The Idea: Who do you go to for fresh thinking and leadership inspiration? All organizations can learn about the creative process from the hyper-competitive entertainment industry. They are not afraid of bringing in outsiders. Are you willing to be shifted? What one new person should be brought into your team?
Steve Jobs had Jony Ive, Apple’s SVP of Design – the creative mind behind the majority of the beautiful Apple designs that decorate our homes and offices. U2’s Bono was silently and subtly inspired by the words of producer Daniel Lanois and engineer Mark Ellis better known as “Flood” in the creation of many of their early albums.
Who do you go to for inspiration?
A Wall Street Journal article recently exposed me to Young Guru, the music industry’s “most important sound engineer,” who has worked with acts including Eminem, Jay-Z and Beyonce on some of their most distinguished work. Young Guru is known for his broad understanding of sounds and precision in building the songs that we know today. He is Jay-Z’s personal sound engineer, and has been praised by some of the most famous artists around. “He truly is a scientist, a musician, a visionary,” says Grammy award-winning artist Common.
How could Young Guru receive such high praise when he isn’t the one with the guitar or the one with the voice? As I dug deeper, I realized that the emotional responses we have to our favorite songs are because of the tiny details that engineers like Young Guru are creating. To the untrained ear, they are unidentifiable. But the effects on the listener are HUGE.
Journalist Neal Pollack explains this influence terrifically:
“While artists and producers tend to think about the creation of a song on a macro level, engineers operate on a micro scale, using precise metrics to smooth out or blow up any sonic detail within the overall sweep of a song, much as a baker deploys exact pinches of spices and ingredients to achieve a desired taste.
Often, the things we never see have the most important effect on our results. Young Guru will likely never be a household name like Jay-Z is. Similarly, most people will never appreciate the role of a sound engineer in the music they love. I didn’t. But Young Guru’s work has quietly revolutionized music in pop culture and the key influencers in the music industry know it
- Who can be brought onto your team to positively disrupt your creativity?
- What trusted advisors can anticipate your team’s future needs and challenges?
- Who do you sit down with that actually transforms the atmosphere and your thinking?
What one person should be brought into your creation process and your leadership team? Who is your Young Guru?
To find out more about Young Guru and his background, check out the Wall Street Journal article here.
