Leveraging Difference
I was honored recently when a friend sent me the pre-release of the inaugural episode of her new podcast, “Level Up.” The premise of the podcast is to explore how music can influence you — your outlook, your attitude, and your productivity. She does this by interviewing musicians — both to understand the music that has influenced them and the music they create.
What struck me, from a leadership perspective, is how the trio talked about their differences. One band member described the three of them through the lens of a Venn diagram where their love for music brought them together — the center of the diagram. Beyond that, though, their musical genres varied widely.
As you might imagine, this makes it more challenging for the musicians to align on the works they produce. They each bring very different projects to the table and they each have different perspectives on how those projects should be executed.
Rather than this being a point of contention among them, they have found it to be a powerful differentiator, enabling them to create fresh, new sounds. By getting curious about, and leveraging, one another’s different strengths, they are carving out a niche for themselves.
Confident leaders intentionally surround themselves with individuals whose strengths and perspectives differ from their own. But, amassing this disparate team is not enough. As this trio demonstrates, it is just as important to create a culture that respects and leverages those differences.
If you’re interested in the podcast, Level Up will be streaming on Radio Massasoit on Thursdays at 7 pm.
