Spirited Leadership Lessons with Brandi Carlile
I‘m always learning from how leaders of all kinds hold a space, set a tone, and craft an experience.
This weekend I went to Brandi Carlile's concert at the epic venue Red Rocks, and I was struck by a few things beyond the majestic beauty of this place that seems to have always wanted to be an amphitheatre for the best we can create:
Great leadership sees–and sings–the marginalized
The crowd at this concert was really special: a bunch of big-hearted people who came to connect, rather than disconnect and distract themselves from life for a night. Nobody was drunk or rude; everyone was offering a welcoming vibe, ready to meet friends we just hadn't met yet. I loved seeing a bunch of folks in “Bramily” t-shirts: Brandi's family. Brandi is beloved by her fans in a way far beyond most artists. We feel like we know her; but more importantly, feel known by her. Seen by her. She sings the songs we didn't have words for, especially songs for the moments we've felt misfit or broken. Anthems like “The Story,” "Crowded Table" (my favorite), and “The Joke” declare our belonging, our more than enough-ness, in a family we didn't know we had. Great leaders look at the corners of a room to see who's hanging back, who feels marginalized from the community? Who's feeling undervalued, ignored, unrepresented? Sing their song. Give words to their experience. When you bow to the marginalized, you honor the part of everyone that feels and fears rejected. You bless it into belonging.
Great leadership collaborates with its community
Is there anything more powerful and healing than a stadium of people singing together a song they all love? Being united by that love and belief. It re-makes the world. Brandi kept turning the microphone to the audience, inviting us to harmonize, to be more a voice than one person ever can. To embody community. Great leaders constantly looks for ways to turn the spotlight back on their community.
Great leadership has both roots and wings
My favorite moment of the show was when Brandi messed up & forgot a cue the orchestra for a high note, so she stopped and told the audience she'd blown it, laughed, and started over. In showing her humanness, her showmanship meant all the more. A leader dreams bigger, reaches further, and hustles harder than is rational. She asks that magical question, what if? What if we did this extravagant stage design? What if we did this with the lights? What if we created song compositions for a full orchestra? What if we made this brave statement? In reaching beyond the rational, she ignites her community's bravery. She reminds them of what they can be. But she makes our own bravest moves feel possible because she also acknowledges who we are. Our magical capacity to create is rooted in our humanity.
So my friends, may your lead yourself and your people collaboratively, vulnerably, playfully, and bravely.
Feeling a call to step into greater leadership of yourself and your community?
