Yesterday, my Spouse and I had the pleasure of going to a Lindsey Stirling concert.
Now, if you have not heard her music or had the opportunity to go to a show, you should change that soon.
She is, in every sense of the word, a Master Performer.
She is an extremely talented Violinist, but also a Dancer, Aerialist, Singer, Visual Artist, and also a bit of a Comedian.
However, I think that what I enjoyed most were the Leadership Lessons that one can Learn by going to her Duality Tour.
In particular, there were Four Things I took away that both left me thinking and Impressed me in different ways.
The Idea behind the Tour is that there is Duality in Life and that we live between different types of Dualities.
For instance, the First Takeaway comes from the Idea of Growth.
In Life, for us to Reach our Potential, we must Grow into it and Aim for Goals.
Simple Concept.
However, what Lindsey pointed out through her show is that, for you to have Goals to Aim for, you must first Recognize that You Are Not There.
Now, this may Sound Simple, but there is a Hidden Genius that prevents many people from Growing within this.
Acceptance.
So often, we want to "Be" Great without "Accepting" that we Are Not "Yet".
For us to Grow, we must come to Terms with Reality first, and that Reality is that if we want to "Grow" then we are Not "There" Currently.
I see Leaders so often set Goals, and then Immediately are Upset that they are not "There".
They get Upset with Themselves, with their Teams, and even with Customers or Clients.
When this occurs, Leaders actually prevent their Ability to Grow because they are not Accepting the Simple Reality they are currently in.
Until you Accept the Reality, that You are Not "Yet" There, You will be Unable to Ever Get "There".
A part of that Acceptance is also Knowing that it is Alright that You Are Not "There" Yet.
We all must go on a Journey, and being On the Journey is a Great Thing.
Living within that Duality of Being on the Journey But Not Yet Finished allows us to Grow to Heights we could Never Imagine.
When we further Expand that to our Teams, Few Things can Stop Us.
The next Lesson from the concert has to do with Kintsugi.
It is a Japanese Art, sometimes referred to as "Golden Repair".
When a piece of Pottery Breaks, it will be Repaired with Gold, and the Fixed Pottery is considered More Beautiful and Perfect than it had been before.
It is within this Idea that another Duality is Revealed.
Why is it that the Pottery is considered "More" Beautiful and Perfect than when it had Originally been "Whole"?
Could it be that things are Made Beautiful and Perfect "Because" They Break and can become Repaired?
This is the question that Lindsey posed during the concert.
When you think about this, it is indeed how All things are made Better.
Things are Broken and Reformed into Better Things Constantly in Life.
Much like how we become Physically Stronger.
When we work out, our Muscles actually Break Down.
When we properly Rest and Recover, our Muscles and Bodies are made Stronger and Better.
Emotions work this way, our Brains work this way, and even Energy (Mg-ATP) works this way.
It is only through the Breaking and Repairing Process that we are made Better over time.
In our world today with Leaders, there is a Key that we must Remember.
The Repairing Process.
If we want to be the Best Leaders and have the Best Teams, we must Properly Repair.
Burnout, which is "The" Number One Problem in Business today with 80% of people Experiencing It (and More to Join), is a Sign of Improper Repair.
Without Repair, we will only be left with Broken People.
But, with Proper Recovery, we have the Ability to Lead our Teams to Flow States which is where we can Experience something similar to Kintsugi in our Lives, Teams, and Organizations.
This leads us to the Third Takeaway from the Concert.
Performing at the Level of Lindsey is Extremely Difficult.
Truly, she pushes the Boundaries of Human Performance and it requires Precision, Timing, Athleticism, and more.
It is enough to push anyone into Extreme Levels of Dis-Stress in the Effort to Perform at that Level.
Indeed, Lindsey is Very Vocal about her Mental Health and the Anxieties of Performing in front of Hundreds of People and trying to Live Up to Larger than Life Expectations of Fans.
Her ability to be so Authentic and Honest, while also Normalizing the Anxiety that often comes with High Performance is truly Amazing in today's World.
But, more than this, I Believe that Lindsey's Desire to Help People Overcome these Challenges is truly what Shines in her work.
In those Efforts, she taught some Breathing Exercises, Live to the Audience, and even wrote an Accompanying song.
Now, there are a wide variety of Breathing Exercises that exist to Accomplish many different types of Goals.
You could Study Breathing for Years and Still Learn new Aspects of it.
I'd know, I "Have" Studied Breathing for Years and continue to Learn New Things.
However, one of the Most Important things to Understand is that Simply Focusing on Breathing has the Ability to Reduce Anxiety in the Moment.
When we Perform at High Levels, what most people don't Realize is that Subconsciously our Breathing Changes to Match how we Feel.
The Problem we face is that, in our world today, we are in High Levels of Dis-Stress for Lengthy Periods of Time, sometimes Constantly.
So, over time, our Breathing begins to Match High Levels of Dis-Stress, as well as Anxiety, and the more Consistently we Experience it, the more it becomes a Habit.
So, for Most People, they have a Habit of Subconsciously Breathing Anxiously.
This leads them to Breathing Patterns that unintentionally "Cause" Dis-Stress and Anxiety.
But, we can Counteract this by Focusing on Changing our Breathing and, over time, Retraining our Breathing Habits.
That is what makes Lindsey's use of Breathing in her Show with Song so Powerful.
It is a Tool to Retrain our Breathing.
What is perhaps more interesting is that Music often Impacts Multiple Parts of our Brains Simultaneously, making it "Stick" more Quickly.
So combining Breathing Exercises and Music can be almost a "Shortcut" to Retrain our Breathing!
Now, for Peak Performance, we must get ourselves Out of Dis-Stress, and this is True of Peak Performing Teams as Well.
It is a simple tool, but one that has so much Power!
However, the Greatest Leadership Lesson from Lindsey Sterling is what I have been calling Regenerative Legacy Design.
What is Important is that in Regenerative Legacy Design Leaders must have Regenerative Processes Enacted in their Lives.
However, it is not enough to only do it for themselves.
They must also do this with their Teams, Organizations, Customers, and the World at Large.
Through this Process, their Work Actually becomes Exponentially More Valuable to Everyone within the "Business Environment".
If you want to See This in Action and "Why" it works, you only have to look at what Lindsey has Created through her Work.
As I mentioned already, she is very vocal about the Regenerative Efforts within her Life, her own battles with overcoming Anxiety and passing those Lessons onto her Fans.
Further, she provides Tools and Resources for her Fans to Regenerate in their own Lives, as demonstrated through the Breathing Practice.
However, she goes so much further in her work.
One other aspect of her work is that she is very Body Positive, which is Reflected in Herself, as well as in her Entire Team.
In the Entertainment Industry, there are some truly Horrifying Body Biases that are Extremely Unhealthy.
However, Lindsey battles these "Industry Standards", as does her Team, and Truly it is a Testament to the Amazing Accomplishments that can be made with Healthy Performance.
Yet, her work still goes even Further than this!
Lindsey also has a Non-Profit called the Upside Fund that actively helps pay off Medical Debts for those in Need.
Debt is one of the most Devastating Parts of many people's Lives, and Unexpected Medical Expenses often Create Tragedies.
Lindsey is truly Changing People's Lives Forever by Helping them Overcome these Debts, that may have been Impossible for them otherwise.
How much has she Accomplished with these Efforts?
In only 3 Years, her work has helped Eliminate $15 Million in Medical Debts.
This is Changing so many Lives.
But, what is more Important from a Business Leadership Perspective is that she has Designed a Regenerative Ecosystem.
Whenever Fans go to her Concerts, buy Merchandise, and more, a portion of the Earnings goes to the Non-Profit.
This means that, just by Fans Choosing to go to a Concert (and a Powerful One at that!), they are a "Part" of Changing Lives.
This incentivizes people to come to more Concerts, to purchase more Life-Changing Merchandise, and to Support Lindsey more Deeply.
It feels "Amazing" to be a Part of these types of Efforts, and it is what we are all Seeking.
To Change The World.
Lindsey Sterling Fans can say they "Are" Accomplishing that, simply by Supporting Lindsey's Efforts.
Her Team is more Dedicated to their work because they too are a Part of Creating that Change.
Lindsey herself is also more Driven in her work to Create Shows that are "Worthy" of drawing in crowds so that More Impact can be Created.
Indeed, she Succeeds at High Levels by doing this!
This is the Power of Designing a Regenerative Legacy.
People "Want" to Support You as a Leader.
People "Want" to be a Part of that Legacy.
People "Want" You to Succeed to Help Change The World.
This is the type of Business Model that will Change the Future.
So, if you want to be a Leader who Creates a Better Future, look to the Leadership that Lindsey Sterling is Demonstrating through Everything She Does.