A musical interlude

Yesterday, I attended the West Suburban Multi-Chamber Luncheon and Expo. The guest speaker was Chris Catalano, the CEO and Chairman of the School of Rock. The movie entitled School of Rock, starring Jack Black, was based on this program, which makes a difference in kids’ lives through music.

The presentation by Catalano was thought-provoking and offered many things to think about including:

Activity is the functional key to success.

People become paralyzed because they lack purpose.

You can’t be successful unless you try. His father said that if you keep walking in concentric circles, some day you are going to walk up your own asshole!

Purpose

  • Transcends products and services
  • Addresses aspects of human life
  • Is inspirational
    • It’s not enough to say it – you have to do it!
    • A strong purpose aligns stakeholders
  • When you inspire customers, they come back

Persistence

  • Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in (carrying your mission and brand)

Perspective

  • We have selective attention and a biased perspective. We only see a part of the whole
  • You can’t manage what you can’t measure

He discussed the book Firms of Endearment and made reference to Peter Drucker, as well. He discussed how business adds value to society.

Chris Catalano says “I don’t do it for the money. The money is nice, but I do it because I can.”

It’s not about the skills. It is the skills that make it happen.

We should all ask ourselves, why do you do what you do? Are you motivated? Do you see more opportunity than adversity? How are you doing versus your peers? What can you do to get better?”

The presentation was great and I found it very inspiring. We should all step back from time to time and evaluate our direction.