Most of my friends know that I don’t go (and have never gone) clubbing, my record collection (yes, I still have one!) causes people to burst out laughing and when the boys change the car radio from ‘Smooth’ to ‘Capital’, I find myself repeating the words my Dad said to me: ‘This isn’t music! It just goes BOOM, BOOM, BOOM…!’
So, when I booked myself onto a 4 hour DJ Taster course, I think I even surprised myself!
I probably didn’t get off to the best start when the instructor asked everyone what music genres they were into.
Them: ‘R&B, Hip Hop, Techno, Trance…’
Me: ‘Eighties’
Instructor: That’s an ERA, not a GENRE!
Then we moved onto what the role of the DJ was- and this is where it got interesting for me! The instructor gave us a definition of the role of the DJ:
‘to create and control the energy in a live environment’
I suddenly jumped into work mode! That’s Leadership! That’s Employee Engagement!
Think of yourself as the DJ:
- How are you proactively and passionately adding value to your team?
- Are you creating the right conditions for your team members to give their best each day?
- Do you have a team of happy, productive people?
- How do you create and control the energy in your team?
Employee engagement isn’t about implementing a few incentives. It is about creating a state or behaviour that makes people feel passionate about their work. Stop thinking about yourself as a manager or leader, and imagine yourself as a DJ, stood at the decks and think about what it is you are trying to create.
‘Because DJing is not about choosing a few tunes. It is about generating shared moods; it’s about understanding the feelings of a group of people and directing them to a better place.’
So… are you ready to ROCK THE DANCE FLOOR?
If you want any advice on Leadership, Employee Engagement or Management Development, please feel free to contact me.