Motivation with Mark Knopfler
The word universe means a song or poem: uni-one and verse-sound or poetry. So sound (music, poetry) has an inherent ability to change our moods and, from there, our motivational energies. What we hear and when is significant. As Shakespeare wrote in The Merchant of Venice, “The man who has no music in himself, nor moves with the harmony of sweet sounds, is fit for betrayals, stratagems, and spoil.” So all highly motivated people listen to music often and should do more.
I personally love the music of JS Bach, which I listen to almost daily, but I also love a small number of great rock / pop stars from the last 40 years. I wonder who your heroes are.
For me, Mark Knopfler, the old Dire Straits (with as many great solo songs as I had in those early happy days) is one of the greats. His music is at once melodic, intricate and epic. The epic comes from those great guitar endings that he plays, think, ‘Tunnel of Love’. A few years ago at the Bournemouth International Center I had the pleasure of seeing him live. My wife, son Joe, and I were captivated by an incredible performance of music that left us spellbound. His live version of ‘Farmer Blues’, for example, was astonishingly cool. I could go on, but you understand me.
As we walked back to the car, I said to my son, Joe, well, what are the three important lessons from Mark Knopfler that anyone could apply to become mega-successful and possibly mega-happy? If being a member of a rock and roll band is analogous to running a business, what do you think they could be?
Before outlining the three core lessons, we’d like to reflect that even doing the right things doesn’t necessarily lead to success – things go wrong, whether you like it or not. As the good book says, time and chance happen to all men. In Mark’s case, when I saw him live, he revealed to us why he wasn’t standing up and playing the guitar: he had jerked his back and it had plagued him for five weeks. That’s what you call irritating, and life!
The lesson of seeing Mark is the lesson of creativity: all the songs were his songs, so everyone followed his tune. Being creative is an essential component of the human being: essential, of the essence. Peter Drucker observed that only two things made money for a company: marketing and innovation; everything else was a cost. We need to run businesses where we fully embrace human creativity, especially our own. In the long run, it helps us to be more resistant to stress.
Second: be an expert in everything you do! Watch Mark play that guitar, several guitars actually, and you’ll see an expert at work. Without exaggeration they had cameras that for brief periods of time allowed us to see Mark on stage, and behind him a close-up of his fingering and piercing. And not only was Mark an excellent musician, they all were. So if you are going to be a plumber, nurse, director, manager, store assistant, be the best. I was recently amused and impressed when the plumber who fixed a problem in our house said, “My brother is the best plumber in Dorset.” I said: Well bring it here then, I don’t want second best!
Finally, get a compact team around you. Towards the end, Mark introduced his team and we learned that almost all of them go back 15 years playing with him, and one even back to the 80’s. He trusted them and they trusted him; the synergy and teamwork were evident: the great Knopfler could accomplish much more by leveraging his talents alongside his. Where are the key players on your team? Who is with you on a journey to change the world with your product or service?
Yes, you can learn a lot by watching a rock and roll band. Music is great too!