Impulse for success: Keith Jarrett and the art of turning adversity into success
Sometimes the breakthrough comes just when everything is going against you. Sounds trite? Maybe - but Keith Jarrett's legendary Cologne concert proves it impressively.
It all started with a faulty grand piano - and then a masterpiece was created. The year was 1975 in Cologne: a concert was about to be canceled because an inferior replacement grand piano had been delivered - out of tune, rickety, with weak basses. Keith Jarrett was about to leave, but the young organizer begged him to play anyway. He stayed - and created "The Köln Concert", the best-selling solo jazz album of all time.
The reason? Jarrett had to get creative. He circumvented the weaknesses of the grand piano, developed new rhythmic patterns and played more intensively than ever before. The restriction made him creative - and led to a masterpiece.
What can you learn from Keith Jarrett?
How often do we hear phrases like:
- "We can't deliver because the resources aren't perfect."
- "That's not possible with this system."
- "The market is simply too difficult."
Jarrett could have thought the same way - but he didn't. He made the best of the situation and created one of the greatest jazz improvisations in history. This attitude can be applied to many life and business situations.
Why challenges are often opportunities
There are fascinating parallels from nature: oxygen was originally toxic, but became the basis of higher life. Calcium, once toxic to cells, is now essential for bones and muscles. This shows that many obstacles can strengthen us - if we learn to deal with them.
Three strategies for turning challenges into success
- Change circumstances: Not every difficulty has to be accepted. If an improvement is possible - seize the opportunity
- Use the situation to your advantage: Instead of complaining, ask yourself, "How can I turn this to my advantage?" Difficult markets require clever solutions, difficult superiors promote communication skills, and understaffed teams can create efficiency gains. This attitude makes you antifragile - the greater the pressure, the better you become.
- Pull others along: True leaders not only develop themselves, but also help those around them to see challenges as opportunities. Instead of helping immediately, ask questions that encourage independent thinking.
Conclusion: Improvisation as a success factor
Keith Jarrett could have left Cologne - but he stayed, improvised and made history. Breakthroughs often come about not despite, but precisely because of adverse circumstances.
When the next crisis comes, remember the bad concert grand piano in Cologne - and use obstacles as a springboard to success!
"If you want something you've never had before, you must be willing to do something you've never done before." - Thomas Jefferson
To the author:
Volkmar Völzke is a success maximizer. Book author. Consultant. Coach. Speaker. www.volkmarvoelzke.ch
