Leadership Lessons from Jimmy Buffett
When the word “leader” is bandied about, most people don’t think of recording artists. They usually think of world leaders, prominent business leaders, religious leaders – not famous musical performers.
That’s a mistake because much can be learned from them. As an illustration, let’s look at the life and leadership of Jimmy Buffett, a man who led millions of Parrotheads while building an impressive fortune. In possession of a shiny new history degree after a rocky college career, he went to New Orleans in 1969 and played music on Decatur Street while tourists dropped change in his guitar case. He moved to Nashville in 1970, and two years in Nashville saw Jimmy Buffett rejected by nearly every record company in town, many of them two and three times. Two years later, in an interview, he said, “Got depressed, got pissed off, got divorced and left. Best move I ever made.”
The move was to Key West, where he worked on an industrialist’s yacht by day and played guitar by night. His love affair with the Key West vibe inspired his music and his career. He, however, was firmly in charge of his success. He attracted the early members of the Coral Reefer Band and when he realized no one knew how to run the business, he did it. He was the front-man, main songwriter, and driver of the financial success the band members all enjoyed. In 1973 they had their first tiny taste of musical success with a couple of songs landing low on the music charts. In 1977, the song “Margaritaville” was the breakthrough single that launched the band and struck a universal chord in the hearts of music lovers.
Describing his sound as “drunken Caribbean rock and roll” Jimmy knew a winning horse when he saw it, and he rode that horse to major career and financial success, even without the radio airplay success of contemporaries like the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. Coachable and teachable throughout his life, he befriended Warren Buffett in the 1980’s, investing in Berkshire Hathaway and learning about diversifying his income streams. Restaurants, casinos, record labels, 55+ communities, an online radio station, and of course Parrothead-branded alcohol and legal marijuana soon landed him on the list of the world’s billionaires. Apparently, he must have treated his Coral Reefer band members well, as all had been with him for most of their musical careers. Keyboardist Michael Utley spent 48 years backing Buffett, initially as a studio musician for “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean” and eventually becoming the band’s musical director.
Let’s look at the list of leadership qualities touched on in the three paragraphs above:
- Inspiration
- Passion
- Vision
- Resilience
- Seeing and seizing opportunities
- Seeking guidance
- Heeding guidance
- Building coalitions and networks
- Sharing the credit and recognition
- Living and modeling work/life balance
While his image celebrated a laid-back vibe, his focus let him lead a laid-back life when he wanted to, employing thousands of people, and empowering them to lead in their own lanes of his companies. He described his life and his music this way:
"It's pure escapism is all it is...I'm not the first one to do it, nor shall I probably be the last. But I think it's really a part of the human condition that you've got to have some fun. You've got to get away from whatever you do to make a living or other parts of life that stress you out. I try to make it at least 50/50 fun to work and so far it's worked out." -Jimmy Buffett, 1946-2023
Need help putting Jimmy Buffett’s 50/50 leadership style to use in your own life? Here are three episodes of the world’s second-shortest podcast to inspire you:
- Need help living your dreams? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
- Want to learn how to lead your team with heart? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
- Would you like to be as eloquent as Jimmy Buffett? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
Does this help you look at leadership in a more accessible way? My intention is to help you see the leadership qualities in yourself and to help you be the best leader of yourself that you can be, so you can lead your team from who you are, not from who you think you’re supposed to be.
You have unique talents, skills, and dreams, just like Jimmy Buffett did. Today, list your best attributes, your top talents, and your fondest dreams and desires. Make a Venn diagram and see what shows up. That’s your target – now go have fun hitting that target, just like the King of the Parrotheads did.
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