I’m listening to Frank Sinatra as I work today.  I never get tired of it.  Oh sure, I often listen to other bands—many are even new.  However, there is nothing to me like Frank Sinatra with a Nelson Riddle arrangement.  A guy down the hall listens to The Grateful Dead.

What’s the point?  It’s the same in business.  We get new stuff all the time—new products, new team members, new media, but the old standards are still great too.  When something new comes along, it doesn’t mean we have to throw out the old.  We just incorporate it into what we have that’s working and that we love.

Some of the stuff I listened to as a kid, I no longer listen to.  There are trends in music, just like in business, and you do everyone a favor when you set them aside.  But it’s important to know what’s a passing fad and what’s here to stay.  Looking into the past to find inspiration from the legends of business, music, or whatever, is smart.  Understanding why they’re great so we keep using them in a relevant manner is critical.

–Sonya