Elton John's got a cold heart?
J.P. Montalvan • September 27, 2022
“You should never take more than you can give."
- Elton John
photo by Ernst Vikne
_____________________________
There's a cold, cold heart out there.
Why? Because Sir Elton John is on tour right now, and if you haven’t yet heard “Cold Heart,” this “self-sampling” duet with mezzo-soprano Dua Lipa is a beautiful mixture of several Elton John songs together with Dua Lipa’s sultry accompaniment.
You won’t find many Gen Z rocking to Billy Joel or The Rolling Stones in 2022. But Elton John has found a way to reintroduce his music to a whole new generation.
Sampling — taking a piece of a song and incorporating it into another, often newer song — is a common, effective and legal way for a musical artist to incorporate another artist’s music.
But “self-sampling” — an artist sampling with their own music — is rare, especially among rock artists. Elton John, 75 years young, made a No. 1 hit in 2021 by self-sampling three different older songs he wrote and sang into a new “Cold Heart" song, working with award-winning singer Dua Lipa to give it a youthful, sexy vibe. He currently has another hit “Hold Me Closer” in collaboration with Brittany Spears, sampling his 1971 single “Tiny Dancer.”
What does Elton John’s story have to do with leadership, you might ask?
Leadership is about influence. Whether we’re leading ourselves or others, we must use our influence to get to where we want to go — as entrepreneurs or intrapreneurs, in leading our families, as community organizers, or as world leaders. And if you’re not growing your influence, you’re very likely stuck in connecting with and helping the people you really care about.
How do we influence others? We use our vehicles of success – the personal attributes we have and successes we’ve had – to lead others to do something in their lives. It could be as simple as buying a song, or as profound as changing how people approach their work and lives. Elton John’s big vehicle of success is his iconic music.
Are your vehicles of success working for you? And what do you do if, like Elton John, your old vehicle isn’t really growing your influence like it used to?
You need to grow your strategy.
What Elton John is doing with self-sampling is what I call a “wide” growth strategy. He’s growing new, wider audiences by partnering with younger artists and reinventing some of his past music.
Are you stuck with a strategy that isn’t working?
Here’s a “Quick Take” I shared with my Leadership Circle on “3 Growth Strategy Options” you can think about when it comes to reinventing your current strategies.
Elton John has had quite a life. Beyond 31 albums and an incredible career as a songwriter and entertainer, he’s been a leader in fundraising to fight the HIV/AIDS since the late 1980s and has been in a loving partnership, marriage, and family since 1993. Success leaves clues, and Elton John’s life, including what he’s doing right now with his self-sampling work, shows someone who is always growing.
In "Cold Heart," Elton sings “Some things lookin’ better…just passin’ through.” Some things you see when you’re passing through life, you can leave behind. Or you can grow them.
Here's to leaving what you don't want behind…and growing your life into what you really want.
Gad was 10 years old when he saw people going door to door, hauling out his neighbors, shooting them and burning down their homes.
Stephen was 7 years old when he was separated from his family, only to find out later that most of his family was murdered.
As a leadership coach, I get to work with a diverse range of entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs – quite a few real estate agents, fitness professionals, mortgage lenders, government contractors and others. Come April, it's like clockwork – we all start realizing how easy it is to lose sight of our yearly goals by the end of the first quarter. Life gets busy, we get caught up in the whirlwind of reactivity, and suddenly, those big dreams we had at the start of the year feel miles away.
As most of you know, tragedy struck on what would have otherwise been an ordinary night earlier this week in the heart of Baltimore. The Francis Scott Key Bridge, an iconic structure that spanned the Patapsco River, became the focal point of a devastating disaster that has shaken Baltimore and the region to its core. As I think about the events of that night, there’s a lot to unpack, from preparedness and the “why” behind a crisis to quick thinking and the human capacity for heroism in the face of adversity.
Happy Hump Day!
I don’t usually reach out to you on Wednesdays, and I wanted to share that Wednesday isn't just any ol' day – it's the linchpin of your week. Why?
As I’m sharing with my Leadership Circle this quarter, Wednesday isn't just the midpoint of the typical work week calendar. It's a golden opportunity for us to hit pause, reassess, and realign ourselves with what really matters – our weekly priorities.
Edwin was born in the small town of Steubenville, Ohio. His education started in Miss Randle’s kindergarten and was followed by Henry Orr’s seminary around the block. At 10, he entered George Buchanan’s nearby Latin school where he was called “an imperious and self-reliant young man.”
Edwin’s lifelong struggle with asthma might have contributed to his temper, but so could have the early death of his father and the deaths of his brother and two children.
And on the eve of achieving his life’s dream — nomination to the Supreme Court — Edwin Stanton’s chronic asthma caused his death in 1869.
As I sit here late at night in my parent’s family room, a few hours away from our home, thinking about you, it dawns on me that we’re often wrapped up with how leadership impacts us in the work world. But the reality is that it permeates every part of our lives – and especially our relationships with family and friends.
This weekend, the conversations with my parents are covering a myriad of topics, from advice on navigating parenthood with our newborn daughter to discussing strategies for managing their health.
Recently, Veronica and I took a trip to the beautiful Virginia countryside around Flint Hill, Virginia. As we took in the breathtaking, winter scenery of rolling hills, horses, cattle and more, we decided to stop for lunch at the inviting Dark Horse Irish Pub. Little did we know that our dining experience would include both delicious food and the unexpected wisdom of a heartfelt connection.
Upon entering the cozy pub, we were greeted incredibly warmly. Our waiter was a young man who attended to us graciously through our meal, and when he had to leave was replaced by an older waiter. The older waiter had a twinkle in his eye, as they say, and he immediately struck a chord with us. As our main meal switched to delicious desserts, he engaged us in some lively conversation and took a genuine interest in our newborn daughter in the stroller by our table. His genuine care and enthusiasm was really something.
In the challenging world of Hollywood, with a sea of scripts and opportunities, Reese knew what she wanted. Despite some early success and the offers of darker and more intense roles, she was drawn towards “optimistic” storylines that inspired and uplifted. She wanted to make a meaningful impact on her audience, especially girls and young women.
“I got a role in this movie called Freeway playing this really angry, aggressive, violent young woman who believed wholeheartedly in the truth,” Reese shared. “I had such satisfaction afterward, and I thought, that's what I want to do.”
Closing the Gap: Kareem’s Legacy and Your “Big 3” to Success
In the fast-paced world we live in, it's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of daily tasks and lose sight of our priorities. If you’re anything like me, it happens when we think about the gaps between where we are and where we want to go, in business or in our personal lives.
Kareem dedicates much of his time now to empowering marginalized communities, reflected in his book "Writings on the Wall: Searching for a New Equality Beyond Black and White." He was asked once about his ability to prioritize amidst the glitz of a storied career.
Getting picked last isn't great. Brock would know…
As February rolls in, it's time for a reality check on our goals. How often have you lost sight of your aspirations by now, slipping from proactive to reactive mode? I know I have in the past. How do we stay focused in the chaos of a competitive, hyperconnected world? That's a heck of a ball game.
And when we lose sight of our goals – our big goals – we are picking ourselves last.