Posted by The last, 4th rule of the Beatles team, described by A. Sobel, is as follows: Select people who are very different from each other to the team, invite both specialists and laymen, try to introduce friendly competition in creative problem solving.
The most famous duo in the history of music – John Lennon and Paul McCartney – are both a duo of contradictions and sparking opposites. When they met in July 1957, Lennon was a cynical young 16-year-old who constantly got into youthful trouble. McCartney conversely was well-mannered and optimistic about the world. Lennon hated the public and being popular, while McCartney showed up everywhere he could. To McCartney, the words “I’ve got to admit it’s getting better” were fitting, while Lennon could sing “Can’t get much worse.” And yet, despite these differences, they understood each other very well, and the result of their work together is millions of records sold with dozens of hit songs.
The example of the Beatles shows that in a successful team, the prerequisite for creative solutions is the differences among its employees. In addition to optimistic idealists, hard-headed people are essential. Specialists in given fields – in the Beatles such a role was fulfilled by Harrisom and Starr – should be assisted by people with broader horizons and even laymen who can ask difficult questions. Only adequately differentiated people can create an effectively working team in a company.