The March 20 and 23, 2023 editions of Morning Brew gave some startling statistics about superstar vocalist Taylor Swift’s current Eras Tour. The articles state she is performing forty-four songs over the span of three-hours and fifteen-minutes. In addition, the Wall Street Journal in this article revealed that if you track her movements, Swift covers approximately two miles per show. More impressively, she does it all in custom Christian Louboutin boots.
Now in full disclosure, I am not one of the “Swifties” and I can’t name one Taylor Swift song. If it’s not Chris Tomlin or Phil Wickham you have a good chance of losing me. But that being said, the tour’s statistics got my attention.
5 Things Elite Performance Requires (And One BIG Lesson)
The following are 5 Things Elite Performance Requires which we learn from Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and one very important lesson:
Elite Performance Is Scarce And Therefore In High-Demand
This is the lesson. Have you had bad customer service lately? It seems we all have. That is why when we find something elite we often go through extraordinary lengths to take advantage of it.
It was reported Swift’s first concert of the tour in Glendale, Arizona on March 19 set a record for being the most-attended concert by a female performer in U.S. history with over 69,000 in attendance.
Do you want to be in high-demand? Do you want people to line up and pay top dollar for your service? Simply become elite at what you do because it is so scarce in today’s world.
Elite Performance Requires A Lot Of Tools In Your Toolbox
If the only tool you have is a hammer, you see every problem as a nail.
The best pitchers in baseball are said to have three-to-five good pitches, not just one or two. John Maxwell, a world-class communicator, has entitled his new book The 16 Undeniable Laws Of Communication. The best salespeople have multiple presentations based upon the audience. The world’s finest chefs use many ingredients. The best craftsmen have numerous tools in their toolbox.
And Taylor Swift has produced enough content for forty-four quality songs. The USA Today wrote, “Not since the most vigorous days of Bruce Springsteen and his legendary live concerts has a mainstream artist packed so much music into one show.”
One-hit wonders are not elite performers. If you wish to be elite, become a master of your craft and build a deep tool chest.
Elite Performance Requires Great Stamina
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I wrote about this very topic in my new book Mighty: 7 Skills You Need to Move from Pandemic to Progress. Great health is one of the requirements to being a top producer in your area of discipline. Stamina and endurance is often what separates elite performers from average ones because you can’t quit and be elite.
Obviously, for Swift to put on a high-energy performance covering two miles in custom boots over three hours requires an incredible level of physical condition.
Elite Performance Requires Great Effort
This is tied to great stamina because you can’t give great effort without it. It takes great effort to learn forty-four songs, develop your vocal skills, get in superior physical condition, and then put on a world-class performance for forty-four shows over five months.
Being elite smells a lot like sweat. Hard work works.
Elite Performance Requires A Great Team
While Swift is certainly the headliner, it takes an entire production team to help put on her concerts. There are countless backstage personnel, on-stage musicians and performers, technical staff, executives, marketing agents, designers, hair and makeup, and I could go on and on discussing the number of people needed to make this tour a reality. Nothing elite happens without each of these individuals being elite at what they do as well.
Elite Performance Requires You Serve Others
Jason Aten wrote in this Inc.com article, “If you know anything about Taylor Swift, it’s probably that she is fiercely protective of her loyal fans. Swift is famous for going out of her way to make her fans happy, so you can imagine that her first tour in more than four years was going to be a spectacle.”
Swift goes out of her way to give a longer performance than is required, singing more songs than are required, and giving her fans the best experience possible.
Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
Swift’s brand is how much she cares for and serves her audience.
Can you as a leader say the same thing about those you are called to serve?
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