Too Big for Their Britches Syndrome

I'm not going to mention the name of the band, but here in LA for GRAMMY week, I was a part of an event where the band was signed to perform and along with the performance, they were committed to doing some media, pictures, and mingling with the donors who so generously underwrote the event for a great cause.  What happened at the 11th hour was the band decided they wouldn't do anything other than perform.  Even before the show went on, we had a sour taste in our mouths about them.  Before the show I ran into them in a hallway.  They all walked with their heads down, avoiding eye contact so to not be noticed (or that was their schtick).  When they performed, they were just as detached from the audience, never engaging or recognizing their fans who had bought tickets to be there.

If you have any experience with music artists, or any type of performing artist, and yes, even high-profile business people, this is called the "too big for their britches syndrome".  On one hand, you might say, "Well why not?" And you go on, "These guys can't live normal lives as they are recognized and pawed on for autographs and photographs at every turn."  Here is why not.  As Julius Caesar said, "Fame is fleeting."

When fame turns to pride, artists and all of us lose our way.  When we think we are above the rest then we are already on our way to sliding down the other side.  This band, are here today, but they will more than likely be gone tomorrow.  And, I will guarantee this, when they are in the later years of life and walking through an airport, they will love the person who walks up to them and says, "I was a fan of yours".

These guys missed the opportunity for life-long engagement last night.  Had they acted in the opposite, I would be writing a much different post this morning of an example of giving, gratitude and accessibility.

And more importantly, they would have gained a fan.

100 Business Days Out: Day 27 - Integrity

Integrity is sitting with someone who knows themselves and can identify what great skills they have and their weak skills that they have not mastered and then apply this knowledge to their job and come out the backend of the analysis, stating, “I love my job!”. Today, I had the chance to meet with one of those rare people. She openly spoke of what she was good at and did so, with the most humility, and in the same breath revealed her vulnerabilities to me, a stranger. She did so with all confidence, because she knew that her strengths far outweigh her areas of weakness. That is the integrity that so many lack in their work. That is in many ways why for nearly 25 years I have struggled with the HR profession and what we bring to the party as it relates to work and the pride we must have in what we do for the money earned. The night Senator Obama won North Carolina, he spoke of an America where workers would once again be proud of their work. He is right. If we could return to a place and time where we were proud of what we produced and we knew what we were good at and we didn’t pretend to try and be someone we are not, we might once again talk about an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay and just get on with it. We have so complicated the workplace that I question if we can ever return to the time when we worked together as teams, we cared for the company we worked for, and we had a loyalty to those who helped us get to where we are. If we are ever to return, it demands us to have the integrity of the woman I met today. That is what we are missing. I was excited to think that I might be able to interact with someone like this going forward. That one hour, out of the 24 I had on this earth today, was redeeming, hopeful, and worth whatever there was to face in the other 23.