Unless you live under a rock 😜 Coldplay is a British band that originated in London in 1997. They include vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey.
They met at University College London and started creating music together, and the rest is history. Conan O’Brien recently interviewed Chris Martin, discussing why the group is such a success and the secret to keeping a band together. Whilst listening, I could not take my coach hat off, so here are my takeaways from their great conversation and how we can apply them to organisations and teams!
9 SuperGroup tips from the supergroup Coldplay.
- In the band, we all have our unique talents. We use these gifts and use them to counterbalance ideas. We do the best we can with what we’ve got. We may not be the best at everything, but we all have specific skills that can take us far. It’s a democratic process; everyone is involved.
- We have leaned into being ourselves. We can’t be anyone else but are best when we are ourselves. Being ourselves is the only way to live to achieve success. Pretending to be someone else isn’t sustainable and tamping down your real feelings will only leave us unhappy. You may not be the best at everything, but you have specific skills that can take you far.
- As a band, we care about our group’s compassion and communication that our audiences may not necessarily see. But we accept that and know this is imperative for the band’s success and internal workings; as a result, we cultivate strong relationships and team dynamics. Find out what your team needs to be the best it can be!
- While some people achieve success all on their own, the truth is that most of us find success either as part of a team or with the assistance of others. That’s why fostering those relationships and nurturing team chemistry are so meaningful. It will improve your chances of success and make the time you spend reaching your goals much more enjoyable.
- We keep evolving. We have never said, “Yep, we have done that.” We are always excited about learning, which keeps us going on and curious.
- We pay attention to others who are successful. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, and we don’t have to search for success in a vacuum. Others have walked this path before you and reached their destination. How have they done it? What can you learn from them? Pay attention to those who have found similar success and study how they did it. You’ll benefit greatly.
- When we’re challenged, we can grow. We all go through difficult times and can look at them in one of two ways. We can see them as noise, or we can see them as challenges and find something positive in them. But, of course, there’s always room for improvement.
- Keep striving for improvement. No matter how talented you are, no matter how good you are, you can always get better. This earns you initial success and can sustain your success over the years.
- We won’t always win. Letting go of this and not being owned by this is fundamental. This is sound advice. We live in a culture that encourages us to think that we “can do anything” if we only “believe in ourselves”. We don’t want to be hindered by self-doubt or fear of failure. However, doing a reality check and assessing our abilities is healthy and critical.
“Even when other people don’t expect a lot out of you, you have to take the initiative.”
Chris Martin
Creating a good team dynamic starts with us. We are accountable for empowering our team by establishing common values immediately. Collective intelligence, authentic exchanges and energy within a group create shared leadership and powerful team identity, which are at the heart of the origins of a supergroup. Nothing happens by accident; this is hard work and heart work!
Last word …..Coldplay is on a global tour and wants its concerts to be accessible to everyone and for everyone to have the best possible experience. They are doing a few things for the rest of the tour. At every show, they offer local sign language interpreters and Subpacs for our D/deaf and hard-of-hearing guests to feel a stronger connection to the music. They’ve also partnered with KultureCity to provide sensory bags and a mobile sensory refuge station for those with sensory sensitivities. For guests who are blind or have low vision, they now offer touch tours before the show. If you would benefit from any of these initiatives or have any suggestions on how they could make our shows more inclusive, please email [email protected].