Getting Ahead of the Beat

Carolyn DicksonPosted by Carolyn Dickson on March 16th, 2010 | 0 Comments

The other night, I watched a short biographical sketch about Gene Kelly on Turner Classic Movies. According to Wikipedia, “Along with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly was the most successful song-and-dance man in film history, a towering figure in the development and enduring success of the movie musical.” Singin’ in the Rain, which Kelly choreographed and in which he starred, has stood the test of time and is still one of my personal favorites.

In this biographical sketch, the narrator commented that a poor dancer falls behind the beat, a good dancer stays on the beat, and with the masters—of which Kelly was one of the best—their steps come before the beat. This hit home with me. As a musician, it’s been drilled into me to anticipate what’s coming in a song. In other words, I need to sing just slightly ahead the beat. According to my guitar teacher and friend Paul Kovac, this is the hallmark of the outstanding bluegrass and old-time mountain singers of our time.

Now, I have to say I’m not the greatest guitar player in the world. I’ve spent most of my life in the business world, not in the hills of North Carolina soaking up the playing styles of the old-time experts. In the overall scheme of things, I haven’t been at it very long, and I still struggle with getting the fingers of my left hand to play the chords correctly and the pick in my right hand to hit exactly the right string at exactly the right time.

So, while I was dismayed by a recent conversation with Wayne Erbsen, it didn’t really surprise. Wayne is the leader of The Log Cabin Band, a group I play with once a week.  When I asked how I could speed up my playing, he said, “Carolyn, you don’t have to play any faster. You just have to stay ahead of the beat.

What does it take to stay ahead of the beat? In music? In business? In life in general? The first thing it takes is confidence. If I weren’t so worried about hitting the right strings, I wouldn’t lag behind. By the same token, if you have honed your selling skills, or your speaking skills, or your leadership skills, you’re more likely to speak up and lead others to where you want them to go. Otherwise, it’s too easy to sit back and wait for someone else to grab the spotlight—and the prize.

Second, you need to be willing to take risks. This means putting yourself into situations where you’re forced to deliver. The perfectionist in me abhors even the idea of looking inadequate in front of my peers. But if I want to take my skills to the next level, I have to play in groups who are better than I. Sooner or later, all of us must give up sticking just our toes in the water and dive in. In a sink-or-swim situation, you will learn to swim.

And third, be a strong support for other people and their ideas. An old-time string band is made up of four, maybe five instruments: fiddle, banjo, mandolin, guitar, with an occasional bass player added to the mix. The fiddle, banjo and mandolin are all solo instruments, so it’s the job of the guitar to back up the others and keep a steady rhythm. A string band can’t succeed without a strong guitar player, who (you guessed it) stays ahead of the beat, thereby driving the ensemble forward. In the same way, your strong, judicial support for those around you will put you in a position of influence and power. They won’t be able to get along without you.

Here, then, are some specific things you can do to stay ahead of the beat:

  1. Check your skill sets, and master the ones most important to you and your career. Never stop learning.
  2. Be aware of what’s going on around you. Listen between the lines to what both your colleagues and your customers are saying. Get a feel for trends, both economic and cultural. Compare reality with rumor, and make your own judgments about what to believe.
  3. Make the first move. When you’re asked for your opinion, give it. Then take the lead in inviting others to comment. Volunteer for the tough jobs, the ones nobody else wants. Use them to develop new skills or perfect existing ones.
  4. Be a good back-up player. It’s the way leaders are born.

 The great hockey player Wayne Gretsky said it best: “A good hockey player skates to where the puck is. A great hockey skates to where the puck is going to be.”

A great leader is ahead of the beat in music, in sports, in business, and in life. Let me know where you are.

Image by Matthieu A.

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