What We Can Learn About Diversity from a Rock Band

Jul 21, 2010, Written by Sue Miley

Last night my husband was watching Sheryl Crow and her new tour band playing on television.  They were introducing her new cd 100 Miles from Memphis.  I sat to watch for a few minutes.

It was on QVC and she seemed embarrassed, but that is just speculation.

She was being interviewed between songs as the interviewer pitched the special QVC price and bundle for sale.  The interviewer was bragging about how Sheryl could play so many different instruments.  When she got around to the saxophone:

“You even play a little saxophone” stated the interviewer.

“A very little….that is why I have….”(and she named her sax player and pointed to him).

Then she introduced the rest of the tour band.  I think there were at least 10 members in her band.  It was diverse in many ways:

Each played a different instrument or provided vocals.

She had men and women represented.

She had different races and ethnicity covered.

And she had what seemed like a wide-age span  (but maybe that is just because I feel so old)

She seems to have the diversity thing figured out.  She obviously knows she can’t do it all herself.  She has build a special touring team.  And she has many different gifts and talents assembled a la the body of Christ concept.

I think sometimes we worry that if we hire team members that are too different from who we are individually that they won’t fit with our team.

They may not match the culture.

In this case, they did all have a common bond.  They all loved music and they were all talented musicians.  To effectively manage this diverse group of musicians and singers I am sure she had to lay out the vision of this cd and this tour.

We don’t need everyone to look exactly alike to make up a cohesive team.  On the contrary, we need other people’s gifts, talents and even differences to compliment ourselves and to fulfill our vision!

12The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For we were all baptized by[c] one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

14Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.  1 Corinthians 12:12-27

It works for the church.

It works for rock bands.

I bet diversity will work for our businesses too!

And what a relief to have someone with the gifts you don’t have to help you out!  Thank God.

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Sue Miley

Sue Miley MBA, MA, LPC helps small business owners build successful businesses on a foundation of Christian values. After 20 years in business, and 10 years as a Christian counselor, Sue uses a combination of faith, business and psychology to help clients in business and in life.

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