Brady Helps

"You don't get to completely decide when it's your time. You may have worked unwaveringly, honestly, all the while - consciously or unconsciously - positioning yourself, but you never really know if your "big" moment will come. Then, for the few, it's there." - Bruce SpringsteenIt's always your time.  It is always your time to be present with yourself.It is always your time to be present with the world around you.It is always your time to do something that matters. I moved to Florida six years ago taking a role recruiting musicians for a cruise line. In my first annual review, I received an overall score of 4 out of 5. I was livid. I wanted a 5, felt I deserved a 5, and then asked my leader what I needed to do to get a 5. I'll never forget this; my leader told me: "Nobody gets a 5, maybe the CEO gets a 5, it's rare and for special cases." The following year I received a 5! But,I wasn't happy.Because now that I had it, now what?!?  I could only go down from there.  How do I outperform my outperformance?I learned a more important lesson from receiving a 5.  Being on top doesn't account for much.  Yes, it might lead to a pay raise.  Yes, it might lead to a promotion.Yes, people may respect you more. But it doesn't account for much.  If I had to do it again, I would do the following:Show up every day and do something that mattered.Not have hope for a future "benefit" such as a high rating.I will hope that what I'm doing is helping someone that needs help.Believe that if I bring my efforts to bear and create the change I seek, I am thriving, and that's enough.I might not receive a promotion, a raise, a 5, or be the top 1% of employees. That's okay. I will have done something each day that mattered in a meaningful way. That will make all the difference.  It's my time now.Now, at this moment, I am fully myself.Now, at this moment, I am alive.I may not be in the Top 1% of people who do what I do. That's okay.I am showing up, Bringing all my effort to bear,For those that think what I think and want to help others.It's my time.It's also yours.What are you doing?

My professional career began as a musician in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I played for theater companies, recruited and hired musicians for gigs, worked weddings, and had a small role with the musician's union. The American Federation of Musicians' (affiliated with the AFL-CIO) Milwaukee chapter, the Milwaukee Musicians' Association, hired me as an office worker a few days a week. For an aspiring businessman, this was a great experience.

In my time working for a labor union, I learned to appreciate the work that goes into advocating the rights of workers. It's a business, a cause, and it takes effort. I learned the value of being a brother with someone that also believed what I believe - to help and advocate for those in need.

I participated in organizing memos, preparing for negotiations with management, handling membership inquiries, being a friendly face to those that called in with questions, and playing a small in a much bigger cause. At the time, I didn't think my contributions mattered all that much. It wasn't until years later, as a Manager for a leading cruise line, that I appreciated my previous experience.

As a Leader, it's easy to think about yourself as being "the top" or "important." I've heard stories of leaders being too busy ever to take calls from their teams. We see countless stories on social media of employees feeling like a number, like a face that is occasionally chatted up, or a resource to be moved. That's not supportive leadership. That's not treating someone the way we would treat ourselves. When I worked in labor, I had firsthand experiences of challenges employees experienced and how the best management teams took the time to listen and support.

To me, celebrating "Labor Day" is not honoring the historical work and effort of labor organizers and workers. To me, the celebration is for those that do something meaningful, that connect with customers/fans/guests, that side-by-side actively engage in something bigger than themselves.

I've always said, and with some criticism, that the teams I support were the most important people in the organization. They don't work for me; I support them. Happy Labor Day. That was a true story.

You shared your stories.You connected the tribe.You inspired us to act.Now show up.Every single day, show up. Every single day, do something that matters.Every single day, be a servant for others. Solve a problem, help, lead.I've struggled in the past. In previous roles, I had a hard time finding ways to do things that I felt mattered. It's not the fault of my leaders. They were fine. I just needed something different. I was different. I wasn't for them. For years, I struggled with life. I hated going to work. I hated the culture I was part of, and I hated who I was becoming on the inside. Since leaving, moving home, and writing this blog, I have found the person inside that I always dreamed I'd be. Someone that helps people solve their problems.Am I making money from this blog? Hell no.Do I want to be a social media influencer? I'm too old ;-)Am I trying to raise a crowd of Millenials and tell them to forget school? As much as I respect Gary Vee, no, that's not who I am. I don't make money from this blog. I am happy if others like me want to be part of the journey. But,I don't care about how many followers I have or my reach. I want to put something into the world that matters. Something that I feel makes me come alive. I wanted to show up for someone.Who?Myself. I have committed to myself to show up — every day, Come alive, and Do one thing that mattered. Where are you?

Hope is what makes us human.

Hope is the belief in a future possible.

Hope is what motivates us to create the change bigger than ourselves.

Hope is what helps us find other people like us.

Hope is your story.

Hope is our story.

Hope is the story of now realized.

Don't lose yourself.

Don't lose hope.

"The adjacent possible is a kind of shadow future, hovering on the edges of the present state of things, a map of all the ways in which the present can reinvent itself… [the adjacent possible] captures both the limits and the creative potential of change and innovation." — Steven Johnson (Smith, 2010)

I offer an adjusted term: future possible.   Isn't it all the same?   Yes and no.  

My thoughts center around our primal instincts. I believe that humans are simple animals with simple hopes - find safety and avoid threats.  

We find safety in the belief that through our actions we can create a change that benefits us and those like us. "If we go into the river and be still, maybe we can catch fish to eat."

A more modern example.

"My community leaders want to abandon the music program in favor of football investments (the threat). Many members of the city, like myself, love our music program (people like us). If I start a pledge drive (story of now) to save our music program so that people have a changed attitude about music's value in their kid's lives while supporting sports (the future possible, the change we want to see, and safety packaged together)." 

Through our belief that starting a pledge drive would save our music program, we created a call to action that will, hopefully, lead to a safe result for ourselves and our community. This belief is the future possible. 

As a Leader - You believe in a future possible for your tribe. You hope that our actions will create a result that leads to our safety. You know how to inspire us to create it.   

The belief you have, not yet realized, is our future possible.

The human-animal needs two things to survive:

• Find sources of safety; and,
• Avoid threats.

The human-animal is simple.  

All we need to do, to survive, is to find safety and avoid threats.  

How come we're not doing this?

Safety

You are safe when you're:

• Free to create.
• Able to express your point of view without fear of harm.
• Have the back of another in your tribe.
• Know that the others in your tribe have your back.
• Gladly allow yourself to follow.
• Others place themselves in your charge to lead.You have a "home."
• You have shelter from the physical, psychological, and spiritual elements.
• You love.
• Others love you.
• You are accepted as you are.
• You can be different, and different is okay.
• You bring all of your skills to bear and accomplish a task.
• You see the impact of your accomplishments.
• You made a change that mattered.
• You are you.

Threats

Threats are:

• Muzzled creativity.
• Forced compliance.
• People talk about you behind your back. They're not direct.
• No trust for anyone.
• Tyrannical bosses.
• Employees that don't believe in you.
• Rooms with walls. They're not home.
• You don't have shelter from physical, psychological, or emotional terrors.
• You don't love yourself or others.
• You feel others don't love you.
• No one accepts you.
• You can't be different. You are forced to be like everyone else.
• You are not leveraging your skills to accomplish a task.
• You don't see the impacts of your work.
• Your work doesn't matter.
• You are not you.

Our brains don't see the difference between a lion trying to kill you (physical threat) and a feeling of distrust for those around you. It considers both instances as threats. When it perceives these threats, it puts brain chemistry into action to support your survival - most notably, cortisol.  

You can find tons of articles relating to cortisol and its purpose on the Internet. Lots of people write and know about this hormone. What I want you to leave with is:

• Being human is simple.
• It's not complicated.
• We make it complicated.
• If you're in a threatening situation (see above) - get out. Quit.

Do what makes you come alive.   

Find others who think and speak like you.  

Those people are looking for someone like you.  

Lead them.  

They are safe.

Hope allows you to find others like us. Connect us.

Us, our tribe, is only as strong as the people who believe. We want to affect a positive change in the world. Our tribes hope this is possible. We hope for that change to happen. We hope that all of us will work towards that change.

There are more out there. More people believe in what we believe. There are more people with the same hopes as you and me — more people who want to know other people just like them. They need us.

Humans are social animals. Our brains produce chemistry to support social and cooperative relationships with the world around us. We need one another to survive. Our primal design is that way.

You are a leader amongst us. You believe in a world you want to create. You know there are others like you. You know others hope what you hope. Connect your tribe.

Show us the other people. Show us the way forward. Show us the future possible. Let us know that we are not alone. Help us become the change we seek. Help us become alive.

Connect us.

Over the last week, I've been writing about agents. Their work. Their faults. How to best use them.  People use agents because they feel agents will get them gigs.  But people don't often stop to consider the value of themselves.How are your marketing materials?  How are your skills?  Do you have something worth selling?  Does what you have match what potential employers need?Are you the answer to someone's problem?Know your value!I see people on the Internet, talking about the importance of "branding." Branding, more often than not, means keeping your name out there and sporting the logo. Yes, that's part of the equation. However,A powerful brand makes people stop in their tracks and rethink life.  Sometimes we feel we need a salesperson to find gigs for us and get our names out there. We receive gigs, but we're still not happy. We're not bringing our value to bear in a way that stops people in their tracks and makes them rethink life. Do you really need a salesperson? Most likely, what we need is to enhance our marketing efforts. We need to redesign our brand and give our salespeople something to sell.  If you have a powerful brand and you need help selling, then an agent can do beautiful things for you and your career. Use the tips you've learned to spot the best representation contracts.If you are not sure about your brand and you are not receiving the gigs you want, stop.  Don't get a salesperson.  Ask a brutally, honest friend to look at your materials and provide you with feedback.Find a teacher who will tell you like it is. No fluff.I can provide help if you need it.Find something that will reflect your unadulterated self to you.Develop your materials.Then, and only then, decide if you need an exclusive and dedicated salesforce connecting you with jobs.  Agents are not bad. They serve a purpose for those that need it.  I hope you've found this series helpful.  I hope you can use this knowledge to inform your situation and decisions.  I hope you can do more of the things that make you come alive and be the change you want to see in the world. Agents - you've been pains in my ass and the best partners at the same time.  Musicians - we are all difficult, stubborn, mistrustful, artistic, introverted, extroverted, and passionate as hell - ALL at the same time. I love that about us.  I love you all.

Why?What makes you want to start an agency?What's our problem that another agency is the solution?Why should someone trust you with their job search?Why should anyone give you their hard-earned money?Lots of people want to start agencies. It's a seemingly effortless way to make money. Especially when people are paying commissions year after year at the same rate as they were when they got hired.  But, there's so much more.To be an agent is to be a recruiter.To be a recruiter is to tirelessly seek out and screen the best talent and bring them to a job opportunity.To tirelessly seek out talent is to cold call, headhunt, and attract people who aren't looking for jobs and show them a better way.To show a better way is to tell a story and solve a problem.But still, there's so much more.To be first.To secure your candidate into a representation agreement that serves their needs and yours.To manage the onboarding process of your candidate with their new employer.When your candidate fails their drug screen, to have another candidate ready to go.To continually be prospecting for new business.To sell!Here's how I think the industry could change for the better. If you're willing to go that far, I encourage you to do it: Invest in the creation of a talent development community.Create commission structures that favor longevity. Stay with us longer and pay less.Metrics. Track how long it takes to fill a spot, the quality of your talent as measured by their reviews, percentage of talent that receive raises, percentage of talent that gets promoted, percent of talent that refers friends. Everything is trackable and track everything.Consider a subscription service. Instead of commissions, encourage musicians to subscribe to a community and receive jobs as a subscription level.Develop terms that enable musicians to rebook themselves without you. Celebrate a musician's ability to start booking themselves on their own - without you.Track your efforts. Don't charge when all you did was pick up the phone and send an email.Develop a marketing plan focused on changing the lives of the people that seek your service, and the minds of those that hire musicians.The market doesn't trust new things that are different. Be different and be consistent.I believe these changes are needed because the people you serve have needs not met. People want to belong to something.People want to see themselves as doing things that matter.People want to see themselves as growing.People need to fail.People need to step outside and try something new.People need you to give them a push.Start Your Agency!But please, Do it different.  We need different.

Make an offer to resolve disputes. Resolve.If you can't resolve, Quit.When you end an agreement, your non-compete may go into effect. You'll need to know the terms of your contract to be sure. When your non-compete goes into effect, you may have to find employment elsewhere. To be sure, consult a licensed legal professional.  You need to know that the laws that govern representation agreements vary by state in the United States. Outside of the United States, each country has its requirements. Also, an agent's representation agreement may only be valid in the state that the agent lives in, but that state may not have jurisdiction over the contract itself. There are tons of complex legal matters that require a consultation with a licensed legal professional.  I advise consulting a legal professional for other reasons as well:Your lawyer may be able to advise on the agent's ability to bar you from seeking employment from your current employer.Your lawyer may be able to bring litigation against the agent if they are in breach of their contract.Your lawyer may be able to negotiate better terms or advise you on legal positions relating to your contract.I grew up with lawyers. There are tons in my family. I can tell you, with high confidence, that consulting a lawyer is a smart and wise move.  When an agreement doesn't work, quit.If you need help, ask.