When it comes to working with others, playing nice, and delegating, I’ve struggled for a long time. And it’s hardest when we are talking about my music.
A quote that I heard over a decade ago at an arts business conference has stuck with me all this time:
Nobody cares as much about your art as you do.
And it’s true.
But here’s the catch: you can’t do it alone.
And there’s a way to make this all work for you, too. But you’ve got to be really smart (smarter than me), really talented, over-the-top kind and compassionate, and have a bit of luck.
Here are two things that I’ve learned over the last seven or so years of heading up Restoration Project (http://resproj.com):
1. When you bring people on to your team, make sure they love your music, as-is; and make sure they are better than you at very specific tasks. When they are on board, ask them to help head up very specific things. Give them ownership of it, and let them do their jobs.
2. Reward people for their hard work. It doesn’t have to be much, but make sure you spread the bounty from your successes. Even in an all-volunteer setup like ResProj, it’s really important for people to know that they are appreciated and valued. Gift cards work great for this, but other intangibles are good, too. Give everybody equal access to our merch, and allow them to take any they want, pretty much no questions asked.
For me, I’ve found that the absolute most important place to have teammates is on your musician roster. The right musicians will inspire you to do your best, work hard to improve, and call you out when you’re not making the cut. These are people you want pulling the ropes with you through thick and thin.
So the question is: “What’s your music team like?”
