A friend of mine, Jane Howze, sent me an article she wrote about the business lessons she got from attending a recent Adele concert.
My first reaction was, “Really? Adele?”
Yes, Adele is talented and millions of people appreciate that talent; but from the outside, I didn’t see the connection.
Then I read the article and I was wrong. Here’s what I learned:
She’s genuine: Adele is a household name, but that doesn’t stop her from being kind and “real” to the audience at her concerts. She chats about what’s going on in her personal life, her experiences and how she’s feeling. It’s a sense that she’s talking to an old friend on the phone and not thousands of fans in a sold out arena.
In business: Even being dishonest about the smallest of dealings will crumble future deals and cause you to be labeled a fraud. Be genuine in all of your business relations and you can’t go wrong.
She’s punctual: The concert was set to start at a certain time according to the tickets and guess what? Jane said it actually started at that time (with her being just 15 minutes late). This is completely unlike what you see from most music stars.
In business: the intrinsic value of being on-time is obvious.
She actually showed appreciation for her audience: She noticed and spoke about the posters her fans held up and took selfies with some of them. She also thanked her fans over and over again; for coming to her concert, waiting between songs and other things.
In business: The lack of expressing gratitude is a surefire way to kill business deals and miss out on expanding your client base.
She exudes confidence: In order to stand on a stage in front of thousands of fans, you have to have confidence. Her fans confirm this by the ways in which she interacts with them and responds.
It’s essential to have confidence in everything! In business, confidence is at the root of securing clients, and maintaining favorable relationships.
She’s not afraid to show sensitivity: A few minutes into her first song, she became emotional and had to let her fans finish up. She explained to the audience that she was nervous and thought she would “burst into tears” as she entered the stage.
A good attribute possessed by those successful in business is being bold enough to share your concerns and not allowing those concerns to overtake you.
