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The rock band U2 has had a phenomenal run since it began in 1976, winning 22 Grammy awards—more than any band in history. The band recently surpassed the Rolling Stones’ record for the highest grossing concert tour. Critics rave about U2’s music, and fans worldwide can’t seem to get enough of its songs and concert appearances.

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What Leaders

By Michael Lee Stallard

From U2Can Learn

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So, why has U2 been together for nearly 40 years when most other bands eventually fall apart? Understanding why U2 has thrived for so long provides insight into the factors that make groups of all types and sizes—including teams and organizations from committees to Fortune 500 companies—thrive in today’s competitive business environment.

U2’s four band members—lead singer Bono, lead guitarist “Edge,” bass guitarist Adam Clayton, and drummer Larry Mullen, Jr.—have known each other since they were teenagers in Dublin, Ireland.

According to Bono, the way the band functions is even more extraordinary than the band’s music. He describes the band as more of an organism than an organization. Several aspects of the band’s culture standout:

•a shared mission and set of values

•a participatory, consensus-oriented decision-making style

•a caring community.

Shared mission and values

The U2 members share a vision of their mission and values. While you might expect that a band’s mission is to achieve commercial success measured by No. 1 hits and concert attendance, U2’s mission is “to improve the world through its music and influence.” Bono calls it “the spark.” He feels it sets U2 apart from many other bands because the band’s songs address themes the band believes are important, such as human rights and social justice. Bono has described himself as a traveling salesman of ideas within songs.

The band values excellence in its music and its concerts. Bono has described this value as a desire to achieve the band’s potential, and he distinguishes it from envy, which is an unhealthy state of mind that exists when people want what others have in a competitive sense. U2’s members value continuous improvement to achieve their own potential, and they strive to become even better.

“U2’s members value continuous

improvement to achieve their own

potential, and they strive to become

even better.”

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Participative, consensus-oriented decision-making style

U2 is further unified by its participative, consensus-oriented, decision-making style. The band members argue relentlessly over their music, which reflects their passion for excellence. Bono has stated that this approach is frustrating at times, but he feels it is necessary to achieve excellence.

The band’s members appreciate each other’s strengths. Bono has said that although he hears melodies in his head, he is unable to transfer them into written music. Because he considers himself a “lousy guitar player and an even lousier piano player,” he relies on his fellow band members and recognizes that they are integral to his success. To Bono, U2 is “the best example of how to rely on others.”

A caring community

Like all human beings, the members of U2 have experienced difficult periods in their lives, and those experiences have shaped them in important ways. Bono’s mother died when he was 14. Following her death, he said he felt alone and abandoned. Although he longed for the emotional support of a family, his grief-stricken father was unable to comfort him. Bono’s desire for family was met through his friends and their families.

Having experienced what it was like to suffer alone and how the support of a family could help an individual make it through difficult periods, Bono reached out to console Larry Mullen when his mother died when he was 16. A close and supportive friendship began.

When “Edge” went through a difficult divorce, the band members were there to support him. When Adam Clayton became addicted to alcohol and drugs, the band members reached out to help him through recovery. Bono has stated that when one of the band members is in need, the band rallies

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around to support him, and they put that need above the performance of the band. It’s no wonder that one of U2’s most popular songs is entitled, “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own.”

The most dramatic example of this came when U2 campaigned during the 1980s for the observance of a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in America. Bono received a death threat that warned him not to sing the song “Pride (In the Name of Love),” a song about the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. at an upcoming concert. In an interview, Bono said that as he sang the song, he closed his eyes. At the end of a verse, he opened his eyes and discovered Clayton standing in front of him to shield him from potential harm.

Bono describes U2 as a tight-knit family and community. The commitment to support one another extends beyond the four members of the band. The band members are part of a larger community that includes their families, crew members, and collaborators. Many of them have known each other for decades.

The economic profits from U2’s work are split equally between the four band members and their long-time manager Paul McGuiness. Given Bono’s status as a megastar, it would not be inconceivable if he claimed more than an equal share of the band’s profits, but there is no better way to show your team members that you value them than to treat them and their unique contribution as economic equals?

Application

Creating a culture that emulates the practices of U2 can unite your group and motivate its members. Doing so will increase trust, cooperation, and esprit de corps among your group members.

To create a successful team culture, focus on these three areas:

•Identify your group’s identity (for example, mission and values) that makes members feel proud

•Develop a participative, consensus-oriented, decision-making style that makes everyone feel like they have a voice in the decision-making process

•Nurture a caring community where everyone feels valued, especially during the inevitable difficult periods of life.

Notice that each of the foregoing application points includes the word “feel.” How employees feel about their work determines how much effort they put into their day-to-day responsibilities. Feeling “fired up” or “burned out” are emotional states. Research from the Corporate Executive Board has shown that emotional factors are four times as effective as rational factors when it comes to the amount of effort employees put into their work.

The shared mission and values; participative, consensus-oriented, decision-making style; and caring community is a powerful combination that has held U2 together for more than three decades. The resulting longevity has evolved their music and performances in refreshing and innovative directions. What could this kind of unity do for your organization?

Michael Lee Stallard is the president of E Pluribus Partners and the primary author of Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team’s Passion Creativity and Productivity (Thomas Nelson). Michael is a contributor to the soon to be released ASTD Handbook of Management and he was a speaker at the ASTD 2012 International Conference. All quotes in the article are from Bono by Michka Assayas.

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