It was announced earlier today that Beyonce's latest self-titled album will debut at number one on the North American music charts with over 600,000 copies sold in just over three days with worldwide sales placing the album at just over 800,000 copies. Since the album's release on Friday, December 13th, the entire industry has been buzzing about this unprecedented feat from the Houston native.
Not since the release of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" has one artist so thoroughly defied and shook the foundations of the music industry. While many insiders and analysts will be speaking to how Beyonce's bold release strategy will re-write the rules on marketing and promotion, one fact remains blatantly and obviously clear:
Beyonce dominates the music industry.
Katy Perry may sell more albums and have more successful singles, Gaga may get more hits on YouTube, Britney may have a legion of fans but nobody commands as much respect, power and clout than Beyonce Knowles-Carter. Her career has been unparalleled in the music industry and built on talent, a ferocious work ethic and an unwavering sense of focus and discipline. Simply put, her music career is flawless.
Rather than focus on why Beyonce is awesome (I'll let the rest of the internet focus on that), I wanted to shine the spotlight on the career of Mrs. Carter to identify what lessons one can glean from the superstar's career trajectory and apply to one's own career aspirations. While there are many examples to draw from through Beyonce's career, I have identified the ten most important observations on how to enjoy a flawless career taken straight from the playbook of Mrs. Carter.
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1 - PAY YOUR DUES
Beyonce's career is an example of starting from the bottom and working your way up. Back in the mid nineties, Beyonce and her bandmates were still making the rounds on the Houston live-show circuit. At the time, they were an all-female group of nine tweens named Girls Tyme that were building up a reputation as live performers. They were showcased on Star Search and lost, signed to a record label and got dropped and performed for free with local radio stations to break into the industry. It took a tremendous amount of work, sacrifice and dedication before they were finally signed by Columbia Records in 1997.
Whether you are a fresh-faced graduate or starting your first day in an entry-level job, there is no way around it - you have to pay your dues. Whatever career you choose to head into, make peace with the fact that your first job is likely going to be an unpaid internship or working as an assistant. In other words, you will be doing the grunt work. Rather than get frustrated at some of the thank-less tasks you will have to face in the early days, keep the big picture in mind and remember that you are working up to something.
2 - PLAY UP TO YOUR STRENGTHS
The faster you can identify your strengths, the easier you can start wielding them to your advantage when it comes time to truly make some waves in your career. The most successful people of our times, regardless of what they do, not only know what makes them shine, but they focus in those qualities to help set them apart.
Beyonce has always played up to her strengths. With Destiny's Child, the group identified that their strength relied on funky beats with staccato, fast singing. Listen back to DC's earlier hits like "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "No, No, No" -each one of them showcases fast-sung lyrics with catchy choruses and big beats. As a solo pop star, Beyonce knew that she shined as a versatile vocalist with sultry dance moves. By focusing on those two qualities, she has produced some of the most anthemic pop songs of the past decade with catchy refrains and memorable dance moves.
3 - REPUTATION IS EVERYTHING
I don't care what your career aspirations are, people are always watching you. Your reputation and credibility are your most valuable forms of currency as you navigate your way to the top. One slip-up and it can destroy it all in the blink of an eye. Use this knowledge to your advantage and always remember to align all your efforts towards building a flawless image and reputation in your field.
Beyonce has always maintained a solid reputation in the music industry. Look no further than how she handled herself at the 2009 MTV Awards when Kanye West stormed Taylor Swift's acceptance speech and declared that Beyonce should have won. After winning the award for Best Video of the Year for "Single Ladies", she decided to call Taylor back onstage to finish her acceptance speech. In other words, the woman is a total class-act. Aside from that, you will never hear about Beyonce in the tabloids or caught up in controversy like many other celebrities because she knows how it can cheapen her reputation. Instead, she chooses to keep the focus on her music and image as an entertainer.
4 - ALIGN WITH A MENTOR
Beyonce has had two mentors in her career; mainly her father and former manager Matthew Knowles. She had an advantage over the rest of us trying to carve out our dream job in that her father played a guiding role in helping her realize her destiny - most of us are not that fortunate. But as you make your way through your career, you will likely meet people that you can learn a few things from. Make it your business to seek out these individuals and align yourself with them. You are only as successful as the company you keep, so make a point to rub shoulders with the right people and watch how many doors will open.
On that note, make sure you know when it is time to let people go. It sounds harsh, but only surround yourself with those that add value to your life. Your time is precious and you only have a finite amount of it so use it wisely. This also includes letting people go when necessary. Beyonce demonstrated this when she fired her father Matthew Knowles as her manager and assumed control over her own career.
5 - WORK HARDER THAN EVERYBODY ELSE
Beyonce has always asserted that nobody else in the industry works harder than she does. This fact is backed by those that have collaborated with her in the studio and on tour. The woman is a work machine with an insane attention for detail when it comes to her career. It is no small feat that she has churned out as many albums, tours, singles and videos in the past ten years - and none of that includes her work with Destiny's Child.
God-given talent and, depending on your industry. looks will get you noticed, but it means nothing if you are not willing to work hard. That means putting your nose to the grindstone and working like you have never worked before. It means that you are the first to show up to work, the last to leave and becoming a perfectionist in everything you do. It means that you pay attention to details and set a standard that anything and everything you produce will be high quality. Trust me, this will speak volumes to your reputation and play a huge role in determining your future career prospects.
6 - DON'T BE AFRAID TO TAKE RISKS
Beyonce demonstrates that successful people are not afraid of taking risks. As you move up in your career, you will be forced to stretch and grow beyond what you think you are capable of. Embrace these challenges and set a standard for yourself that you will always step up to the plate to achieve what others only dream of. Beyonce demonstrated this by boldly releasing her new album without any marketing or promotion. As a result, "Beyonce" shattered iTunes records for most digital albums sold, it debuted at number one in over 100 countries and sold well over 800,000 copies in three days.
7 - KNOW YOUR INDUSTRY
Before releasing her new album, Beyonce's team knew that the traditional approach towards creating and marketing an album was on the decline. They also recognized that digital sales were on the rise along with illegally downloaded music. They also saw the value in using social media is a more powerful platform to create buzz. With all this in mind, her team created a strategic plan that would not only maximize where the industry was heading, but defied all preconceived ideas about how an album can and should be released and marketed.
The above example goes to show that any major career decisions must be informed. Pay attention to what is going on in your field, get a sense of what trends are taking place and start projecting where the industry is heading for the next five to ten years. Having this type of knowledge will ensure every move you make will be well-informed and could lead to something fresh and innovative that will set you apart from your industry peers.
8 - THINK BIG AND HAVE A VISION
From day one, Beyonce never shied away from thinking big. She knew that she wanted to be a superstar on par with Michael Jackson and her career has seen her take incremental steps towards slowly meeting that big, ambitious dream. This past year was a milestone that reflected her years of hard work. She gained rave reviews for her half-time performance at the Super-Bowl, signed a lucrative deal with Pepsi, set out on a successful, sold out world tour and most recently, shattered sales records with the release of her latest album.
You don't have to know every detail of your career trajectory, but it never hurts to have an over-arching vision of where you want to be in your career and setting realistic, achievable goals that will help you get there. Never be afraid to think big and envision where you see yourself and continuously work towards that vision.
9 - KNOW HOW TO DAMAGE CONTROL
Nobody is immune to mistakes and slip-ups and Beyonce proved that earlier this year when she chose to lip-sync the U.S national anthem at President Obama's inauguration ceremony. What could have been a crippling blow to her reputation as a talented live performer was smoothly handled when she later gave a stirring and impromptu rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" at a press conference effectively silencing any critics on her abilities as a live performer. She followed that with a highly-acclaimed performance at the Super-Bowl half-time show that cemented her ability as a live entertainer.
10 - OWN YOUR BRAND
In these times of economic uncertainty with job stability becoming a thing of the past, it is imperative to know what sets you apart. Personal branding is crucial in order to stand out from the competition. So take some time to identify what makes your combination of skills, qualifications and talents unique from the rest. What can you offer that makes employers take notice? What skills do you have that are highly sought after in your industry? Knowing this and utilizing it will likely result in great opportunities coming your way.
Over the span of Beyonce's career, many other female acts have come and gone. What has given her staying power is that she knows her brand. Right from the onset, she focused her music and image towards women and became known for creating catchy, pop-R&B music that spoke to female empowerment. She set herself apart from her competition by being the only pop star that could shine both as a singer and dancer onstage and diversified her image by signing lucrative deals with L'Oreal, Pepsi and Target and branched out into acting. Today, she has turned her brand into a multi-million dollar empire and fully manages her own career by founding Parkwood Entertainment - her own entertainment production company.
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While there are certainly many more variables that come into play to enjoy a successful career, the above steps demonstrated by Beyonce's career will certainly make waves for you as you build your reputation in your own respective career. By following these steps demonstrated by Mrs. Carter, this could very well be you one day (see below):
