Music As Metaphor
I’ve often struggled to characterize how working with Bova Enterprises (BE) could be distinguished from working with other executive coaches or consultative projects. I recall my attempts at creating an “elevator pitch”. I'd been honing my craft for years.
I knew what I needed to do: put my accumulated knowledge, skills, and experiences into a few engaging sentences. Actually doing this? It was torture. I needed some creative artistry.
Recently I found a solution from a surprising source: Classically trained South African cellist Abel Selaocoe. In a recent interview, Mr Selaocoe spoke of the importance of fresh approaches and the importance of selecting the right collaborators. He noted: “As soon as you have curiosity in the room, 70% of the job is done”.
Aha! As I enjoyed a glass of wine while listening to Mr Selaocoe’s music, I saw myself in his music: working intuitively and jamming as jazz musicians do. Musicians are steeped in the structure of knowing their instrument but masters can trust themselves to go somewhere they haven’t been before. I caught a glimpse of my elevator pitch!
Many years ago while I was studying organization and systems theory at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland, one of my first assignments was to spend time in an organization without saying a word. The task was to observe and make observations about the organization. I was forced to use only my senses. We worked in small teams and then compared our observations. It was uncanny how effective the observations were in identifying the underlying problems.
Classical music teaches the importance of structure and practice. Jazz, known as the American Creation, blends many musical sounds. It includes blues and African rhythms as well as those from Latin and Caribbean countries. The results? A“groove”!
Jazz is built on improvisation. The beauty of jazz: the freedom to be in the moment and allow whatever needs to come through you (the instrument) to flow.
Abel Selaocoe, through his music, wants to offer routes to universally felt experiences. “There are things that go beyond language, the things that are just part of the human instinct.” WHERE IS HOME is the title of his new album. The question he’s asking is for the listener to go beyond geography. Home could be an ideology, your artistic practice, or those you surround yourself with. The Pandemic has forced most of us to pause. During this period many have found themselves by experimenting with cooking, gardening, learning to play a musical instrument, developing a mindfulness practice, and other exciting endeavors. The outcome of this forced time off has perhaps anchored a new you. Perhaps you've even found yourself without realizing you were lost!
Take a leap with me and let's shift from people to organizations. What if our organizations could embark upon a similar path? I wonder: what would a new organization form look like? Imagine an infrastructure of roles, accountabilities and authorities built on trust, innovation, fair compensation, and employee profit sharing. What might that look like for you?
Speak to me.