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Randy Bachman – a Canadian rock legend.   As a lead man with the Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive he penned some great rock classics:  “Takin’ Care of Business”, “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”, “American Woman” and many more.

I had the great pleasure and privilege of working with Randy on a couple of album projects.  He is a gem of a man, incredibly talented and a hilarious story teller.

When I was in marketing with the Winnipeg Jets Hockey Club I had an idea to take classic rock songs written by Manitoba artists, re-write the lyrics to the songs so they were about the hockey team and certain players on the team, then get the original artist to rerecord the song with my lyrics.  We then sold the album to raise funds for our Goals for Kids Foundation.  We raised over $30,000 for children’s charities with that project.

Randy agreed to participate on my “Hockey Rock – Winnipeg Style” album.  In fact, he was the headliner.  When I left the Jets and started my own sports marketing agency he and I then collaborated on an album comprised solely of his songs.  I rewrote the lyrics to a number of his classic hits and he rerecorded the songs.  We then pitched a number of NHL teams to purchase a customized album for their fans.

While we were recording the promo album in his private studio, in what appeared to be a garden shed on his estate overlooking the Pacific Ocean, but in reality was more of a secret James Bond-esque high tech recording facility, he taught me a very profound lesson about decision making.

We had been working through a number of the songs that were going to be on the album when I had to leave for a couple of hours.  We had one song left so Randy said, “Don’t worry Dave, we’ll have it done when you get back.”

I came back later eager to hear the song.  Randy told me to sit down and warned me that he had to change it due some legal issues I was unaware of.  He told Pat the engineer to play the song.  I listened, and at the end of the song began to provide my feedback, only to have Randy make a gesture for me to close my mouth and said, “Sssshhhhh!  Play it again Pat.”

Pat played the song again.  At the end I went to give my feedback, but once again Randy made the gesture for me to close my mouth and said, “Play it again Pat.”

After the third playing of the song he asked for my feedback.  I asked him why he made me listen 3 times.  And here’s where the lesson came in…

“Dave, the first time you heard the song all you heard was that it wasn’t the song that had been playing in your mind for the last number of weeks – you didn’t like it and you didn’t hear it for what it really was.  The second time you heard it you began to hear it for what it was, but were still comparing it to what the original song was.  The third time you heard it you actually heard it for what it was and could make a more objective decision on the song.”

Wow, he was right.  And, I loved the song.

Here is the lesson for you:  How many times have you asked someone on your team to do a task of some kind that you had already envisioned what it could, or should look like?  They then complete the task and it’s different than what you thought it should be.

Before you ask them to redo it, before you get bent out of shape because it wasn’t how you would do it, remember the Randy Bachman principle.  Don’t say anything.  Wait.  Pause.  Revisit it a couple more times.  Drink it in.  Marinate in it – see it for what it is, not for what it isn’t, compared to what you were envisioning.

Now you can make a more objective decision and you may discover something you like even better than your own idea.  The project may ultimately require some revisions, but it may also take on a whole new life that you had never even thought of.

That’s a decision-making lesson on how you can “take care of business”.