The movie A Complete Unknownkept calling to me to go see it.
Two friends agreed to join me. I bought our tickets ahead of time, worried about showing up and not being able to sit together.
When the three of us walked into our theater, there was only one person there.
I asked her if she had been able to find a good seat.
She said yes. We all had a nice chuckle and settled in for an amazing movie.
Your Music Threw Me to the Floor
A Complete Unknown is about Bob Dylan’s early career. The actors and storyline are incredible. It takes place in the tumultuous 1960s. The movie features the relationships Dylan made as young man that pulled and pushed him to become the music phenom he is.
The movie opens with 20-year-old Dylan making his way to meet his hero, Woody Guthrie, who is dying in a hospital. There in the hospital room with Guthrie is folk singer extraordinaire, Pete Seeger.
Dylan tells them that Guthrie’s music had changed him and drove him to write and perform music.
He looks at Guthrie and says, “your music threw me to the floor.”
Sylvie, a character portraying Dylan’s girlfriend in New York City, when he was a young man, had strong convictions about the political and social unrest of the times.
She saw who Dylan could become.
She pushes him to move away from the easy money of singing and recording folk song covers to instead do the hard work of getting his songs recorded.
She and others including, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez and Johnny Cash encourage him and stand by him as he battles folk music purists who don’t like his songs or his use of the electric guitar.
Later, after a one of his famous performances that moved the audience to mania, Seeger finds him and says to him “your music threw me to the floor.”
The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.
After Dylan releases his Freewheelin’ album in 1963 that includes Blowin’ in Wind, he gets a letter from Johnny Cash expressing his admiration of his work.
They correspond for months and strike up a friendship. The pen pals eventually meet at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. During a pivotal moment, Cash turns to Dylan and says,
“Bob, track some mud on the carpet.”
This support and push is just what Dylan needs to charge forward.
When I was a young professional starting my career, I had the good fortune of having a handful of leaders push and pull me along in both in my job and personal life.
Consider who in your life you can encourage.
- Who in your organization has potential that they can’t see?
- Who has been given a significant challenge that will result in others discouraging them and putting up roadblocks?
- Who in your personal life needs a push to do the hard work of change, so that they can get themselves on a different path?
Be a Change Leader
Inspire people you don’t even know by your actions. Push your team members and other people in your world to grow.
Do this:
- Set up a time to meet with a young person you see greatness in. Encourage them by telling them specifically what you see they are awesome at.
- Call or text someone you know who has taken on a huge challenge. Offer to be sounding board for them.
- Be present for someone you know is struggling. Demonstrate your support and love for them.
Get Gen Z into Game
I have written Get Gen Z into the Game for you. It is a business book is for leaders of early career employees and others who have young adults in their lives. It is guidebook for leading team members through change to growth.
Key Points
Growth always leaves a mark — leaders who invite people to take bold swings create the learning their teams need most.
Progress looks messy; “tracking mud” is proof of motion and a sign of trust between leaders and emerging talent.