What made the difference between that experience being an ordinary one and an extraordinary one?
I frequently ask these questions of my clients and, without exception, each one has admitted a profound effect when they experienced extraordinary performers sharing an extraordinary performance. When I enquire about what it was that made the difference between ordinary and extraordinary, there is rarely any mention of ‘the great voice’ or some superhuman skill set they possessed. The answers are pretty consistent; the courage to dare, the bravery, passion, energy, commitment, a well rehearsed talent, connection, a vision, listening to the audience, precise communication and a personal accountability for the success of the performance.
The world of the arts offers a unique framework for building even greater possibilities and presents you with a new lens to look through: a lens that invites both its performers and its audience to consider an alternative narrative and a new story to live out.
Performers are driven by a compelling vision and are fuelled by the desire to translate that vision into something meaningful for their audience. Most artists know that they will only achieve an extraordinary performance if they constantly push themselves to evolve and upgrade. They will be diligent and rigorous in their practice and rehearsal. They will hone and refine the necessary skills and behaviours. Feedback will be expected from the start of any project and the artist will actively seek it out, as they know that it only serves to enhance the end product.
Sitting right at the very heart of all this is an attitude, a mindset and a way of thinking that binds everything together. It is this that creates extraordinary. Having the right behaviours and skills in isolation is not enough. At the core of any artist’s own development, it will be their attitude and mindset that take centre stage, as without this pointing in the right direction, everything else falls away and the results are plain old beige!
In the same way, organizations have a performance to put on 24/7. They have an audience to engage with. People that they need to reach out to and connect with. A story to tell. Hearts and minds to win over. A purpose. A quality service to deliver. An experience to create that the audience will want to return to again and again. A brand to maintain. Stakeholders that want to be listened to and heard. A culture that goes viral for all the right reasons. A culture that their own performers will want to be a part of and can thrive in. A place where people are rewarded for what they deliver and how they deliver it. An organization that every stakeholder believes is extraordinary.
I can safely say that every performer and leader I have come across in the last 20 years, who is striving for extraordinary, has bravely chosen the attitudes, behaviours and thinking patterns that need to be left behind while holding on to those that will propel them forward. Without a Jolt, it can be easy and comfortable to keep churning out more of the same. Ultimately though, in some guise, the Jolt will appear!
I remember it well …
I have had many Jolts in my lifetime. Some I noticed, some I probably didn’t. Some I reacted well to, some I rolled on the floor, kicked my feet in the air and screamed like a baby (age 33 was the last one of those and it wasn’t pretty!). The Jolts that stand out, many of which I wrestled with, have become my guiding principles and are now a part of how I navigate my day. Experience has shown me that they are the basis for building anything extraordinary.
Jolt is not a thing that you do. Jolt is not your outcome. Jolt is a way of being.
In 1995 I joined the West End cast of The Phantom of the Opera. The Phantom company and the many gorgeous people within it became my home, on and off, for many years. My time there was a rich tapestry of learning about the craft of consistently creating something extraordinary. On numerous occasions I was left baffled over why we would yet again spend hours practising tiny pieces of music and staging. Surely something so small couldn’t make a difference to the show? How would an audience ever notice? It was already a worldwide phenomenon, grossing millions globally through ticket sales and merchandise. Why fiddle with it?
Wind the clock forward 18 years and my wisdom and learning is in a more rounded place to make sense of it all. Delivering something extraordinary, eight times a week, is a feat even for the most experienced and seasoned performers and musicians. The courage and hunger to continually reinvent takes energy and tenacity. If we let go of that, we switch onto auto‐pilot, turn off the radar and deliver a lacklustre performance. In the world of the arts, there is no place for that.
So why is it then that in the world of business we often accept that as being ok?
A while into my run at Phantom, the resident director took me to one side and offered me a dollop of wisdom. I am grateful that he did as I believe it dramatically changed the course of my existence and placed the importance of Jolt right at the heart of what I do. He brought it to my attention that I had entered a ‘safe zone’ – a place that delivered an ordinary performance and not an extraordinary one. I had become comfortable and was delivering just enough each night.
The feedback and challenge he offered me was very clear.
‘Richard, what you do on stage each night is ok. It’s fine. It won’t change the world though. However, I’m not sure that deep down you are happy with ok and fine, are you?’
‘Not entirely, no. BUT what if I step it up a gear and then screw it up? What if I test out new ways and they fail? What if it doesn’t work? What if I crack a note? That all feels like a big risk to take!’
He smiled at me yet delivered a message that walloped me between the eyes!
‘The greatest risk Richard is not that you step it up a gear and do something differently. The risk is not that you give it a go and fail either. The greatest risk is that you stay doing the same thing, day in and day out, eight times a week. If you do, you won’t have a job and we won’t have a show. I’m telling you now so that you can make your best choice.’
The Jolt that came from my director shook me up. It was a very clear choice point for me. Doing nothing would cost me big time. Looking back on that moment, I smile to myself as I realize how naive I had been to believe that there was no risk to me in staying doing the same thing, over and over again.
Jolts will come in all shapes and sizes. They may well wallop your arse when you least expect it. They may knock you to your knees. Hear this though, what makes the difference between an enabling Jolt and a disabling Jolt is how YOU choose to respond to it. Jolts will be sudden, uncomfortable, provocative and create a heightened state of awareness of your thinking, your action and the situation you are in.
Will you embrace the Jolts around you or will you fight them off?
Time to make an upgrade
Imagine using technology that is 20 years out of date – analogue TV, cassettes, Atari computers. Even operating on a Windows system that is three years old can cause problems. It will work up to a point and yet when you need to engage and connect with your audience, it may well let you down. Technology upgrades have become normal in our world. What you buy today will have a new version available tomorrow. As I sit waiting for my iPhone 6 to arrive, I do so in the knowledge that even by tomorrow, new software upgrades will have been made available. If you are truly committed to making the step from ordinary to extraordinary, the starting point is to decide what upgrades are necessary. You may well have some catching up to do if you haven’t upgraded for many years!
When did you last make an upgrade to your current version?
Upgrading will quickly become a regular habit if you choose to make it so. When you have your radar switched on and are truly in the moment, you will start to notice
