[wpcol_1half id=”” class=”” style=””]Remember when I said that every once in a while I was going to write about something that had nothing to do with WordPress, or the Web, or computers??? No, I didn’t think so.
But anyway, it was such a nice day out today, and my team (the Orangemen of Syracuse) just won their NCAAA regional semi-final game, and, well, I have to admit, I’m just a bit tired of thinking and talking about “all things WordPress”. So here we go…
My dear wife, bless her heart, picked up a book for me the other day at the library: Everything I Learned About Business I Learned from the Grateful Dead. What’s that you say? Must be a joke book, right?[/wpcol_1half] [wpcol_1half_end id=”” class=”” style=””]Ah, no. Turns out it’s a fun, but serious – and really fascinating, insightful – business book! And for me, a long-time huge fan of the Dead and their music, an especially enjoyable read, what with all kinds of little stories and perspectives on the Dead that I hadn’t heard before.
Was written by one Dr. Barry Barnes, an ex-suit-and-tie-wearing-IBM-er who, after a life-changing “aha!” experience at a Dead concert at UC Berkeley (my other alma mater — Go Bears!), decided it was time for him go back to school and get a couple more degrees while “using the Dead as a case study in organizational change”, as he puts it. (Didn’t say what sort of chemicals were coursing through his cerebellum when this great idea hit him. But no matter.)[/wpcol_1half_end]
By the way, Dr. Barnes confirmed for me that this is the Dead show where he had his epiphany…
The book provides a nice, concise summary of the author’s view of the great lessons to be learned from how the Dead, literally, went about their business — which, quite consistently, was to do nothing by the book.
The Dead amassed a huge and fanatically loyal fan base partly by allowing their work product (their music) to be freely shared — long before Napster was ever conceived. They built a large, flexible and very effective support organization that operated under few written rules. They generated tremendous amounts of cash, largely from constant touring, not multi-platinum album sales. They weren’t afraid to innovate — and so sometimes they would try things that failed. And they often spent tons of money rather frivolously. But in the long run, they were tremendously successful by almost any measure. All the while, they operated way outside the boundaries of the (now moribund) music establishment. Sounds like fun, huh?
I urge you to read the book if you have any interest in understanding how business can be successful in these crazy, uncertain economic times — and particularly if you’re a Dead fan, of course. But, for those of you not inclined to seek out the book, here’s a link to a page that summarizes the keep business lessons that the Dead have to teach us, according to Dr. Barnes. You can find more info about Dr. Barnes and his studies of the Dead’s business values and methods here.
So, there you go. Pass it on!