I watched the new documentary The Greatest Night in Pop about the USA for Africa/We Are the World recording in 1985. It could be a case study in project management — going from need (famine in Ethiopia), to brainstormed solutions (maybe a concert like had just been done with Live Aid), to logistics (in the pre-technology era: physical copies on cassettes of the demo and sending them by Federal Express courier to artists), to implementation (47 artists recording after the American Music Awards show), to impact (radio stations around the world playing it simultaneously and raising over $80 million).
But my main takeaway was inspiration from Lionel Richie. It was impressive enough that he co-wrote the song, arranged for many of the performers, and handled the studio arrangements. But then — in one night — he first HOSTED the American Music Awards show, received six awards, performed two songs — THEN went to the studio until 5 a.m. and marshaled the collection of egos into a legacy recording!
How easy would it have been to bow out of USA for Africa — or just be a performer — or just write the song — since he was the host of a national awards show that same evening? Instead, he went all in.
Take a lesson from Lionel. There is always time to do what really matters to you.
Source: The Greatest Night in Pop on Netflix, 2024
