I believe we’ve all been guilty of avoiding details and blaming it on our creative nature at one time or another. I know in my past I’ve allowed this lie to exist and rob me from creating GREAT art.
We try to avoid details – the same details that move our art or work from Good to Great.
We look for excuses: I’m too busy. I don’t have the authority. There is too much going on. I don’t have the resources I need. I don’t know how. There’s no margin. I’m not gifted in that area. And on and on we go investing energy in excuses that do not move us forward.
But why? Maybe it’s because we’ve been seduced by “good” when we’re truly longing for what we’ve been created to do…create great art.
Jay-Z is a very busy guy. He has a restaurant chain, a PR firm, a record label, and a clothing line. He owns an NBA franchise, has a newborn, and is one of the most successful solo artists in rap & pop history – which means media, tours, recording, marketing, writing, and producing albums. It’s exhausting just reading his resume.
In a recent article, the New York Times explores the impact that Jay-Z has on the Brooklyn Nets. Jay-Z paid 1 Million Dollars for his ownership stake, which is only 1/15 of the team. But, the impact he’s had on the organization far out paces his ownership stake. He helped create the logo, designed the uniforms, and then sold the look to NBA execs. He has worked with the hospitality team for the Nets, helped design the new arena, been a part of the PR campaign to sell execs and the community on the idea of Brooklyn basketball, recruited players…. and the list goes on. The article ends with a story about Jay-Z watching ESPN and calling the Nets office and instructing them to call ESPN and have them crop the logo so it fits properly in the “bug” on TV. Jay-Z is quoted saying:
“I’m watching…And every detail matters.”
We have to approach our art and our work with the same intensity.
Every. Detail. Matters.
The songs. The videos. The font. The background. The lighting. How straight the sign is. How we communicate. How we cast vision for volunteers. The notes we write. How we present our brand. The cords on the stage. The kerning of the letters. The tone of the email. The vision casted around the idea. The melody of the song. The hook of the note. The color of the image. The_____________. It. All. Matters.
It doesn’t mean we won’t fail, it just means we can’t ignore the failure. We get better because of the lessons that live in our failures.
If we’re going to do something, lets do it with intentionality, intensity, and the understanding that Greatness is not granted – it’s earned, and only earned when Every Detail Matters. You got this. We got this. Be great today. Don’t stop ’til it’s finished. Execute every detail like it matters…because it does.
Great post! I deal with this every time I sit down to create. It doesn’t matter if I’m the only one who will notice the subtleties of a piece or not, if it’s not complete without them, then they’re as vital as the overt pieces that people see at the very first glance.
I’m struggling with this one. On one level I agree; to move from good to great, to move beyond mediocrity, focusing on each detail makes the difference to success. On another level, I don’t know that I could go at Jay-Z’s pace in every area of my life, nor would I want to. Maybe that’s the key (for me); knowing which areas I can let go of and which I give laser focus to. Some things it’s appropriate to delegate or share the responsibility. In others, we apply our specific expertise, caring, etc. and create something truly great. Interesting article. It’s really got me thinking.
Sue, it is not as much the volume of doing as it is the intentionality of finishing. Your tension should not be with being as busy as Jay-Z but rather re you making every detail matter in the things that you do.
Definitely Jay Z is an entrepreneur to admire. I’m impressed by his success. And it’s nothing that we can’t reach. Like you said,lets be intentional about it.
Good stuff, as usual my friend.
Great call. It’s so easy to slip into just getting by, but we need to remember that we’re trying to be an example to others of Christ and I don’t think doing things halfway really sends a great message. It’s not that we’re trying to show perfection, but like you said we must learn from failure and move forward. That’s a lot of where the example will come from.