SUPER TEAMS - Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships.

SUPER TEAMS - Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships.

Author

John Pisciotta
April 16, 2024

In this episode, we discuss the 4 Roles that all SuperTeams are made up of.

One of the quickest ways to prove you are not ready to grow or scale is to believe that a person can do everything on their own. This falls in line with a recurring theme of this book: artists incorrectly think that their level of success has every- thing to do with themselves and their musical talent. It is an amateur’s approach to the business.

Those seeking higher levels of success, however, typically grasp the importance of proper team building when it comes to sustaining and growing their business and understand that success requires more than just great music.

So where do a lot of artists go wrong when the time comes to begin building their team?

A common trap that many artists fall into is becoming the “big fish in the small pond.” For a young artist, it can be easy to become well-known in their local community and music scene. It takes some commitment and work, but it is generally attainable for an artist managing themselves alone and without the support of a team. It is a lot more difficult in a major music city like Nashville, Los Angeles, New York or Austin, but for an artist living in a small or medium-sized media market, it is certainly doable.

And that is where misplaced ego becomes an issue.

For many artists, being the “big fish in the small pond” is sufficient; they are happy, and that’s good. But to the artist that wants more, it feels less like success, and the limitations of doing everything alone become more evident as they are pushing up against a glass ceiling.

What they have done on their own up to this point has worked, so they continue to do the same things . . . without understanding the need to step back and reevaluate the environment.

Once they do that, they’ll see that they can’t do everything themselves. Not if they want to continue to progress. Now it’s time to add to the team.

This brings us to one of the most important statements the artist should remember: talent will get you started, but you will never win with talent alone. Your team should grow as your platform grows. A local artist’s team will have fewer mem- bers than that of a regional artist. A regional artist’s team will have fewer members than that of a global artist.

THE EXPONENTIAL POWER OF A TEAM

We defined Force Multipliers in Chapter 2 as tools, resources, or strategies that exponentially amplify the effort you put into any task. Force Multipliers don’t apply to only the work itself; they also apply to the team’s capacity for learning new information regarding the business.

As individuals, we can learn only so much throughout the course of a day. We are limited by time and, in some cases, we are limited by our current capacity to understand the fundamentals of fields unfamiliar to us. However, a team of professionals working on our behalf can not only learn more but dig deeper and more effectively within their specialties than one well-meaning multitasker.

An entertainment attorney will absorb new music law precedents far more quickly and thoroughly than a sound engineer.

An expert in social media marketing will have a greater understanding of the constant changes implemented by social media companies like Facebook and Twitter than a booking agent.

A proper team allows for an exponential increase in knowledge, both learned and applied.

Another benefit of a proper team is through the potential opportunities created for the artist and those around him or her. The music industry is a business of relationships, and the people joining your team bring with them the collective connections they have spent years establishing, leading to exciting new professional collaborations.

Nowhere in this section have we talked about the artistic side of the music business; you certainly need a team to help out when it comes to the art, but for now we will focus on the team that helps elevate your business.

PICKING THE RIGHT TEAM MEMBERS - P.A.E.I. METHOD

Developing artists beginning to build their teams often find themselves confronted with more questions than answers. Many have no idea how to identify what jobs need to be done or what positions should be filled in order to move their careers forward. Ask five inexperienced artists to describe the role of a manager and you will likely receive five different (and perhaps conflicting) answers.

Here are the two most important questions artists should be answering:

What roles should I be trying to fill?

What qualities should I be looking for in the potential members of my team?

Several years ago, a Russian consultant by the name of Dr. Ichak Kalderon Adizes introduced what he refers to as the P.A.E.I. Method, a detailed look at the four fundamental roles of management needed in running a business. In applying this structure, he shows how the application of differing management styles within a business can benefit or hinder its chance of long-term success.

Adizes, in his book titled From Stuckness to Growth, breaks down manage- ment types into four roles.

THE FOUR ROLES

Role #1 : The (P)roducer

Talent wins games, but teamwork wins championships.

— Michael Jordan

The role of the (P)roducer is to get a result. This individual focuses on the production and delivery of the product that is being offered (e.g., merchandise, show tickets). The (P)roducer also places an emphasis on the relationship with and needs of the customer or fan. They make sure the customers are satisfied.

Role #2 : The (A)dministrator

While the (P)roducer is concentrating on the details of what has to be done, the (A)dministrator examines how to go about doing those things efficiently and properly. The (A)dministrator’s role is to keep everything within the business organized while creating systems that allow the business to operate smoothly.

Role #3 : The (E)ntrepreneur

The (E)ntrepreneur is the creative force behind the business. These individuals think outside the box and come up with new ways to help their business adapt to changes in the business environment. They bring unorthodox ideas to the table and are opportunistic in nature.

Role #4 : The (I)ntegrator

The (I)ntegrator focuses on finding the right people for the other roles while working to ensure the business can survive long-term. Their goal is to see that the business can continue to operate even without the presence of its founder(s). The (I)ntegrator also works to develop mutual trust and respect within the team.

If we were to assign one word to describe each of the four P.A.E.I. roles, the results would be as follows:

Most people have witnessed each of these four roles in the workforce at one point or another; each has certain characteristics that result in us perceiving them in a particular light.

The (P)roducer : Oftentimes they come across as a field general of sorts. They are focused on accom- plishing immediate goals and driving results. Not only does the (P)roducer assign tasks and “call the plays” on a day-to-day basis, they also set the agenda that will be used by the team. Examples in the workforce include general managers and business developers who are responsible for strategic partner- ships or acquisitions.

The (A)dministrator : Many look at these people as bureaucrats because of the red tape they tend to manage. They pay attention to detail and follow processes in a very deliberate manner, at times

slowing down the completion of projects. In the workforce, these kinds of people can include detailed administrative assistants or those in the company’s legal affairs department.

The (E)ntrepreneur : They are perceived by others as visionaries. These are contributors who create, see opportunities, and lead through inspiration. Examples in the business world include company found- ers, employees working on promotions, and creators of apps.

The (I)ntegrator : Some see them as connectors. They look at the strategies and goals of the team and then work to find the best possible people to help achieve the (P)roducer’s goals. A real-life example would be a human resource director, an assistant, or project manager.

HOW TEAMS GET LIFT - THE THREE THEMES

Because of the complementary nature of the four roles, each role adds their own special sauce to the team. Think of the ingredients of the sauce consisting of the sales of the P, the details of the A, the vision of the E, and the culture of the I. Together, these roles create a cyclone of focus, energy, and action; without any of these, the team will likely sputter or spin out of control.

This image shows the three keywords for each role:

DUPLICATING OR COMPLIMENTING?

A key component of putting together a successful team is finding people for those positions who think, act and respond differently than the artist.

Many artists make career-threatening moves when they intentionally seek team members who will agree with everything the respective artist says. We see many examples of this common business mistake. People who focus on artistry have a tendency to want to surround themselves with people who do not challenge their art. People who move and think quickly tend to want others around them that do the same.

Why does this happen?

The tendency of a young artist is to gravitate toward people that are more like themselves. That’s how they found the members of their first bands, their first songwriting partners, their first road managers, bus drivers and fans ... even the folks and buddies they hung out with in their social circles. Most successful businesses thrive, however, when they create teams of people with varying personalities and experiences and put those people in positions where their individual strengths are assets.

Talent wins high school; teams win careers.

— bathroom wall at Nashville rest stop

🔗 LINKS MENTIONED:

📖 Check out my Bestselling book https://a.co/d/2HxDLxJ 

🍿 WATCH NEXT:

Love and Execution with Lauren Bateman: https://youtu.be/dZUkeOcD_9c 

Michael Drexler - BMI For Sale!?! - https://youtu.be/dBBnko9mU2s

Mechanics of Career Building with Ken Stokes - https://youtu.be/3aGww0K9zj0

MY OTHER SOCIALS:

🎙 My newsletter Action Wins - https://www.hacking-music.com/newsletter

WHO AM I?

If we haven’t yet before - Hey 👋 I’m John, a guitar player turned entrepreneur and I’ve somehow built a holding co that builds media businesses. Publish advisory materials for training artists. Through my videos here on this channel, my podcast Hacking Music and writing, I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you build a career you actually want.

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Hacking Music is an execution platform for action takers, moment makers and record breakers. Our mission is to serve the world by strengthening the next generation of artists and help you connect with the people that care the most [ your fans ] https://www.hacking-music.com

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Special thanks to our sponsors, ⁠ArtistWerx⁠ and ⁠The Sync Center⁠, for their support. 

Their contributions towards the music industry provide valuable opportunities for artists to thrive. 

ArtistWerx⁠ is an execution company. We partner with managers to provide infrastructure, marketing, execution and monetization in the rapidly changing media industry. We create products and experiences to engage your customers, drive revenue, build careers and surpass your competitors. https://www.artistwerx.com

The Sync Center - Trusted by Fortune 50 companies, Filmmakers, Ad Executives, Networks, and Major Film Studios. The Sync Center is a full-service music supervision and licensing company that has managed projects for hundreds of clients including national and global brands, agencies and cultural events. https://thesynccenter.com

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