Michael Jackson's Leadership Anthem

Michael Jackson, the pop star who passed away earlier this year, has been in the news again thanks to the release of the documentary "This Is It." Jackson was a controversial figure, but there's no doubt his music was indelible. As I was reflecting on Jackson's songbook, I remembered one of my favorites: Man in the Mirror. Performed by Jackson, but written by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard, the song provides a powerful message about the responsibility each of us has towards a better world. It's a musical expression of the Ghandi quote "be the change you want to see in the world."

I see applications in big and small ways. If we are bothered by behaviors in the workplace, perhaps we need to think about how our own behaviors could be a cause. If we want to see more integrity in the world, we have to examine our own ethical shortcomings. Basically, we shouldn't advocate for choices that we aren't personally willing to make and we shouldn't whine about the state of society if we aren't actively ensuring that we're not part of the problem.

As a leader, if you want to create change in your organization, community, or anywhere else, you need to begin with yourself. It sounds very cliche', but like the song suggests, it is the only true way to work towards the change you desire.

The lyrics to the song are below. Below the lyrics is the video for the song, which shows images of activism and social change.

"Man In The Mirror"

I'm Gonna Make A Change,
For Once In My Life
It's Gonna Feel Real Good,
Gonna Make A Difference
Gonna Make It Right . . .

As I, Turn Up The Collar On My
Favorite Winter Coat
This Wind Is Blowin' My Mind
I See The Kids In The Street,
With Not Enough To Eat
Who Am I, To Be Blind?
Pretending Not To See
Their Needs

A Summer's Disregard,
A Broken Bottle Top
And A One Man's Soul
They Follow Each Other On
The Wind Ya' Know
'Cause They Got Nowhere
To Go
That's Why I Want You To
Know

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself, And
Then Make A Change

I've Been A Victim Of A Selfish
Kind Of Love
It's Time That I Realize
That There Are Some With No
Home, Not A Nickel To Loan
Could It Be Really Me,
Pretending That They're Not
Alone?

A Willow Deeply Scarred,
Somebody's Broken Heart
And A Washed-Out Dream
They Follow The Pattern Of
The Wind, Ya' See
Cause They Got No Place
To Be
That's Why I'm Starting With
Me

I'm Starting With The Man In
The Mirror
I'm Asking Him To Change
His Ways
And No Message Could Have
Been Any Clearer
If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place
Take A Look At Yourself And
Then Make A Change

Leadership in the Story of a Rock Song

Joseph Rost wrote a very influential book years ago entitled "Leadership for the Twenty-First Century." For anyone interested in the progression of leadership thought and study over the years, this book was a masterwork. Rost, through his extensive research and powerful tone, made perhaps the most convincing argument to date that leadership was not a top-down proposition. Rather, Rost's definition says that leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes that reflect their mutual purposes. Defining leadership as a relationship means that both leaders and followers are doing leadership. This flies against the typical paradigm of of leadership being projected only from a leader to a follower. The arrow can go both ways, according to Rost.

Now consider the rock group Pearl Jam, one of the most successful musical groups in modern times. In their profile on the VH1 show "Storytellers," frontman Eddie Vedder told a story about Pearl Jam's most popular hit song - "Alive." In his story, Vedder essentially describes Rost's definition of leadership. Vedder tells about how the audience for Pearl Jam's live shows, through their collective influence, forever changed for him the interpretation of the song. The band on the stage, and the audience in the stadiums, were practicing leadership with each other. The story is powerful, and worth a few minutes of your time:



I doubt Rost and Vedder ever encountered each other or each other's work. Rost might have found a Pearl Jam song to be a strange place for his ideas - but leadership is often found in the strangest places!

By the way, if you are not familiar with the song, here is a video with both the story above and their performance of the song.

Seeing What Others May Miss

I am always in awe of people who see something ordinary, and imagine something spectacular. In the process of leadership, freeing our minds can lead to unexpected outcomes.

Mali (and Roberts) on Speaking with Conviction

One of my mentors, Denny Roberts, who writes a blog entitled "Pursuing Leadership," introduced me to the Taylor Mali video below. Denny's brief reactions are insightful (as usual). You can read his post here.

Here is the video:

Starting a Movement

Check out this video from the Sasquatch Music Festival (thanks to the team at Phired Up Productions for introducing this to me). Notice how the man's enthusiasm is contagious. How does this relate to our efforts to start movements in our organizations? Does it start with unabashed enthusiasm?

Most change movements start with an outlier - someone willing to do something extraordinary. He/she may be criticized, laughed at, mocked, or ignored. However, if he/she can convince a few others to join in (whether directly or by inspiration), it reduces the hesitancy that others may have to get involved. Thus, like this video, once the ball gets rolling, the momentum can build quickly. Who are the few people you can convince, that will push your movement forward?