We often speak about operational agility and how it can be optimised. In a challenging market environment agility can become a vitally important strength for a business of any size. To execute a growth strategy in tough times leaders need to be able to quickly deploy talent and effort where it is needed most. 

Star musicians show great agility in sustaining success over multiple decades. At the end of the 1960s, Eric Clapton had gained a reputation as one of the best guitarists in the world, bringing musical virtuosity to the booming rock scene as a part of supergroup Cream.

Follow-up bands saw Clapton attempt to spurn the limelight but grow his songwriting and vocal prominence, surrounding himself with other writing and musical talent. Perhaps his most famous song, Layla, came from working with artists he admired whilst hiding under a band name; Derek and the Dominos. 

Through the 1970s Clapton worked with some of music’s biggest names, like Duane Allman and Bob Dylan, experimented with new sounds and is in part responsible for bringing reggae to the mainstream with his own release of Bob Marley’s ‘I shot the sheriff.’ He honed his craft, moving from writing long songs with indulgent solos to compact tracks for broader radio appeal. 

By the end of the 1970s, Clapton had released six studio albums as a solo artist. Amidst some fairly significant personal issues he had transformed himself from a great band guitarist to the front man in his own band and then a prolific solo artist. To emphasise the level of his success, The Best of Eric Clapton album was released in 1982 featuring Layla and ten songs released as a solo artist. That album is certified 7-times Platinum.

Clapton’s transformation through the 1970s was followed by further demonstrations of agility to sustain his success. A further 19 studio albums have followed without mentioning live efforts like his Grammy winning Unplugged album. But what can businesses learn from this repeated successful transformation? 

1) Transformational Leadership

Transformational leadership aims to inspire growth, promote loyalty and instil confidence in team members. The style incorporates individualised consideration, inspirational motivation, idealised influence and intellectual stimulation. To develop agility and make a success of transformation, leaders must adopt a style that builds agility not just in their own skills but throughout their team.

2) Workforce Agility

To achieve his success, Clapton surrounded himself with artists he knew he could learn from. He achieved a significant amount of professional development despite already having a reputation as one of the best guitarists on the planet. To have strong agility requires that leaders encourage continued development of their team through upskilling and coaching. Creating a culture of continuous learning will result in boosted workforce agility and ultimately success in achieving any transformation.

At Colab-8 we work with business leaders to build key business strengths. Successful transformation requires agility and innovation. We can help your business grow these capabilities through leadership and team development strategy.