I met with a few classmates over the weekend and one of them mentioned a great story from Seth Godin’s recent book, The Song of Significance.
“When Joni Mitchell was recording her breakthrough Mingus album, she worked with Jaco Pastorius and Herbie Hancock. Herbie asked Jaco if they were supposed to play the music as written. “She wants you to paint. That’s something you can do, Herbie. Paint.””
It takes two to tango. Open space on the dance floor, and someone that can fill it.
I wrote about these types of stories in enough already, the kind of story that sticks with you. The kind of story that, depending on the slant, can hit you in several different ways. A good story will let the storyteller paint a little bit as well.
One classmate said let them paint was about leadership.
Another classmate expanded on that, saying creative acts need leaders rather than managers, more so than other types of work.
Yet another jumped in, adding leadership doesn’t just come from the top, Jaco was leading when he told Herbie, “She wants you to paint. That’s something you can do, Herbie. Paint.”
I like that. Permission and encouragement all in one.
A fourth classmate said it was about trust. Joni’s ability to trust the musicians to do what they do best. Trust in herself, that she had brought in the right people to support the project.
I was nodding my head, but all I could think of was the potential missed opportunity.
Can you imagine telling Herbie Hancock, The Herbie Hancock, “Hey, just play the music as written. None of that funny business.”?
At that point, you don’t need Herbie, an artist, a creative, you just need someone who can play the scales. The dude at Nordstrom’s can do that.
If you are a leader, and you don’t want to miss opportunities, your job is to find your Herbie, convince them the work is worth doing, and follow that up with trust. You need to give them some space to create.
The experience will improve and so will the product.
You need to let them paint.
