10% of the week
Musicians have the best conference rooms in the world.
My close friend–best man, first bandmate from high school– Adam just finished his MBA program this year. He also has a Master Degree in some sort of science field I can never remember (Natalie calls it “A Master in Fighting Cancer”), and has worked extensively in labs seeking the answer to that mission.
Adam gets numbers.
He’s also a drummer who loves music. I love chatting with him about the similarities of business, science and music.
Adam and I were recently talking about how we spend time in our fields of work. Creating, researching, test, marketing, networking. Artists often hate to use those terms, but in a way, we are doing that.
In one of Adam’s MBA classes, a general rule was that 10% of each week should be spent cultivating relationships, networking. Interactions with people matter, just as much as product.
In the music business, we often feel dismayed at the statement, “It’s all in who you know.” I hate thinking that way, too, but there is a positive spin to this if we think about the places where music networking happens: at concerts, venues, studios, art events…
Thinks about it. We have fun conferences rooms!
If 10% of our week should be spent “cultivating relationships,” then we have a weekly reminder to get out of the house.
Go to a concert. Go to a house concert series as an attendee. Go to an art exhibit. Attend a conference. Get together with a new songwriter and try co-writing. Visit a music venue in a town outside of your city on a lark. Connect with another art form and see how if music can bridge between it.
Dedicate 10% of your week to connecting, and that doesn’t have to be time on Facebook.
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