On Monday, January 28, 1985, the 12th annual American Music Awards (AMA) were taking place in Hollywood, CA. The awards show featuring numerous musical superstars created an opportunity to address one of the most pressing needs of that time – extreme famine in the country of Ethiopia.
After the awards ceremony, dozens of American musical icons convened at a secret location under the name USA For Africa to record the legendary song “We Are The World.”
Netflix captured the historic ten-hour process in the sensational documentary “The Greatest Night In Pop.” The must-watch special created numerous leadership lessons we can all learn from.
15 Leadership Lessons from the Netflix Documentary The Greatest Night In Pop
The following are 15 Leadership Lessons from the Netflix Documentary “The Greatest Night In Pop:”
Iconic Leaders Recognize and Address Deep Needs
Harry Belafonte felt a deep burden to address extreme poverty and famine in the country of Ethiopia. Because of his deep sense of compassion, Belafonte birthed the idea to do a concert to raise money for the cause.
Great Leaders Are Attracted To Other Great Leaders
Birds of a feather flock together. Belafonte and Kragen enlisted Lionel Richie. Richie then enlisted legendary music producer Quincy Jones. Jones had the respect of all musicians so the dominos began to fall.
Jones enlisted Michael Jackson. Jones, Richie, and Jackson had a relationship going all the way back to when they were part of Motown Records. With this trio, they could enlist anyone they wanted. Richie got Smokey Robinson. Jackson got Kenny Loggins. Jones got all the best engineers and production talent as well as Dionne Warwick. Bruce Springsteen got them Bob Dillon. Etc, etc, etc….
Partnerships Make Everything Better
It is true you can accomplish more with “we” than “me”. Richie and Jackson both knew they could write the proposed song individually but together, their efforts would cause the song to be “huge”.
Sensing Opportunity And Seizing It
With all the artists at the AMAs, it created the perfect opportunity to record the song. Logistical items and coordinating schedules would not be an issue. Expenses were already paid. Most of the artists were already present. This created the perfect opportunity for the collaborative effort.
Deadlines Increase Productivity
Deadlines create tension and urgency. The artists involved were available for only one night. The song must be recorded before they all went their separate ways the following day.
Even The Most Gifted People Need To Be Put In Positions To Succeed
Much preparation was taken to ensure the artists were given the one-half a line they were to sing in their own unique sound, style, and key. For instance, Loggins would sound perfect immediately following Springsteen.
Trust Experts
Cyndi Lauper almost missed the opportunity to be part of the project because her boyfriend did not think the record would be a hit. Think about that – the musical opinion of Lauper’s boyfriend was put on the same level as Quincy Jones and Lionel Richie. Fortunately for Lauper, Richie advised her of the importance of this decision and to not miss the session.
Trust the experts.
Check Your Ego At The Door
Because of the massive egos which would be in the room, Jones put a sign at the top of the door entering the recording studio which said “Check Your Ego At The Door.” The most successful leaders always put the mission of the organization ahead of their personal agenda.
Checking your ego sometimes means everyone doesn’t get to participate. The chorus of “We Are The World” is so high that many artists did not sing the part because it was not in their range. There were so many voices involved that an individual artists was simply not going to be missed.
Belafonte later summed it up by saying, “The collective power of artists can be very impacting. If we all put our egos aside in the service of people in the world who are less fortunate. We are truly one people in need of each other.”
Be A Lubricator, Not An Agitator
Because of his temperament and personality, Lionel Richie was the perfect individual to hold everything together throughout the evening. If creative differences took place, Richie got everyone back on track. Which leads to the next point.
The Most Valuable Commodity You Have Is Time
Even the most creative leaders want to operate in structure. Jones ran a tight ship because if the schedule was adhered to, the artists would simply get out of control. Richie said the one line that could not be uttered was, “I’m not sure. What do you think?” If that question was asked, you would never corral all the creative minds in the room again.
However, Stevie Wonder took a creative detour by wanting to put Swahili lyrics into the song. Because things were becoming unproductive, Waylon Jennings simply walked out of the studio. He said, “No good ‘ole boy ever sang Swahili.”
Show Honor To Where Honor Is Due
A touching moment spontaneously occurred during the recording session. Everyone began singing one of Belafonte’s songs as a tribute to him. Later on, Diana Ross asked Darryl Hall to sign her notes. This prompted all the artists to sign each other’s song sheets.
Pride Robs You Of Opportunity (And Creates Opportunity For Others)
Prince decided not to participate because Michael Jackson was involved. After being appealed to by Richie, Prince then wanted to do a guitar solo in a separate room rather than sing. His inability to put the greater good ahead of this rivalry and personal agenda cost him the opportunity to be part of this historic project.
Because Prince did not sing, his part when to Huey Lewis.
Everyone Gets Better With A Coach
Bob Dillon was having problems singing his part until Stevie Wonder coached him through the process. Even Dillon got better with a coach, so will you.
Great Leaders Have Great Perspective
Great leaders understand the difference between temporal and lasting success. When Richie returned home after the recording, his family was congratulating him on the six awards he won during the AMAs. All Richie wanted to talk about was “We Are The World.” That one night eclipsed everything else going on in Richie’s career.
Your Level Of Success Is The Impact You Make On Others
“We Are The World” has gone on to raise over $80 million for humanitarian causes in Africa to date. Countless people have been given a chance at a better life because of the investment of these musical superstars.
Just in case you haven’t seen the original music video, enjoy!
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