Innovation Blog

Thumb, Gesturing Backward: Innovator, Can You Play 4th Trumpet

 Like Wynton Marsallis?

By Shlomo Maital

Wynton Marsallis 

 

“Founder’s Disease” – inability of entrepreneur/innovator to transfer the daily operation of his/her startup to a professional manager, often leading to collapse and failure.

   No catalog of diseases lists this one. But it is very very common. I’ve seen it often.  A gret deal of emotion accompanies the launching of a startup. For the founder(s), it is much like the birth of a baby. And who would put their baby up for adoption, unless absolutely necessary, by placing it in strange hands?  Yet this must happen, because the capabilities to run and build a global organization are far different from those needed to launch a startup. 

   Recently, on the CBS TV show 60 Minutes, Morley Safer interviewed jazz trumpeter and bandleader Wynton Marsallis.  Marsallis, who is 50, is regarded as perhaps the world leading jazz artist. His Big Band is regarded as the best of its kind in existence.  Marsallis travels the world with his band and is acclaimed everywhere.  The son of a musician, he grew up in New Orleans, and was trained in classical music.  He has an amazing work ethic, works harder than any of his band members, and travels the world, despite a deep fear of flying.

     Where is he, when his band plays? Out front, conducting and taking applause (like Duke Ellington)?  No. He plays 4th trumpet, in the back row.  Why?  When he tries conducting, one of his musician will “look down at the music and gesture backward with his thumb”, Marsallis says, meaning, “hey, man, you can’t conduct a paper bag, get back with the trumpeters where you belong!”.  And amazingly Marsallis listens.

    Innovator – remember this, when you launch your startup and you need to grow it into maturity.  Find someone to do it, unless you are a rare person gifted with managerial skills as well as creativity (rare as hounds’ teeth).  Remember the backward-thumb gesture, and Marsallis’ acceptance of it.