I took a small group of friends to see John Lee Hooker, Jr. at a local jazz club. Hooker, son of the great John Lee Hooker, released his album Blues with a Vengeance in 2004. It scored a Grammy nomination and won the distinguished W.C. Handy Award for Best New Artist Debut. My friends enjoyed the music and had a great evening. At the club, Hooker and his group were announced and the music began. Everyone was clapping and enjoying the fusion of jazz and blues. The keyboardist introduced the band members as they each did a solo. My friends assumed the person on keyboard was John Lee Hooker, Jr. Not so. Hooker was in the back of the room at the soundboard. He was making sure that the audio was absolutely perfect. When he was satisfied, after about fifteen minutes, he was once more announced and he went on stage. Ive seen that kind of behavior more than once. Bo Diddley, whom Ive video taped before, and Chuck Berry are both extremely careful about how their music sounds. Bo Diddley inspects everything. And, every time I think of Chuck Berry I visualize him in the documentary Hail! Hail! Rock and Roll. He painfully instructs Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones on the proper way to play a Chuck Berry riff. Keith Richards, a fellow member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, did not take the lesson well, but he learned to play like Chuck Berry . . . to Chucks satisfaction. These musicians are so very careful about how they sound, because their music is what they are. They are professionals. Their music represents them. In essence, they are their music. Isnt this true of small business as well? Or shouldnt it be? If you are a small business person, don't you call the tune? And, shouldnt professionalism be your rallying cry? Big business can afford a little slack in quality and service, but the small business operator must put in extra hours and take special care that their product is as perfect as it can be. If you dont care about your business, who will? You are your business. You are THE representative. You have the most to lose, if people are dissatisfied. But, if you take extra care, people may be as excited about your products and services as you are. Being meticulous should produce the best example of your business. This is almost its own reward, but not completely. Take the time. Make sure everyone sees and hears the best. Correct any problems. You wont be left singing the blues, but should leave everyone else singing your praises. |
