The sport of Motown?

Between writing the book with Coach Kruger and preparing entries for this blog, I have spent much of the past two years examining the parallels between teamwork in business, life and sports.

Today, we are calling an audible. Let’s talk about the teamwork needed in producing a live, Motown musical experience. After all, it’s the same type of teamwork needed in any sport, business or family.

Had the opportunity recently to take in the new Las Vegas show featuring the amazingly talented Australian vocal group, Human Nature, at the Imperial Palace. Presented by Smokey Robinson, the show is appropriately subtitled, “The Ultimate Celebration of Motown.”

The four-man group’s a cappella versions of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready” as well as Robinson’s own “Ooh Baby Baby” were nothing short of spectacular. Forget emotional, the performances were spiritual.

But what also captivated me throughout the evening was watching the team work together. There is a formula to the success of such groups. It requires all four members of the team to be humble enough to understand and honor their own ever-changing roles throughout the entire performance.

In the premier Motown-style groups, three of the four vocalists are strong enough singers to be the front man at any given time. They are each talented enough to be in the spotlight and lead the entire show. However, those same three performers must also be willing to fall back to simply being a back-up singer and supporting one of his teammates at various times throughout the performance.

Noticing this, I found myself intrigued watching the “back-up” singers during the last half of the show. They always played their roles, never trying to do too much (sometimes even seconds after being the center of attention). It was time for their teammate to shine, not them.

While this was happening, two things about teamwork in this industry became very apparent. First, the simplicity of the dance steps caught my attention. Imagine one person doing the Motown-style dance steps by himself. (You might chuckle.) The moves are rather basic and, in fact, can be a bit hokey. But performed together with two or three other members in unison, the simple dance steps create magic. The same thing can be said about our lives at work, in the community and at home. If we keep doing the simple things that we are supposed to do every day – in unison with and in support of those around us – magic can happen.

Second, my admiration grew for the fourth member of the group – the bass. While he may have his special moment or two during the show – designed specifically for him to show off his deep voice – his job is to provide a foundation for the rest of the vocals to build upon. The bass is basically out of the spotlight for 95% of the show. However, without a talented bass, any such vocal group will fail. The performer in this position must be humble enough to understand his role is to make his teammates look better – much like an offensive lineman in football or a pass-first point guard in basketball.

For Motown-style groups, there needs to be as much harmony in their actions as they have in their voices. These are lessons all of us can use in our lives with all of our different teammates.

Hopefully, we are strong enough to be lead singers when called upon. But it takes even stronger individuals to also be able to serve as great back-up singers when that is what is required.