The other U2…

Chemistry is trust at its highest level. Chemistry is built by leaders that embody personal, ethical, strategic, and situational trust. Team chemistry is sustained by these same leaders and by you too. In other words, for team chemistry to really exist, it takes the effort and perspectives of all the team members…not just the ones out front, or at the top.

U2, as most of you have heard me blather on and on, is my favorite example of a great team. They have a great CEO, Bono. He’s got a complimentary and strong COO in the Edge. However, the guys that keep them in “tune” are a couple you do not hear much from nor know much about. They are the other half of U2. Adam Clayton plays bass while Larry Mullen jr beats the drum. Here are a few of their perspectives on U2.

Adam

“I wouldn’t describe it as fun recording with U2; it is work. Frequently we are being told how crap we are by Bono – and he includes himself in that assessment. The creative process is exhaustive. Without a doubt, Bono is the driving force. To say he is a mass of contradictions barely does him justice. He is hugely intelligent and capable as a strategist with relentless logic but he wouldn’t know how to boil an egg. Edge is quite likely to be up in the middle of the night doing his own work but if you ask him for help with something he will devote his full attention to solving whatever your particular problem is. Bono is results oriented whereas Edge is much more into detail. That makes for a powerful combination of creative forces. Larry is sensitive and a very loyal friend. He is also very black and white. He thinks about the world the same way he thinks about drumming: something is either in time or out of time. The best idea survives, no matter who has it. But something takes place when the band plays together. It is something unquantifiable but it has always been the thing that excites me the most. It’s the thing that we built U2 on, the spark of excitement and energy between us, and you have to be there for that to happen. “

Larry

“I have read a lot of rubbish about U2. Being in U2 is more like riding a runaway train, hanging on for dear life. Adam and I rely on each other. Edge always has a lot to do on stage, pushing various buttons, to get different sounds. You could say U2 are a democracy. Those with the ability to debate, argue and articulate their views win the day. If you are in a band with someone as talkative, argumentative and persuasive as Bono, well, things can be kind of difficult for the rest of us. We are four very, very different people with diverse personalities. We are one but we are definitely not the same. If there is something special about U2, it has nothing to do with us as individuals. It’s what happens when we get together on stage or in the studio. It’s very hard to describe and even harder to explain. However, it’s the only reason we are still doing this. When we play music together, something happens.”

How is your team chemistry?

Does something special happen when you and your team members are on your stage?

Whose ideas carry the day?

Are you willing to tell everybody they’re crap?

Do you share one vision?

Do you allow and encourage different perspectives and worldviews?

Do you love your work and the people with whom you play?

How is your “tuneage” in work and life?

If you want to read more about Adam and Larry check out U2 by U2. You will not be disappointed.