Are You a Fan or a Peer?

Originally posted Nov 20, 2023

Recently, Maestro Media held a virtual leadership team meeting. 

CEO and founder Javon Frazier shared a gem he learned from a music teacher. I don't remember the exact words, but the message was, "You know you arrived as a musician when you stop being a fan of other performers and see yourself as their peer."

Javon was sharing how, in a very short time, Maestro Media has grown from a new player in the board game industry to a peer with other players, including internationally-branded licensees like Smurfs and Hello Kitty and many more exciting opportunities in negotiation.

It reminded me of the night I first heard Kat Edmonson sing in a small club in North Austin. 

I was fortunate to meet her after the show, and we talked about the music we loved. I told her I was a great fan of Ray Charles, and Kat said how much she regretted Ray had passed on before she could sing with him. Wow, at this very early stage of Kat's career, in her mind, she was a peer.

Since then, Kat has toured with Lyle Lovett, been on The Tonight Show twice, and toured the US, Europe, and Asia with some of the top names in the music industry, as well as having a feature role in a Wood Allen film and a starring role in an off-Broadway show (which sold out each night).

From November 28-December 19, Kat will be on her "Holiday Swingin" tour of nineteen dates in fifteen cities.

Here's Kat's upcoming tour schedule. 

In college at Temple University, I was fortunate to befriend Merril Reese, the legendary voice of the Philadelphia Eagles. We both were sports directors of WRTI, Temples FM radio station.

From Merril's first professional job in radio, he saw himself as a peer to Vince Scully and other famous and beloved sports commentators. Merril has become a legendary sportscaster and personality. Tonight, the eighty-year-old Merril Reese will broadcast The Monday Night NFL football game between the Eagles and the Chiefs, the two teams that played in last year's Super Bowl.

Merril and Kat knew what they wanted to achieve and had the confidence and mindset to make it happen.

When I was coaching Four Hands Furniture (headquartered in Austin, Texas) we held a strategic planning session where CEO and founder Brett Hatton announced we should be THE Industry Leader instead of AN industry leader. It may sound subtle, but to be the industry leader means that in all facets of our business, from purchasing to marketing, customer service, shipping, invoicing, hiring, and training. That decision set a new standard and propelled the Company to earn the title of The Industry leader.

Several years ago, Moe encouraged me to see myself as an entrepreneurial thought-leader. At the time, I was still dealing with an upper-limits barrier from childhood that I was just not good enough. Moe asked me to write that "I am a thought leader" 50 times a day. The best I could come up with was, "You may not be a thought leader, but you can be a thoughtful leader." 

Then, I started writing weekday Food For Thought posts and realized how much I had to share. The encouragement of the Food for Thought community has led so far to two volumes of People, Time, and Money, with more books on the way. Now, when I read the posts of writers like Seth Godin, I see myself as a peer.

Please think about your achievements in your life and career and where you are a peer amongst peers.

Reach out to Cathy at cathy@coachtothebest.com to book a complimentary coaching call from Rich and Maureen.

If you want to receive Rich’s invaluable lessons daily sign up for his newsletter HERE.

Get a copy of Rich’s Amazon Best Seller book People Time & Money Vol 2 HERE.

www.coachtothebest.com