Music always has been an integral part our lives and I am sure we all grew up listening to our favorite singers and bands, some of us who had that special talent even performed in front of an audience and of course became a star. Couple of days back, I was watching a musical performance and marveling at the way in which the background singers were harmonizing with the lead vocalist resulting in an amazing performance.

Just then a thought crossed my mind, and my focus immediately shifted away from the song. In spite of the spotlight mostly being on the lead singer and occasionally on the background chorus singers, I wondered whether some of these background singers in the chorus were actually better than the lead singer.

We know everything there is to know about the lives of famous lead singers, but we don’t even know the names of the chorus singers singing in the background supporting the lead singer.

Why such disparity? Is it about being in the back or being in the front and leading the show? If so, then why was there only one lead singer in the front while several singers in the back? I then started drawing parallels between these singers and the similar construct in schools, colleges, and society at large.

Organizations, in particular, there are striking similarities wherein very few people hog the limelight, while the majority are left singing in the background unnoticed. Throughout my career till now, I have observed that there will always be people who are unafraid to take on challenges and commit to growth; people who are unafraid to ask questions and welcome criticism; and people who are unafraid to put in the extra hours to make sure goals of the organization are always met. Meanwhile, there will always be people who like to sit back and wonder as to why only other people are getting all the opportunities and attention. They even resent the missed opportunities that never seem to come their way. 

I believe that the issue is not so much about opportunities being denied, but more about not being ready to grab the opportunities that are out there for everyone to grab. It is also a lack of awareness that there is in fact an equal opportunity for everyone. As a result, many feel deprived of opportunities to rise and grow in their careers. 

Unfortunately, this prevailing sense of deprivation is simply perceived deprivation. More importantly, how serious are we about self-growth? How prepared are we to fall again and again, only to rise to unprecedented heights? How willing are we to accept criticism and turn it into growth? How committed are we to put in
that extra effort and hours to go beyond than others? Ultimately, how determined are we to be in the lead to be in the limelight?

Until and unless we are true to ourselves and convinced that we too have same opportunity as everyone else, we will never to be able to get out of this trap of helplessness preventing us from taking the necessary initiative. While I reflect back on my own life and take a look at things that I always wanted to do and things that I have done, I realize that although I have done so many things I could not always give the required continuity due to various reasons. When I think about it, one thing that comes to mind very profoundly is that if I had been able to give continuity to the things that I wanted to do, I would have been able to move from being a Chorus Singer to the Lead Singer. In one’s career we may get opportunity to move and advance but if we are not able to give continuity and endure despite the odds, we will not be able to sustain the growth and continue to be the lead singer. Imagine if Steve Jobs had doubted his ability or was afraid to fail against all the odds, and was not willing to go that extra mile. We would have never been able to witness the spectacular innovations that Apple has to our everyday lives. 

Are we ready yet to commit ourselves to growth, and come out on top be the lead singer or do we want to remain in the back and be just one of the many often forgotten chorus singers. The choice is ours and so is growth and career. Do we want to be the lead vocalist or just another chorus singer.

Source: Liberty of HR Thoughs