I recently joined a new band.
First and foremost – hell yeah, so fun! 🤘
With a couple gigs under my belt, I’ve been reflecting on how playing shows maps to leadership, energy, and collaboration. Great performances and great leadership hinge on the same intangibles: feel, timing, and the ability to really listen. Here are a few lessons from behind the kit—about what it means to lead, to pay attention, and to show up with intention, on and off the stage.
When You’re On Time but Out of Sync
Beep. boop boop boop. Beep. boop boop boop.
That’s the sound of a metronome, a timekeeper musicians use to keep the song at a steady pace. These were my first shows playing with one, and honestly, I wish I’d started sooner. The difference is night and day. I feel more grounded and can drive the song forward with confidence.
But when others don’t follow, it feels brutally uncomfortable… Being on time but out of sync doesn’t make for a great performance. Same goes for work—being right isn’t enough if the team isn’t aligned. Sometimes your job is to hold steady and let others catch up. Other times, you need to pause, listen, and meet people where they are. Leadership is about creating conditions for everyone to move in sync. On and off the stage, it starts with reading the room. Because when everyone locks in, you sound better. As a band, or a team.
Perfect Isn’t Groovy
If you’ve ever had your face melted by a ripping guitar solo at a dive bar, you know that live energy creates something rehearsal can’t. When skilled musicians lock into a groove, the song feels different – you see the crowd start to move when ideas come to life in real time.
You play harder. Not more perfectly, but with more conviction. I firmly believe that when you’re on stage, you’re not just playing – you’re performing. And a great performance is about emotional impact. You have to bring it.
There’s never a bad time to revisit this quote:
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ― Maya Angelou
The same goes for great marketing. Perfect grammar won’t move your audience. That comes from energy, timing, and intention – reading the room, not just your brand guide.
Keeping Time vs. Driving Energy
Besides looking cool, a drummer’s job is to keep time. But there’s a difference between simply doing your job and driving energy. That comes down to intentionality. Knowing when to push, when to hold back, and recognizing that you’re shaping the audience’s experience.
The same goes for work. You can ‘keep time’ — check the boxes and follow the process — or you can drive energy. It can be as simple as saying “good morning” before you get down to business. That’s leadership.
Whether or not you care, you’re always shaping your client’s experience, the perception of your team, and how others perceive you. Behind the kit or in the boardroom, energy is contagious. Good or bad.
Encore
I’m learning that great leaders know when to lead, when to listen, and how to bring others with them.
Discipline matters, but so does intuition. The best bring both.
That’s the rhythm of great leadership.
