You, Too, Can Learn From U2

Last week the Emanation met to discuss Professor Nancy Koehn’s Harvard Business School case, U2 and Bono. What can a bunch of PR professionals learn from the phenomena that is U2? Actually a lot. Dissecting the overwhelming genius, minor missteps and amazing luck of one of the world’s most popular bands may not make us rock stars but it reinforced many of the tenets that we have always known are true about success. Straight from the troops, here’s what we all can learn from U2:

Discover a passion for what you do and keep rediscovering it.

Be truth tellers – always have a POV.

Work with people who share your ideals, your humor, your work ethic, and your beverage choice (okay, I added the last one).

Give everyone a voice and a share in the rewards.

Invite in talent who bring something new to the party.

Invest in the business – you’ve got to spend money to make money.

Ask for and respond to feedback – frequently.

Take risks to capitalize on the next new technology.

Use your power – and in our case, it’s words – to make a difference (and this doesn’t mean to our bottom-line).

Work as a team.

Be willing to sacrifice short-term gain for long-term success.

Finally, and maybe most importantly, the shorter your brand name, the bigger you can make it on posters. From here on out, call us MN8.


Kim