Talking Louder & Going Home

Why universal agreement means others can go home.

I was reminded earlier today about a mantra of an old friend. The friend was my childhood guitar teacher, Bruce Hock, who - in his own words - "never had a real job". His entire life he made his living playing guitar - either playing in bars, recording music, or teaching lessons.

Whenever he played with other guitarists - even his students (who were still learning) - he insisted that they play different notes/chords/octaves/harmonies vs having more than one guitarist playing the same thing at the same time.

Why?

Because if you're playing the same thing, "one person can turn up their volume and the others can go home".

I was reminded today about how this can play out in our teams at work or in life. Too often, we find ourselves surrounded by people with the same ideas, the same thoughts, the same recommendations for ways forward, or even the same skillsets. When this is the case, one person can simply talk louder and the rest can go home.

So be mindful of who you surround yourself with:

-Surround yourself with people with different ideas.

-Surround yourself with people who disagree.

-Surround yourself with people who have a distinct perspective to offer.

-Surround yourself with people who's skills compliment yours - not mirror them.

Agreement and alignment are great - necesary eventually - but if there isn't any difference of opinion or healthy debate in the process, you're missing something crucial.

Afterall, if everyone's saying the same thing, chances are one person can talk louder and everyone else can go home.

Thanks for spending time with me in my workshop,

Eric