His Royal Purple-ness… Lessons from a Musical Master: Why Our Relationship with Work is Broken (Part 6)

On April 21, 2016 the world lost one of its most gifted musicians and performers. While Prince and his music helped define my generation, I will remember him as much for his keen intellect as for his hypnotic and sometimes naughty lyrics.

Prince’s life reflected the human connections that were the subjects of his work. Not only did he value relationships, he was purposeful about creating a strong RELATIONAL CORE (the 5 relationships critical to personal and professional success).

Without a strong relational core you won’t have the constant and candid feedback and self-awareness to develop a healthy and confident relationship with work.

YOUR RELATIONAL CORE:

Mentor– Do you have a mentor?…someone to help you develop the skills necessary to succeed in what you do and take you to the next level?

Princely Advice: A mentor is NEVER someone on your payroll.

Sponsor– Key to the development of your success story, a sponsor is someone publicly committed to advancing your career. Sponsors may or may not be in your organization, but they are in a position to help promote you as a brand and they’ve committed to doing just that.

Purple Promoter: Owen Husney signed an unknown 17 year old musical prodigy, set up his first demo and created his first press kit…

Peer– No one knows what you are going through like someone else that’s going through it too! Developing relationships with your peers is an invaluable developmental resource. One you shouldn’t pass up.

Pur-ennial Collaborator: Prince co-created and performed with peers like Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Morris Day, Sheena Easton, Tom Petty and Lenny Kravitz…

Mentee– One of the most valuable and overlooked relational categories, reaching out to mentees is a must! No matter your age or stage, you have something to offer — some experience, some knowledge and some relationships that is high-value to someone else.

Prince’s Purple Thumb: In 1984, Prince produced Sheila E’s first album, The Glamorous Life, which was one of many examples of his emphasis on helping other artists. It’s like he had a purple thumb for growing musical talent. As Rolling Stone put it, “Prince had this ability to see creative potential in a person before they saw it in themselves.”

You– Becoming more purposeful about who you are and what you value; clarifying your unique capabilities and gaining an understanding of what success really means to you, will help focus on getting just that!

Purple Pumps: For better or worse, no matter how you felt about Prince, his music or his predilections, one thing is for sure…The Purple One understood who he was. And he will be missed.

Stay connected to the core!!!!

-Jeff