At the time of this writing,
Jamaica is still in a celebratory mood after Tessanne Chin, our own local Diva
copped top honors in the talent show "The Voice".
Like many Jamaicans who
were enjoying the broadcast of the Final Broadcast of the show in Half-way
Tree, I am overjoyed, excited and inspired by what Tess has achieved. Tess has
done what the Reggae Boys did in 1998, the Olympians (Usain Bolt,Shelley-Ann
Fraser) Boxers etc, continue to do for us as a people. They make us feel like a
"Nation".
This might appear odd to
some but I'm sure there are Jamaicans who understand my sentiments. That said,
the excellence on the global stage is exactly what we long for as a people and
what in truth is ours to claim as Jamaicans. We believe we are a great people,
and so, even in the case of Tess, America was surprised at how talented she
was, how versatile, but for us as Jamaicans it was a matter of recognizing what
was self-evident. ‘She's so talented!’ And we respond of course, she is
Jamaican!
Now to the lessons:
Lesson 1 - Be Humble
I firmly believe this word
from the bible "Pride goes before
destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall". Throughout the
competition, Tessanne remained humble and gracious in her interactions with
other contestants, judges and the media.
This I
believe definitely endeared her to the people in America, who purchased her
singles on iTunes and who voted her to the top and cemented her into the hearts
of Jamaicans locally & internationally.
In
conducting herself with such class, she represented the best of the
Jamaican spirit to the rest of the world. Uptown, the Educated Middle and
the man in the street, were all proud of this daughter of the land of wood and
water.
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| Will Champlin finished third on The Voice |
Whatever your goals in
life, wherever you intend to end up, it would serve you well to remember that
humility, meekness and gentleness is preferred. In other words, people like
humble people! If people like you, maybe they will find it easier to do
business with you. If people like you, maybe they won't have a problem
supporting your events or buying products from you. If people like you maybe
they will come back next winter to vacation at your resort. Will Champlin,
not the greatest singer in the competition, was the only male in the top three
because he too was humble. In fact,
Jaquie Lee, runner up to Tessanne, can too be commended for a level of genuineness
and humility as well.
Lesson Two - Be Genuine, be yourself
Tessanne was as real a
Jamaican as it gets. She made no attempt to be somebody else on the show. She
effortlessly traversed between the rhythmic cadences of our Jamaican Tongue to
English at various intervals for the duration of the show. This she did as
naturally as breathing, it was no "put on", no acting.
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| Bread and Butter |
Junior Gong has been a
forerunner in this for years (spitting hardcore Patios verses over any beat on
the world stage). Hey, newsflash, people like genuine Jamaican-ness and they
will pay for it if it is packaged properly. Woe to those trying to fix our
broken-speech and Woe to those who are fighting against speaking English.
They are two peas in the same Jamaican Pod, so embrace it.
As we are inspired by Tess
and people like Bolt and Shelley to do great things, come next year (2014), let
us not forget this important idea – be genuine. Let us creatively harness
everything that is intrinsically Jamaican and take it to the global
stage.
Start local, think Global
Tessanne did just that,
after ‘Hiding away’ in Jamaica for a while she went global with her entrance
into one of the biggest talent competitions in the world, with an audience in
the millions (13 and 11 according to Nielsen). Based on my little Arithmetic,
and I mean very little, Tess would need Jamaica's population to increase four
times over to get that audience in Jamaica.
So, for us to get out of
the economic slump we are in as a people, we need to start local but think and
prepare for global. When I say global, I
don't just mean geography. I mean universal appeal - we need to create
something that every person on the planet can use or enjoy. If you’re a tech
person, consider the concept of Scalability- rapid growth with little or no
additional investment (build a product that resonates with all people). If you
are a Content creator (Writer, Blogger (DuttyBerry), Musician, Filmmaker)
Create local, but have a vision for global distribution or at least
consumption. Make it easy for the rest of the world to access and enjoy what
you are producing (consider the freemium or subscription models).
How many young artistes
have a Multi-platinum recording artiste close to them dispensing advice as in
the case of Tessanne and world renowned Jamaican artiste Shaggy. Shaggy made a
suggestion to Tess, she ran with it and the rest is history (after a year or
prep work of course). Now Tess has widened her network to include Adam Levine,
another global super-star.
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| Diamond selling Recording Artiste Shaggy |
In light of the fact that
one of the lessons is being genuine it would not follow that you should try and
befriend people simply to achieve your goals. Rather, I suggest that you be
genuinely friendly and helpful to people you meet. You never know how small the
world is. Everybody likes a helping hand from time to time, be willing to offer
one without seeking anything in return and get this, you might actually get
something in return.
Another point worth noting
is that Digital technology was a big part of Tess’s early changes on the show,
with slow itunes sales until things turned around for her to have the victory.
What am I saying, “Social Networks” matter. Why? Digital technology and media
are all about communication – they create the platform for people to connect. When
people connect, things happen.
Another way out of our
economic struggles as a nation is by leveraging the power of social networks
(Facebook, Twitter, YouTube). The current and future economic juggernauts are
those who not just consume the content but those who create the content and
platforms that allow people to connect. Find a way to join this network, it is
global and guess what it rewards the people who are genuine.
Find a way to make money
from your Facebook or Twitter; you don’t need a University Degree to do Social
Media Marketing for instance. Find out why some Blogs are making people
millions and why you should have one. The beauty of the World Wide Web network
is that it allows you to bypass some of the “red tape” that would stop you from
starting a traditional business for instance Government Regulations, Money
(can’t access Bank Loans etc). All you
need is initially at least is access – find a free WIFI hotspot and get to it.
Create
Start something, my wife
said it best, so many people are doing great things in the world and there is
so much to be said, why am I waiting on somebody else to do it? Why can’t it be
me? Tessane has awakened the spirit of
the conqueror that had become dormant in many of us. She commands us to arise
and do something great with ourselves and transform our country. What do you
need to create? Who do you need to follow on Twitter or add of facebook? What
idea do you need to turn into reality?
