Better Business Through Chemistry

I was never much of a Billy Joel guy.

Tom Petty? Bruce Springsteen? Bob Seger? Yes, yes, and yes.

But I've gained a newfound respect for Billy after watching HBO's new documentary, "Billy Joel: So It Goes." You must see it (even if you're not a fan).

In the meantime, there's one particular moment in the doc that I believe can help you.

It's 1977.

Billy Joel is struggling. He's nearly dropped by his label. He has exactly one minor hit to his name. Money is tight.

Out of the blue, he gets a phone call that should have changed everything.

It's George Martin, and he wants to produce Billy's next album. And yes, it's that George Martin—the man behind the Beatles.

This is Billy's golden ticket.

Until it wasn't.

Why? Because George Martin had one condition: produce Billy, but ditch his band.

This was a non-starter.

Billy would say later, "Martin wanted to bring in 'session guys'—technically perfect musicians who can read the dots, read the music, but there's not necessarily a chemistry within that ensemble. You've got to have the chemistry."

Billy knew the difference between competence and chemistry.

So he made one of the gutsiest calls in music history. He told George Martin: "Love me, love my band."

Every day, leaders face the Billy Joel decision. Do you go with the obvious hire, the "George Martin" with the perfect LinkedIn resume and the big name references? Or do you recognize the team, knowing that the magic happens in the spaces between people?

And this is not the "we all get along great" chemistry. The real chemistry is: who brings out the best in each other? Which combinations produce the magic?

Chemistry isn't soft. It's not some touchy-feely concept you talk about at an off-site after a few trust falls.

Billy Joel understood something many organizations miss: the quality of the relationships between team members often matters more than the quality of the individual members themselves.

Great teams are rare, and you need to pay attention and keep them going as long as possible. And when you have individuals who are great but have no chemistry between them, you must recognize this as well and act accordingly.

By the way, the album that resulted from Joel's choice, "The Stranger," became Columbia Records' best-selling album at that time. Ten million copies. Four top-25 hits.

Even George Martin loved it—and told Billy his instinct to bring in a new band was wrong.

Billy Joel nearly derailed his career to protect his team's chemistry. It turned out to be the best decision he ever made.

Look at your teams.

Which ones have chemistry?

And if you're on a team, how does it feel? Is this a group that can produce multi-platinum?

Image: Michael Ochs