Week 22.45 Our Native Daughters

Last Friday night, I went to an Our Native Daughters concert at Carnegie Hall. The group comprises four black female banjo players, Amythyst Kiah, Allison Russell, Leyla McCalla, and Rhiannon Giddens. I've been a massive fan of Rhiannan Giddens for years and recently heard about Our Native Daughters on a podcast interview with Allison Russell. The music they write and perform is an almost impossible combination of beautiful melodies with the deep exploration of the roots of American music and the black experience. Beyond the music itself, I was taken by how the group operated as a collection of individual stars and as a supergroup. Not surprisingly, the experience reminded me of the relationship-first framework I am exploring and developing. For those new to this framework, it is the idea that we are healthiest and fullest when our first priority is the right relationship with ourselves, others, and the world.  

Each musician is supremely talented and performed in their whole self. There was incredible power that came from individual virtuosity and unique perspective. What was the most striking to me was that each was fully and unabashedly in a complete relationship with herself. They took turns sharing the songs each had composed for their pre-pandemic album. In each song, the history, culture, passion, and pain of their ancestors, the voice of their individual life experience, and the joy of their relationship with it shone through. It felt as though they were beyond performing. Their uniqueness, their Onlyness (thank you Nilofer Merchant), and their relationship with themselves and their ancestors were fully and transparently on display. And it was powerful.

 And while each had a powerful individual voice and style, together, they were a band. They effortlessly passed the melody from musician to musician and harmonized with ease and grace. They were balanced and deferential, soaring and never leaving anyone behind. Rhiannon Giddens, the group's convener, ceded the lead to Allison Russell, an exceptional talent who thrived on the audience's energy. And every so often, when it was appropriate, Giddens stepped into the light of the sound and performed at a level that soared above all but a few musicians. On display was her otherworldly voice, which commands a range and tone unlike all but a few other singers, and her depth of spirit, which is a container of an unparalleled history of pain and joy. Their relationship with each other was not an accident. It was a choice to be one rather than to be individua

And as a band, they were committed to changing the world. The luscious melodies they composed opened the audience to elation; the lyrics full of the truth of the experience of slavery and injustice filled us with the remembrance of that suffering. Their songs were songs of hope and celebration while still giving voice to the pain. There was an earthiness that felt real. There was an undeniable truth. As the evening drew to a close, Giddens stepped forward to express gratitude for the opportunity for four black women to play on the stage of Carnegie Hall. She drew attention to the fact that the land was taken first from Native Americans and then from local communities to make space for the building, which had long served the pleasure of the wealthy. Rather than withdraw from the world of injustice, they chose to be in a relationship with it and through that relationship, change it.

The evening was a Giddens masterclass in life and leadership. The combination of music, lyrics, individual virtuosity, collective harmony, venue, and history made this the single most remarkable performance I have ever attended. Each group member displayed the power of living their truth in relationship with themselves, including their history and cultures. It was also a beautiful declaration of the power and transformation of putting relationship first. 

WHEN IT COMES TO BRANDING, QUEEN BEY SLAYS by Martin Lindstrom

Though it sounds odd for a pop culture phenomenon, Beyoncé fans are actually part of an exclusive club called the BeyHive and without them, Beyoncé wouldn’t be Beyoncé. This is the group of superfans Beyoncé relies on to generate buzz and fill stadiums when she launches another surprise. But the BeyHive shows you don’t need expensive marketing gimmicks to build the feeling of exclusivity, you just need to offer good content and access: members of the BeyHive get early opportunities to purchase concert tickets, unique messages, and an opportunity to connect with each other. With the right branding that’s all it takes. Maybe you’re not the Beyoncé of paper supply, car parts, or website development, but that doesn’t mean you can’t market like her.

How To Keep High Performers Motivated by David Burkus

Here’s an uncomfortable truth about the current world of work: High performers need organizations less than organizations need high performers. Performance in work has always followed a power law or “pareto” distribution. Everyone on the team contributes to the victories, but high performers who act as team players make the victory more likely. In one analysis of over 600,000 workers from dozens of different fields, high performers were found to achieve 400 percent more than average workers. But to unlock those achievements, high performers need to be motivated to perform and motivated to work as a team. In this article, David reviews five methods leaders can use to keep high performers motivated and achieving.

INTRODUCING: IN YOUR POWER a new book by Sharon Melnick, Ph.D.

When you’re in your power, the course of your life isn’t happening to you, it’s happening from you, through you, and for you. Your internal state no longer goes up and down according to other people’s behavior as if you’re a thermometer. In your power, you're the thermostat. You set the tone of your interactions with others, you decide who you will be, and you bring people along in your vision, stewarding the whole situation to make it better. It’s time to access the tools you need to feel like the creator, not the casualty, of your life. It’s time to step into your power and use it for the good of all. In your power, you make an impact not by reacting to the behavior of people who are limited, but rather by raising yourself and others to be limitless. Buy the book TODAY on Amazon

With love, wonder and gratitude, Scott