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Leadership & Team Lessons From Thelonious Monk

By Shem Cohen

“In 1960, saxophonist Steve Lacy wrote down a list of advice from jazz pianist, Thelonious Monk on how to play music” http://www.kottke.org/17/02/advice-on-how-to-play-a-gig-by-thelonious-monk. What Steve Lacy also recorded was Monk offering solid advice to leaders and members of any team about how to be most effective, step up, and create unparalleled high performance.

I was first interested in reading this as musician. Then, as I read through the list it

became apparent that Monk’s advice speaks to what makes the very best teams anywhere become so. Monk paints a picture of the partnership between leaders and team members, team members and each other, and everyone’s charter as both individuals and the collective. He offers wise tips on what it means to successfully lead others and for every member of the group, on how to step up. I’ve attempted translating some of these pointers from the world of music to organizational life in hope this offers some value to readers. The true lessons are what Monk is saying in his own words. Please feel invited to ignore my comments completely and create your own meaning. The words of a Master, are, well, the words of a Master and will offer gifts to all. For perspective, in a recent article from Business Insider Jack Welch says leaders have 5 basic traits – and only 2 can be taught. 1) Positive Energy (healthy vigor and upbeat attitude); 2) Ability to energize others; 3) Edge (the ability to make tough calls); 4) Talent to execute (get things done); 5) Passion (they care deeply. They sweat; they believe) A picture of Steve Lacy’s hand written session notes (complete) is included below.

Monk, Mingus, Charlie Parker, Roy Haynes 1953

https://barryraphael.wordpress.com/tag/thelonious-monk/

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Several of Monk’s Tips: “Just because you’re not a drummer, doesn’t mean that you don’t have to keep time” The three elements of music are harmony, rhythm & melody. What’s core to everything is the pulse… the rhythm. . The beat is the engine for the musical journey. Harmony and melody are navigation, but the pulse is the engine. Rhythm binds everyone to a unifying attention, intention and pace. Not being a drummer, one can easily get wrapped up in their own responsibilities or instrumental reality and lose track of what others are doing and of core mission and alignment. And if they get off track, they can also potentially bring others off track as well. (What does ‘keeping time’ mean for your team or organization?) “Pat your foot and sing the melody when you play” – Stay in step with everyone else, stay centered, focused and committed. Don’t just play from your head or rote… sing the melody – make it part of you. Bringing the melody forward with both clarity and intention is everyone’s main job. This is the shared goal, the charter of the group. (How well focused and aligned is your group on core mission/value proposition/values/priorities?). The melody is also core to any good improvisation. It’s easy for players to get wrapped up in vocabulary they are most accustomed to using. Players have favorite patterns… personal tricks… tools to handle certain situations (sounds like leadership, management or team skills?). But, one can’t be too focused inward and stay in their own comfort zone when having to contribute value in a dynamic environment or influence a system. If players have the melody in mind while making critical decisions in real time, they stay true to purpose and charter; their actions are effective and inspire others to step up in kind. (In your group or organization, what’s the ‘melody’? Are people keeping this at the core of what they do/all they do, in real time? Are they keeping this front and center for their people?) “Stop playing all that bullshit… those weird notes… play the melody!” Translation - Stay Focused. It isn’t about you; it isn’t about feeding your ego, playing power games, obsessing on self-interests or playing it safe with familiar patterns. It’s about fulfilling common mission, achieving our goals. This takes everyone being on the same page, committed to one’s own exceptional performance and supporting other’s success. “Make the drummer sound good” (translation not really needed here… this is what good leaders do, this is what good team mates do – help support others being successful, and if achieving an objective is critical to overall success, to support this happening above one’s own, more-narrow focus). “Discrimination is important” - Fit is important. Don’t jump in haphazard and expect everything to revolve around you. Be attentive in knowing how to best place effort and action, add your parts with intention and help create the right blend for the whole to be successful. “You got to dig it to dig it, you dig?” = Passion - Your heart has to be in it. “All Reet” is, “Alright” – “I got this” attitude. “Let’s Lift the Bandstand” When musicians hit their groove together, find their zone, it’s a powerful experience and the creation of something magical. To make this happen takes

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everyone’s focus, intention and collaboration. Everyone is all in to “lift the bandstand” together. “Avoid the hecklers” - Don’t let negative influencers get in your way of being at your best and successfully doing what you came here to do. “Don’t play the piano part, I’m playing that… Don’t listen to me, I’m supposed to be accompanying you” - Step up and do what you’re here to do. Set a course. Take action. I’m here to support you, help you be successful. You’re here to take initiative and get it done.

The following quotes don’t need translation – every leader and seasoned manager will identify Monk’s advice to hard lessons they’ve learned on their own. For people new to supervision, systems thinking, influence or who are simply looking for a few tips to best manage relationships, Monk’s words ring true along a wide continuum of thought and behavior, from best-practice western leadership to the wisdom of Lau Tzu. “Don’t play everything… let some things go by… What you don’t play can be more important than what you do play”. “A note can be as small as a pin or as big as the world… it all depends on your imagination”. “Whatever you think can’t be done, someone will come along and do it. A genius is the one most like himself”. “they tried to get me to hate white people, but someone would always come along and spoil it”

Shem Cohen is an Organization Development consultant, facilitator and change agent with deep expertise helping leaders to align, focus and energize organizations. His work brings together the business and human sides of enterprise, helping clients to achieve notable success through high-engagement planning, change management, diplomacy, and masterful facilitation of ‘people-related’ interventions to significantly improve team dynamics and effectiveness. url: www.ChangeEvents.com e: scohen@ChangeEvents.com

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http://www.kottke.org/17/02/advice-on-how-to-play-a-gig-by-thelonious-monk.