I began to develop skills as a jazz trumpet player in high school and college jazz ensembles. My passion for this music has not waned and I continue to rehearse and perform in small groups.Beyond the practice room or band stand, jazz has taught me some things about adaptive leadership, business, and life.In symphonic settings, musicians practice for perfect execution and blending with the section leader. The orchestral model is perfect for a world that is predictable. Jazz big bands operate with similar structure, however arrangements contain improvisational sections.Smaller jazz groups are reliant upon adaptation, spontaneous musical interaction and distributed leadership. Each individual has full accountability for success of the ensemble. This requires active listening and interaction in the moment. It's where the magic happens.Keith Richards put it this way. “It's teamwork, one guy supporting the others, all for one purpose, and there's no flies in the ointment, for a while. And nobody conducting, it's all up to you. It's really jazz that's the big secret. Rock and roll ain't nothing but jazz with a hard backbeat.” Jazz musicians practice for unexpected execution. Each performance is an emergent, adaptive, and unique creation.When the music changes, so must the dance. In an uncertain world, adaptability is a competitive advantage, not a choice.My recent business leadership experience as CEO of Walker’s Shortbread, Inc. provides an example of the benefits of a team behaving like a jazz group. In October of 2019, Walkers Shortbread, Inc. was near completion of the best year in our 26-year history. We were significantly exceeding strat plan promises, and had tested plans for acceleration. Then, the dance changed. An unexpected tariff created an existential threat. My team needed to act quickly, and in-alignment. Things intensified in February 2020 when Covid-19 elevated decisions to life and death importance. The environment was unpredictable and fraught with risk. Customers were either shutting down operations or struggling to keep up with vast shifts in demand. We worked daily to share information, interpret, respond, and develop contingencies. There were magical sparks on occasion as the team grew in its ability to deal with ambiguity.I'm grateful that everyone is healthy and that our intense lobbying efforts resulted in early removal of the tariff. Our responsiveness resulted in sales growth, supply chain alignment, and record profitability.When things don't go as planned, adaptability is a strategic imperative.
Listed skills include Strategy, Consumer Products, Brand Development, Product Development, and 50 others.
