people is the key!
“Practice and all is coming”
