The Killers Demonstrate Vulnerability, Trust and Leadership

by | Sep 1, 2022 | Leadership

I was at The Killers concert on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City. It was an incredibly fun experience.

Two things happened at the concert that struck me as important to note and share – both involved the Killers drummer, Ronnie Vannucci, Jr.

The band has a lyric that says, “It’s not confidential, I’ve got potential.”

That lyric had even more meaning when the band invited a 17-year-old local named Alec (his Dad confirmed he was 17 although Brandon Flowers announced he was 18) out of the audience to play the drums with the band for a song. The drummer stepped aside to play the guitar and turned his role over to a 17-year-old stranger. But Alec confidently nailed it. Wow!

That’s a lot of trust by the drummer and his bandmates. That’s an example of letting go of certainty.

It was a huge hit with the crowd and showed tremendous vulnerability for the band AND Alec.

Think about what was at stake for the band, the venue, the Killers label and management. I am sure at least one person said, “this is a bad idea.”

But it paid off and was a huge crowd pleaser. And think what it did for Alec.

Here’s why it worked

  • Trust…unearned but still given (it was truly a gift)
  • Vulnerability…they let go of the certainty of the outcome to achieve a better outcome for the band, the crowd and Alec
  • Belief in people…they believed in potential without evidence
  • Unity…everyone felt the risk but collectively wanted to see it work
  • Help/support…they kept an eye on Alec and tried to align with him to keep everyone in sync

Here is the video if you want to see this experiment.

The Killers invite 17-year drummer Alec from the audience to play the drums on Reasons

…….And the second point, at the end of the show I watched Ronnie high-five the backup singers as they walked off the stage. They were not out in front but back walking behind the drum kit. I doubt if the band or anyone else even saw it. He then, alone, came out to the front of the stage and seemed to admire the crowd for a minute. He then thanked the crowd and walked off. #appreciation

What is getting in your way or where are you stuck? How can you apply these principles to innovate and improve your results?

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