This is a repost of August 16, 2011…as an Elvis fan, this is my leadership thought on this special anniversary day.
Today is a special day…it comes around every year and thousands of people, dare I say
millions of people around the world celebrate, mourn and grieve this day. For on August 16, 1977, a voice was silenced…one that had change lives of people close to him and lives of those he never knew. For it was on this day, August 16, 1977, in a hospital in Memphis, TN that…I had my tonsils removed. Oh yeah, also in a Memphis hospital across town from where I was, Elvis Presley died (the story would have been better if I would have been in the same hospital).
Although my family and I moved out of Memphis a few months after Elvis died, he has been my all-time favorite performer. With YouTube, I can go back and relive concert moments from the early days and then the last few years. I can watch how he was able to have an audience literally hang on every move he made and every word he sang.
I remember as a kid meeting Ray Walker, the bassist of “The Jordanaires” who spent years as Elvis’ back-up group. My legs shook as I introduced myself to someone I knew who had spent a lot of time singing with my musical hero. According to those who knew him and accounts of his life, Elvis was a larger than life individual. But does fame equal leadership?
Elvis surrounded himself with a tight circle of friends and Army buddies…the so-called Memphis Mafia. They worked for him but mainly, according to the great two-volume biography of Elvis by Peter Guralnick, these guys were there to say “yes” to Elvis. Now before I come across as throwing stones, I probably would have said “yes” as well. When someone pays for your stuff, gives you a bunch of stuff and basically bankrolls your life, bucking the goose that’s laying the golden eggs isn’t a normal thing to do. But this post isn’t about the followers, it’s about the leader.
Leaders have to surround themselves with people who will be willing to be authentic, truthful and real, even if it means going against the leader. Plus, having people constantly agree with you can’t be right…one person can’t be that right about everything. In addition, there is no challenge with everyone just saying “Oh, that’s so great”. Leaders have ideas and they innovate, but those ideas and innovations need to be kicked around and put through a ringer of possible “what if’s.” It certainly doesn’t mean the idea is bad (it might mean the idea is bad), but that the team the leader surrounds themselves with is a team trusted enough to give their opinion. So when it is time to say “Yes” to the leader, it is done with full confidence and buy-in from the team.
Back to Elvis. I would love to have the opportunity to sit down and talk with one of the famed Memphis Mafia. I could ask questions all day of George Klein, Joe Esposito and Jerry Schilling…men who shared some of the most intimate moments with Elvis. As I have heard them say before, “Elvis had a way…he could convince you to do about anything.” Hopefully, leaders will learn that convincing people to do something isn’t the goal, but instead offering influence that makes the “yes” really count.
Now GO Lead!
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