The luxury of just being ‘good’ and remaining a leader are gone and the consequences of failing to Jolt are severe – take Blockbusters, Jessops, Comet – why did they collapse? They stayed comfortable. They didn’t disrupt. They failed to lead.
On the flipside, look at Apple, Innocent, Dyson, Amazon – they are successful because they push at the edges and do dare to disrupt the industry standards.
Don’t be fooled into thinking you are safe. If you are not shaking up your industry now, someone else will be.
You, like me, will recognize that the world is moving at an extraordinary pace. Probably faster than ever before and the one thing we can be sure of going forward, is that the pace will only continue to accelerate. There was a time however, where you could pretty much be ‘good’ and feel ‘safe’ as a leader by predicting what you delivered last week, last month and even last year, would continue to be a success. ‘Let’s keep churning out the same as it’s worked for us before!’ Well those days have passed us by. Business schools focused on metrics, measurables and the bottom line. Case studies, reports and spreadsheets ruled!
The space we are in now has shifted beyond recognition and the expectation of what has to be delivered has multiplied. We can no longer rely on telling the story where leaders scrape by with knowledge alone, technical competency and a textbook approach – the world is ready and, in most cases, demanding something more. The requirement now is for organizations and their leaders to be led away from pure process, out‐of‐date habits and mediocrity and towards a hunger for embracing something extraordinary where the outcome is to transform and not just fix.
The ability to transform, however, requires so much more than simple technical knowledge. While that is important, it is only a small part of the story; courage, listening, noticing, intuition, improvisation and engaging others in transformation is the larger part. In your role as a leader today, it is not just about playing the notes well, but listening to what’s emerging in the spaces in‐between.
That final statement is key. A good musician will be competent at playing the notes and lots of them together. The same is true for many good leaders, they will also be capable of playing many notes and lots of them together. What differs for the extraordinary musicians is that they are the ones that stop and listen to the spaces in between the notes. This is the moment that becomes their choice point for creating an extraordinary narrative and ensuring it finds its way to landing with their audience. It is the moment when they hold the questions:
• What am I noticing?
• How can I build on this?
• What can I do to deepen my listening?
• How can I become even more of a contribution?
When did you last ask yourself the same questions?
It is not just about playing the notes well, but listening to what’s emerging in the spaces in-between.
In the business space we currently operate within, playing the notes is simply no longer enough: reliance upon banging out as many notes as you can is a high risk strategy that most cannot afford to take. Yet, still, many organizations continue to focus on developing only the behaviours and skills that fit with the ’old story’ – where the number of notes played in a day was the measure of success. It has all changed – the audience is now demanding that we deliver a more relevant and up‐to‐date story.
Just recently I read in the paper that John Cridland, director‐general of the CBI, has written a hard‐hitting report recommending that schools and the government pay far greater attention to developing the attitude and character of children while in education. The past and current focus is on exam results; more knowledge, more learning and more tick boxes, yet employers believe that an agile mind, emotional intelligence and the desire to go the extra mile are most important. Skills are much easier to instill if the attitude to learn and upgrade yourself is in place.
Here’s the thing – much of what you do already works well. It must or you wouldn’t have got this far in life. The question for you though is this: will it be enough to take you beyond where you are now in order that you can play with extraordinary?
The attitude and behaviours that made you good will not be the same ones that make you extraordinary – doing more of the same will not unleash your success.
Ideas spread
Over the past 15 years, I have worked across the globe as a consultant and coach to some of the world’s biggest organizations, helping them to Jolt their own thinking. Jolting them to be bold and to start embracing this new world. Shaking up their thinking and the action that they take. Offering them a new lens to look through. Encouraging them to dare more.
Cajoling them to make new choices rather than play out old habits simply because ‘it did work that way once… in 1874.’
In simple terms, provoking them to adopt a more Artful approach, thereby creating the choice to elevate towards something extraordinary.
Having witnessed my clients now begin to exceed their audience’s expectations, have happier people amongst their workforce and generate more extraordinary moments than ordinary ones, I think that it is now the time for the Jolt to ripple further. I want this thinking to go viral. I want to start a revolution where more people can begin to flirt with extraordinary. The route to that exists here, through Jolt!
This is your Jolt. Like anything worth having though, it is good to share it with others. I ask you to pass this Jolt on. Jolt yourself. Jolt your team. Jolt your manager. Jolt your culture. Doing all this will in turn Jolt your audience, meaning that you remain on their radar for all the right reasons.
An Artful approach
During your life, at some point and in some way, you will have been touched by the arts; a play, a piece of dance, a song, an orchestra, a singer, an actor or actress, a film, a painting … it will have moved you. It will have created a connection and provoked a response. It will have been extraordinary. It will have offered you a Jolt!
Now take a moment to consider what it might have been that made it so extraordinary for you.
• What was it about the performer?
• How was it they connected with you?
• What did it Jolt you from and to?
• What made the difference between that experience being an ordinary one and an extraordinary one?
I frequently ask these questions of my clients and, without exception, each one has admitted a profound effect when they experienced extraordinary performers sharing an extraordinary performance. When I enquire about what it was that made the difference between ordinary and extraordinary, there is rarely any mention of ‘the great voice’ or some superhuman skill set they possessed. The answers are pretty consistent; the courage to dare, the bravery, passion, energy, commitment, a well rehearsed talent, connection, a vision, listening to the audience, precise communication and a personal accountability for the success of the performance.
The world of the arts offers a unique framework for building even greater possibilities and presents you with a new lens to look through: a lens that invites both its performers and its audience to consider an alternative narrative and a new story to live out.
Performers are driven by a compelling vision and are fuelled by the desire to translate that vision into something meaningful for their audience. Most artists know that they will only achieve an extraordinary performance if they constantly push themselves to evolve and upgrade. They will be diligent and rigorous in their practice and rehearsal. They will hone and refine the necessary skills and behaviours. Feedback will be expected from the start of any project and the artist will actively seek it out, as they know that it only serves to enhance the end product.
Sitting