Talent is cool. Ability is cool. Professionalism is cool. Being a challenge to work with is not cool. What’s your professional personality profile? Are your relationships with clients all they can be? Are you Fab enough, or could you be even better? Now you can find out, thanks to – The Beatles.

Which Beatle Are You?

In an earlier article we talked about How Not To Fail At Anything – Ever! The big idea is to never lose sight of what you and your organization are there to do and the relationships you need to succeed. That’s where The Beatles come in. The Beatles were the most successful team in the history of popular music. Starting in 1962, John, Paul, George and Ringo created a combination of music, marketing and personality that erupted into “Beatlemania.” Over 50 years later, the repercussions are still making waves.

The Fab Four were especially fun because each one had a distinct personality and working style. So let’s dig out some old issues of Tiger Beat, Rave and 16 Magazine and take some tips from them. When it comes to your producing, planning and communication style, which Beatle are you?

A Hard Day’s Night

The Secret You –

You like to be in charge. You are strong, dominant and decisive. You are willing to “own” a project but hate to wait. Checking your watch is an obsession. Nothing ever moves fast enough. People love your willingness to take responsibility but worry about you doing too much and not delegating.

Your Special Songs –

“Eight Days A Week”

“A Hard Day’s Night”

Your Spirit Beatle – John Lennon

John was the smart one. He was impatient with process and often felt that everything took too long. John was rebellious and liked pushing the boundaries and challenging tradition. Hey, he ran off with Yoko Ono and they spent weeks naked in bed on camera to protest the Vietnam War.

Be Fab –

Take a deep breath. Think things through to avoid snap decisions you’ll regret later. Talk to people, collaborate and leave room for other people’s ideas. Remember, a schedule is just a tool to organize things.

All You Need Is Love

The Secret You –

You love to have lots of options. You are always adding “one more thing” that stretches the budget and your team’s patience. It’s hard for you to make a decision because you like everything. The project ends up being finished at the last second, and everyone is stressed and frazzled. People love your personality but worry about your choices.

Your Special Songs –

“We Can Work It Out”

“All You Need Is Love”

Your Spirit Beatle – Paul McCartney

Paul was the cute one. Happy, enthusiastic and ready to go, he was slow to come to a final decision. He liked to experiment, ask lots of questions and try tons of things. Forget the deadlines – Paul loved the process and all of the people. Schedules, deadlines and budgets were hard to manage.

Be Fab –

Talk through projects with clients and your team early and set some limits. Don’t ask for six choices when you only need three. Get the crucial things done first before you dive into all of the possible enhancements. Having fewer options means you can make decisions quicker and feel more comfortable with them. Communicate the schedule clearly and stick to it.

Please Please Me

The Secret You –

You are a perfectionist. If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well! You are hard to please and need everything to be exactly right, even if it means doing it over and over again. It doesn’t matter to you if the client is satisfied if you aren’t, so you agonize over every detail.  People love your organizational skills but worry about your flexibility.

Your Special Songs –

“Please Please Me”

“The Long And Winding Road”

Your Spirit Beatle – George Harrison

George was the quiet one. He looked for the inner meaning in everything. That meant every simple decision ended up being a journey to India. George wasn’t known as a “talker,” but when he did discuss an issue he was very particular. He didn’t compromise on his ideas and vision for his songs. His recording sessions took longer because the only “right way” was his way.

Be Fab –

Try to limit saying, “That’s not what I want” to just 20 times a day. Since you have a tendency to pick things to death, add people to your team who are as detail-driven as you are. Find people you trust and then let them handle the details. Let go of your need to control and allow yourself to enjoy your accomplishments. You do great work, so let your clients and your team relax a little.

Don’t Pass Me By

The Secret You –

You are laid back and calm. You like to take things easy and are deliberate, steady and predictable. You aren’t exactly exciting but are as reliable as the sunrise. If things have to change, you go with it. Suggestions and directions are welcome. You are comfortable working behind the scenes. People love that you are reliable but you end up being invisible.

Your Special Songs –

“Don’t Pass Me By”

“Nowhere Man”

Your Spirit Beatle – Ringo Starr

Ringo was the funny one. He was also the one in the back who was drumming like mad while the other three sang in the spotlight. Ringo wasn’t the most charismatic one, but he was a team player and also seemed to be having the most fun. He sang the lead on only a few big songs, and they were kind of lost in the attention his band-mates received. He never complained and just kept working.

Be Fab –

Be less Zen and more driven. Clients are looking for a leader and not a BFF. A tight schedule and serious deadlines may be stressful, but they get things done – and you noticed. Surround yourself with people who will push you and keep you moving. Allow people to recognize all you do. It’s okay to own your accomplishments. Hey, you can bang on the drums from the front of the stage just as well as you can from the back.

Come Together

Are you happy and enthusiastic like Paul? Are you a shy team player like Ringo? Do you demand perfection like George or are you a little dominant and impatient like John? Just be aware of being easy to work with and fine-tune your work style. Come together with people who add some new talent and diversity to the project – and give you a little push in the right direction.

The Beatles took talent, ability and professionalism and delivered them with style, energy and personality. You can, too. Use these tips to make sure your producing, planning and communication style make YOU a superstar.

You’ll be Fab!

Special Thanks

I want to give a special thank you to Michel Achard for the permission to use his Beatles Sgt. Pepper illustration. Michel is a digital artist in Saint-Tropez, France. You can find more of his work at michelachard.com. Also I’d like to thank Lauren Purcell. Her article in Every Day with Rachel Ray magazine was the inspiration for this piece.

If you want to know more about designing meetings or events that are FAB just click on CONTACT US and get in touch.

If you like this article please share it with a friend right now. Email the link or click one of the social media buttons at the bottom of the page.

POSTS YOU MIGHT LIKE

To Drive Results – Be Fast & Furious

Convincing an Audience is Like Spitting Watermelon Seeds