10 Things Sun Ra Can Teach Us About Band Leadership

Sun Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, 1914–1993) was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his “cosmic philosophy,” prolific musical output, and energetic experimental big-band performances. He widely claimed (and legitimately believed) he was born on Saturn and was over 5,000 years old.

Ra released over 200 albums, many of which were home-recorded to tapes that he copied himself or cut to vinyl in small batches and sold at shows. He pioneered a lot of experimentation with technology in jazz and free jazz starting as early as the 1950s in Chicago. A funny tidbit about Sun Ra is that as he was experimenting with early synthesizer keyboards, electronics and tape delay, he was given one of the first prototypes of the Minimoog by Robert Moog to play around with before it even went on the market.

Click to read more ...

Leadership

As a leader it is important for me to bring my A game for the team 24/7. Informed decisions, keeping the team motivated by sharing new insights in the industry, and being the person they want to be someday makes a great leader. It comes from within, but can be learned.

A good leader has to not only do what they say but keep up on their toes. It is important for me, and any leader, to wake up early and start the day in the am, 6am for me, what about you? I get more work done, and a jump on the industry with the extra time in the day.

Anytime I have a meeting I dress the part, and prepare myself accordingly to bring my A game. Doing research on the client, and digging deeper into the industry on a particular topic sets me apart. I strive myself on being professional, and always on top of my game.

Knowing how to conduct myself around a client is paramount in the music industry. People in the Hip Hop world, for instance, never change a thing about themselves for anyone. It can be a tool for branding themselves, but does hold them back when trying to get further in their career. Sagging pants, talking in e-mails like they would if I were a homey, and not being respectful really hurts their career. An opportunity to communicate with a high level executive does not happen everyday. Give respect to another person on there level, not yours.

Click to read more ...