3 reasons Beyoncé is a high performance influencer
“We’re not who we say we are. We’re not who we want to be. We are the sum of the influence and impact that we have in our lives on others.” - Carl Sagan
“My job is to somehow make them curious enough, or persuade them, by hook or crook, to get more aware of themselves and where they came from and what they are into and what is already there … just to bring it out. This is what compels me to compel them, and i will do it by whatever means necessary.” - Nina Simone
When Beyoncé was announced as the headliner for Coachella 2017, I had a brief delusion that I would trek to the desert for her show. But I was pregnant. My daughter was actually born in April when Coachella is held.
Turns out Beyoncé was pregnant too - with twins - so she didn’t make it to Coachella 2017 either! So, when she rescheduled for Coachella 2018, I renewed my delusion of going to Indio, California, for a year. I imagined that I would even take my baby to simplify the weekend at home without me for my husband and sons. My daughter will be a year old by then, I thought. Bringing her will be no problem! Total mom delusion. We went to Disney World instead.
Let’s be honest. My actual life didn’t even allow me to live stream Coachella from home in Connecticut. So disappointing. And then Beyoncé had the audacity to put on one of the best shows of all time. Devastating!
But - as she does - Beyoncé had a surprise for all of us. From its very inception, Beychella was to be more than an amazing (really, two amazing) live show[s]. It was a television production - a Netflix television production. You’ve probably seen it by now because you’re alive. It’s called “Homecoming.”
“Homecoming” is more than a recording of her live show. First of all, it’s a mash-up of her two live shows. Secondly, it’s a behind the scenes (and how we love a sneak peak!) of the creation of the show. It’s an homage to the black college experience, namely homecoming when current students and alums dress to the 9’s to celebrate their alma mater. That celebration is set to live, marching band productions of old and new pop music hits. Lastly, it’s like Beyoncé’s journal. Parts of it are deeply personal and moving.
Before I go on - no, I’m not in the BeyHive. (I feel uncomfortable just writing “BeyHive.”) But I am a fan. I’ve seen her live, and she’s awesome! But, watching “Homecoming” helped me see her as more than a performer. She’s a high performer. She’s the epitome of an influencer. She’s a high-performance influencer.
What is high performance?
The phrase “high-performance” is a bit trendy. To be high-performance is to be a standout, to outperform the others in your field of expertise.
Currently, the term “high-performance” is used to describe everything from people, to pants, to books and habits. Now, there’s even an entire industry of high-performance coaching dedicated to getting clients from ordinary to extraordinary. Does everyone have the ability to be a high performer? Is it really just like a muscle that needs to be developed?
Another buzz word right now is “influencer.” Instagram is teeming with influencers. So many that the term could seem … meaningless? But influence is vital.
What is influence?
I’ll define influence as being able to shape someone’s beliefs and behaviors. You influence your children, your coworkers, and your friends. Hopefully, these real-life examples illustrate how your influence is significant even if it’s small. Still, you probably even influence people you’ve never met in person thanks to social media. Maybe hundreds or thousands of people.
While the concept of high-performance isn’t new, the concept of influence is probably even older. Think of Eve in the Garden of Eden. At her best, a high performer is also an influencer. Similarly, being an effective influencer requires high performance.
7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The synergy of high performance and influence is remarkably described in 1989’s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. It’s crazy to imagine but Beyoncé was 8 years old when Mr. Covey wrote this book. And I’m quite sure he didn’t know that little girl from Houston, Texas. But Beyoncé’s career, illustrates his work beautifully.
According to Mr. Covey, to master the 7 habits, you have to be mature. But maturity requires growth … a continuum. No one starts out mature. At the beginning of your journey, you’re dependent. Your focus isn’t yourself; it’s another person. Think of young Beyoncé on the Star Search stage.
Dependence
She was 12 years old and a member of a 6-person group. She dreamed of going to a HBCU (historically black college or university). And Ed McMahon was her focus. At the time, her dream of stardom was dependent on his announcing her group, Girl’s Tyme, as the new Star Search champion. Alas … they lost. Their performance was just ok. And they had zero influence.
Soon after, Girl’s Tyme morphed into Destiny’s Child and the group signed a record deal in 1997. Beyoncé was 16! I was 17 and I clearly remember jamming out to “No, No, No” in my parents’ car.
Destiny’s Child was hugely successful. They sold over 60 million records and even won two Grammy awards. By any standards, the group was performing at a high level. And influence? I mean, Destiny’s Child even added a word to the dictionary. Remember “Bootylicious?”
And Beyoncé was clearly the star of the group. Still, she was dependent on her crew of three, and then 2, co-members.
Independence
When Beyoncé became a solo artist in 2006, she started to move through the maturity continuum to independence. During this stage, Mr. Covey describes transitioning from the “you” paradigm to the “I” paradigm. After years of dependence, she became self-reliant.
She opened up and shared more of her personality. She fell in love and kept her romance private. Except a few peeks at her wedding and then the birth of Blue Ivy. That is … until the cheating scandal. Then, she aired all of her dirty laundry in “Lemonade,” an album complete with a feature film. And a massive tour. And a streaming service. And swag for years.
Beyoncé became synonymous with reinvigorating boring old words like “surfboard.” She embraced her sensuality in songs like “Partition” and her blackness in songs like “Formation.” It’s makes me smile to think of millions of people singing along to I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils. Beyoncé has literally changed the world. She influences fans and non-fans alike to see the world as she does.
Interdependence
“You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.” - Zig Ziglar
You may be surprised to hear that getting people to do what you want is not the height of influence. The height of influence is helping others get what they want. Mr. Covey calls this interdependence.
Where dependence is a “you” paradigm and independence is an “I” paradigm, interdependence is a “we” paradigm. Truly independent people choose interdependence. Beyoncé - the influencer of all influencers - chose interdependence and its manifestation was Beychella. “It was a dream come true and something I feel like I’ve worked my entire life for,” Beyoncé gushed.
Beyoncé's first important habit is staying open to inspiration. She has been impressed by the history of predominantly black colleges since her childhood. And now she’s just as inspired by current students, recent college graduates and their talents. She wanted a huge orchestra, lots of different characters and step-inspired dancing. And she got it all! About her talented cast, she says, “The amount of swag is just limitless. It’s just so much damn swag. It’s just gorgeous. And it makes me proud.” The HBCU Homecoming theme was Beyoncé’s coming full circle.
Next, she was incredibly focused on teamwork and communication. To her Coachella cast and crew, Beyoncé said, “We’re gonna build this thing together.” She hand-picked each dancer and musician, working closely with the group day in and day out. She even closed the show by thanking each group involved in producing the show. She was nice and tough, "super-specific" and collaborative.
Most remarkably, Beychella - as documented in “Homecoming” - was really an act of service. Beyoncé wanted to celebrate difference. “I wanted different characters. I didn’t want us all doing the same thing.”
Beyoncé also wanted to serve by uplifting and encouraging the underrepresented, underappreciated and undervalued. She sounds as if she feels their pain when she says, “... I wanted every person that has ever been dismissed because of the way they look feel like they were on that stage … killin’ ‘em.” During a pre-rehearsal prayer, she shared, “I ask that we’re able to touch people and give them hope and make people feel beautiful and strong and united.” She wants self-respect, self-love and self-confidence for her fans and followers. At this moment, that seems to be her why.
The Beyoncé of 2019 is a consummate influencer for at least three reasons. First, she yields to the influence of others. She’s also focused on teamwork and community. And finally, she’s prioritizing her servant’s heart. She’s progressed - like a boss - through Mr. Covey's maturity continuum - from dependence to independence to land firmly in interdependence. And her circle of influence is the whole wide world.
Beyoncé wasn't born as a high performer or an influencer. She followed her passion and continues to work tirelessly to fulfill her potential.
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