Lyrics for Leaders to Ponder

I’m the only executive coach I know of who finds leadership lessons in rock ’n’ roll lyrics, and quotes them in one-to-one coaching sessions and group meetings. Here’s my list of half a dozen well-used favorites:

1. “I’m Telling You Now” by Keb’ Mo’

My wife and I are fans of Keb’ Mo’. Our favorite song by Keb’ is “I’m Telling You Now,” and my favorite lines are:

Let bygones be bygones, and troubles be long gone


And if I never told you how I feel about ya


I’m tellin you now.

When was the last time you told someone you work with how you feel about them and the contributions they make to the business? Do you have the courage to try it? Remember, your team won’t go where the leader hasn’t gone first. Trust over invulnerability.

 

2. “Galileo” by The Indigo Girls

It’s not usual to find tough guys from the Southside of Chicago like me with an iPod full of music by The Indigo Girls. Have you heard them sing “Galileo”? Think about these lyrics:

Galileo’s head was on the block 


The crime was looking up for truth 


And as the bombshells of my daily fears explode 


I try to trace them to my youth.

I love the use of the words looking up in a song about the world’s most famous astronomer. For leaders, the last two lines are important. Can you trace your fears back to events from your past that created head trash and hinder your leadership? What faulty assumptions are you living with that you put in place in your youth that may be hindering your ability to lead? Think about it.

 

3. “Superman” by Five for Fighting

It may not be cool for an adult to admit to liking “Superman” by Five for Fighting, but here I go. I played it once for my CEO group to underscore the fact that they don’t have to be invulnerable super men and women. The line to remember:

Even heroes have the right to bleed

I timed it well and made my point in spades. A few of them even got teary eyed.

 

4. “Listen To Her Heart” by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

I love Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, especially their old stuff that sounds like The Byrds. At the top of that list is “Listen To Her Heart.” Dozens of times I’ve quoted two lines from this song:

She’s gonna listen to her heart


It’s gonna tell her what to do

Sometimes, when we say we’re stuck and think we don’t know what to do, we’re wrong. We just have to shut up and listen to our hearts. As author Susan Scott says, “We know before we know.”

 

5. “Caught in the Act of Being Ourselves” by Mark Germino

Few people have heard of singer/songwriter Mark Germino. In 1987, he wrote an outstanding, but thoroughly underappreciated song titled “Caught in the Act of Being Ourselves.” I love that title; it’s food for thought for all those who think leadership is about masquerading as someone other than their authentic self.

Shakespeare said, “God gave us one face, yet we put on another.” Mark Germino challenges us to lead by being caught in the act of being our self. It’s the same message that Patrick Lencioni offered when he discussed Temptation #5 in The Five Temptations of a CEO and said it was the most important of the five temptations.

 

6. “Tin Man” by America

I was never a fan of the 1970s band America, and though I don’t have their song “Tin Man” in my iTunes collection, I believe there’s a lesson for leaders in these two lines of the song:

But Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man
That he didn’t already have

We all possess talent that we’re unaware of or reluctant to use. Becoming more emotionally self-aware of these talents and taking risks to use them will make us better leaders.

 

Here’s a challenge for you.

Take a look at the list of favorite songs in your iTunes collection and think about the lyrics. Are there any lessons for leaders in them? Pass along your nominees; if I get enough, I’ll compile and publish the list.