As leaders, it’s our responsibility to set the right example and ensure that everyone in the organization understands what it means to be a servant leader. This doesn’t come naturally to most of us, but drawing from the wisdom of those who’ve gone before us can serve as a powerful force for positive change. Throughout history, great leaders have consistently demonstrated how exceptional leadership and inspired strategy can take an underperforming team or organization and set them on a course for greatness. As such, exploring leadership through song is one of the best ways to learn about different styles of leadership and practice applying those principles in your own life. With this in mind, here are 7 great songs about leadership that can help you develop your skills as a leader and strengthen your personal resilience as well as your team’s capacity for growth and innovation:
The Who’s Next
Leaders are often busy rewriting the rules of their field, but sometimes it helps to look at that history from a different perspective. That’s what The Who’s Next does beautifully by examining the cultural impact of rock and roll through the prism of the Beatles’ career. The song’s lyrics are a reminder to leaders that the most important things aren’t always the newest or the most profitable. Sometimes, the most important thing you can do is just keep on being you. The song’s opening line is “he’s just a baby with an attitude”, perhaps a gentle reminder that being a leader means that you have to show up every day as who you are, warts and all. It’s also an excellent reminder to lead with humility, as a leader’s position should never be based on who you are, but what your team can become with your support.
Do What You Love
The world is filled with people who are driven by fear to do things that don’t satisfy them. For example, many people choose a job or career out of fear of being vulnerable or of being rejected. They may also fear being bored, or not having a means to support themselves or their family. Rather than allowing fear to dictate your life, you can choose to do what you love. This will make you happy, as well as providing a sense of purpose that few other activities can match. As an added bonus, research has shown that people who are engaged at work are less likely to suffer from stress-related ailments than those who are not engaged.
Strength in Numbers
Leaders have a unique opportunity to inspire those around them by drawing upon their collective capacity for strength. When done well, this can create a ripple effect that sends ripples out from the individuals who make up your team all the way to their customers, investors and overall community. In this particular song, K Dot uses the power of metaphor to compare the strength of a team to that of a rope. It’s an excellent metaphor for leaders who want to explore the concept of leveraging human potential.
Rise Up
One of the most important things a leader can do is show up. That doesn’t mean that you have to show up perfect, but rather that you show up in a way that is authentic to who you are and what your team can accomplish. In this particular song, Rise Up acknowledges that everything that happens in life is a lesson. As such, it’s important to let those lessons guide your actions and remind yourself that in so doing, you serve as a model for your team. Not only does this show that you are a role model for your team members, but it also shows that you are willing to be vulnerable enough to be changed by your mistakes.
The Team Song
Teamwork is essential to making progress in almost every field, but it can be especially challenging when the people who need to collaborate don’t necessarily see the value in doing so. In this particular song, K Dot reminds team members that the key to success lies in showing up, staying late, and showing each other respect. When done effectively, this can create a culture of trust and respect where every member feels as though they have a voice and an opportunity to contribute.
Show up! Stay late!
Leaders are often faced with situations where change is necessary, but doing so is a challenge. This can be especially true when the change is coming from within your team. To make those changes successful, leaders need to show up and stay late. In this particular song, K Dot is sharing a tried and true songs about leadership secret. It’s directly related to the things that you do every day and is a reminder to keep showing up and staying late, even when you don’t feel like it.
Conclusion
While many of these songs about leadership aim to inspire listeners, they all serve to remind them to stay authentic to themselves, their teams, and the people around them. When done effectively, this can add tremendous value to an organization and create lasting change for the people who make it up. As you reflect on these songs, make sure you keep the following words in mind: Leaders are often busy rewriting the rules of their field, but sometimes it helps to look at that history from a different perspective. That’s what The Who’s Next does beautifully by examining the cultural impact of rock and roll through the prism of the Beatles’ career. The song’s lyrics are a reminder to leaders that the most important things aren’t always the newest or the most profitable. Sometimes, the most important thing you can do is keep on being you.
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