Sing With The Crowd

Written by Charis Musick

I was at a concert recently at Thunder Ridge in Ridgedale, Missouri, with some 22,000+ other Chris Stapleton fans. These were not 22,000+ other singers, though I’m sure there are many who could carry a tune in a bucket, so to speak. Yet, when the opportunity presented itself and Chris stepped back from the microphone to let the crowd sing his song in unison, the crowd managed to sound unified with no whispers of tone deafness at all. I can guarantee there were plenty in this open-air venue who on their own cannot sing, can’t carry a tune. However, when gathered with the voices of many, somehow the brain can communicate with the ears and vocal cords to sing on tune. Most people would likely say they don’t sing, but when everyone sings together it’s a beautiful sound.

I’m going to venture to say in our businesses and organizations there would be a similar occurrence if we moved from one person operating as an island to singing with the crowd because there is beauty when we collaborate and sing together. What does this look like practically? Great question! 

• When problems arise, how do you develop solutions? Does one person decide or do you give others the opportunity to contribute valuable ideas for problem-solving? 
• When goals are set, how do you communicate, track, and follow-up? 
• When individuals in your community have personal and professional wins or even just birthdays, how do you celebrate them? How do you communicate value?

Sure, everyone paid to see and hear Chris Stapleton and those who opened for him, but he stepped away from the microphone to hear the crowd sing his song for a reason. It’s way better singing to a crowd, with a crowd, and hearing the crowd sing your songs than to sing to an otherwise empty room. When was the last time you stepped back from the mic?