When we think of creativity, most people think of music or art, but not necessarily business. Business, however, can provide fertile ground for creativity. Every business needs creative people, the kind of people who can look at grass burs stuck on socks and see Velcro. It’s the creative people like that who can jump off the beaten path to spot opportunities and solve problems. Creativity in business is not only valuable, it’s vital. That’s why we were excited when LG McKenzie joined our team as our recruiter. His background is a blend of the creative right brain and the logical left brain, an intersection of where the artistry of music meets the artistry of business. LG has had a long-term career in music as a lead singer for a popular dance and night club band, and also as the band’s business manager. That’s not the usual career path taken to join our company, however, the skills needed to manage a band are basically the same practical business skills that any business needs, including our call center.
The Artistry of Business. There are a wide variety of business skills that encompass the artistry of business. For example, the skill of cold calling is necessary to get new gigs for the band. We are a company of cold callers, so that skill comes in handy in understanding both lead generation from the client’s point of view and from the lead generators point of view. Good customer service and people skills are necessary to retain repeat business customers and keep the band together. We are a service company full of people, and for that matter, life in general is full of people. LG’s track record in keeping a band together for over 20 years speaks for itself.
Project management and event management skills are necessary to facilitate getting the equipment and members of the band to the venue on time so that the show can go on. Sooner or later, something breaks or some kind of technology malfunctions or somebody doesn’t show up to do what they are supposed to do. Figuring out how to fix something that has gone wrong is an important skill. and proactively figuring out how to head problems off at the pass is an even better skill. Discipline and organizational skills are needed to coordinate practice sessions. The same skills are relevant to preparing for the pre-interview teleconferences we hold every week. Multi-tasking is essential, the ability to juggle balls in the air without splatting any of them to the ground. These are not only excellent business skills, but excellent life skills as well.
From lead singer to lead generator. Before COVID, LG did some behind the scenes part time work for us during daytime hours because his band performances were either in the evenings or on weekends. Then when COVID hit, the performance venues such as the big casinos, private parties and night clubs, like so many other industries that were impacted by the pandemic, were closed down. This seismic shift in the live music business disrupted LG’s 30-year career and main occupation as a singer and entertainer. Fortunately for both TeleReach Corporate and LG, he was able to simply switch gears and step into a different type of limelight in his role as recruiter, plus help us fulfill some short-term urgent projects. That’s been a great win-win.
The interview with LG:
Tracie: How has the pandemic impacted you and your music?
LG: “When COVID hit, TeleReach was a lifeline for me. I was able to increase my hours and expand my role within the company. So, the transition was pretty smooth for me and that has been a blessing. Yes, I’ve needed to learn how to do some new things, and I’m still learning new things, but I know so many musicians who have really been scrambling and struggling during this time. I’ve seen a lot of music venues that have had to permanently close because of how long this pandemic has gone on, so it’s hard to say what the future will hold for live music venues. At first, we all hoped that it would last only a couple of months and then go back to normal, but obviously that didn’t happen, and this thing is still going on…who knows for how long?
Even as a virtual company, we have a comradery here and I really like the atmosphere of comradery we have. I like the people that I work with and I like the work I do here, but I also miss entertaining and singing, so I’ve spent more time doing studio work to fill that gap.”
Tracie: What do mean by studio work?
LG: Well, I’ve turned my focus to creating original music and I’ve created a single. Everything is digital now, which has made it possible for me to sell my music on sites such as CD Baby.
Tracie: One day, when COVID is a distant thing of the past, I would love to see LG’s band play live at a TeleReach event. In the meantime, recruiting is a great way to get our corporate groove on. A talented individual connecting our company with more new talent definitely qualifies as the artistry of business.
If you have a creative talent, we would like to talk to you about joining the TeleReach team. If you’d like to check out LG’s original song, which is called “Tonight,” it can be found at:
