Miguel Martinez – MSPIRED Music Producer
I used music to express everything that I had ever experienced. I didn’t exactly want anyone to hear it and I certainly didn’t think anything would come out of it, but all of a sudden I got better and I started connecting with people through music.
I CREATE MUSIC WITHOUT PREJUDICE
I come from Camden New Jersey, which is a place that not everyone likes to claim because being a product of those streets usually tends to not have a good ending. I grew up in the city streets – typical story – exposed to drugs, poverty, violence and not having the luxury of simple things that most children have. Thankfully at the age of 9 my grandmother came and saved me from that space. She moved me to Virginia where I spent what I like to call “the meat in the sandwich of my life”.
I found myself living with an 81 year old woman who went to church 4 times a week, and that to me was a shock within itself. Being with her taught me about spirituality, commitment, and responsibility, like getting up at 5:00 AM every morning to pull weeds from the garden and clean baseboards. I learned discipline and substance and that was a changeup for me compared to my life in New Jersey.
When my grandmother passed away I was 20 years old, faced with the challenges of having two children, my sons Michael and Miguel, and not much family, was the turning point in my life. During the same time I found music and for the first time I had an outlet and a way to speak to something without judgement. With my two little boys as motivation and by any means necessary, I did what I had to do to take care of my children and survive, and music was my small piece of freedom.
I used music to express everything that I had ever experienced. I didn’t exactly want anyone to hear it and I certainly didn’t think anything would come out of it, but all of a sudden I got better and I started connecting with people through music. The universe has a powerful way to support you and remind you when you’re on the right path. See, when you are where you are supposed to be and doing what you love the most, your life just takes off without effort.
As music became more a part of my life, I began to dive deeper into the business of it all the way through my 30’s. I met a mentor that changed everything in my career. As a matter of fact my entire life shifted. He invested in me in every way possible and that took me further, but ironically he is also the reason I left it alone. He is the man that I call my father today.
How did your father impact you the most?
I was 29 when I was at the pinnacle of my career. I had 2 records doing well on the radio but my pops knew from experience that my chances of being successful were slim, considering how tough the business is and the climb to the top. Being the man he is, he’s never told me what to do, but rather he lived his life and led by example. Through observation of what he would do and how he moved, I began to change through that. I was doing great with music, I was sharp, I was street savvy, successful, I had a great image and I was making some money. The funny thing is, one night my pops asked me at the dinner table when I was about 31 years old: Have you ever thought about going to college?. Now, I was a highschool dropout, of course I never thought of going to college at all, especially at a time when I felt I was doing well. I asked him why he would ask me something like that and his response was, “This is some good chicken.”
He didn’t respond to my question but now I know he was planting a seed in my head, and one day I just decided to enroll in college. It turned out to be a strong move. I not only graduated with an International Business degree and as a Business Strategist, but I also graduated with a 4.0 GPA and as President of my class and the International Honor Society.
That’s something definitely unexpected from a kid from Camden. God sends you the right people and via my pops, he sent me a mentor and a father, two things I needed.
What’s the inspiration behind your music?
It comes from experience, because if you haven’t lived you don’t have much to talk about. There’s no realness to what you are saying. My inspiration comes from watching people, looking at society and becoming inspired by it. I also get inspiration from the bathroom, (something I call bathroom tricks), because when you are in the bathroom you are in your most vulnerable and simple state of being, and the most incredible ideas have been birthed in that moment, at least for me. My inspiration comes from traveling as well, I have traveled to over 100 countries. When you see life through other people’s lenses you get a totally new appreciation for life itself. The way people operate and the way they connect with one another, when you come back as a creator you have so much more to offer, and you are able to connect to a much larger group, you see through a larger scope.
What’s most important to you, Mission, Core Values or Vision?
Core values are most important to me because vision you either have it or you don’t, but core values you can develop and be taught. Without core values the mission doesn’t matter and the vision is useless. It’s a strong foundation and having them makes you a better person.
What is one characteristic that every leader should possess?
Empathy. I truly believe that every leader should possess empathy. If there’s anything I have gained outside of music as a skill set, is leadership. I have held several leadership positions in multiple companies and my ability to lead and grow these companies was connected to my ability to have empathy because I know what it’s like not to have much of anything. I know what it feels like to struggle. I know what it feels like to desire things that seem out of reach, and most importantly, I know what it feels like to want to throw in the towel and desire to give up. So as a leader, when you have empathy, you are able to connect with people on a deeper level and you can inspire them to know that although it may seem really dark there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes you have to go through darkness to appreciate the sunshine.
What are the biggest challenges that leaders are facing today?
One is keeping quality people. Business has changed and will continue to change due to advanced technology and not to mention people are changing as well. What motivated top employees 10 years ago has shifted with the birth of the new “gig economy”. The desire for flexibility has increased. Some of your best workers will require flexibility which can increase productivity and offers you a competitive advantage for keeping them.
It’s happening all around with the larger companies and if leaders are stuck in an older and more conservative practice and not willing to be flexible to change, they will lose top performers without a doubt. Another challenge leaders face is developing the proper skills to lead the new generation and manage them. In our society we are less connected than we used to be, so if you lack proper and effective communication skills to reach and lead your diverse teams, including the ability to actively listen, which is a scarce skill, then motivating your team becomes much more difficult because of your inability to properly reach them.
Credibility is paramount to leadership. If the leader is credible, trusted and has real knowledge to offer then the team will follow. Sadly to say, many leaders today are not equipped with those traits and therefore the respect is absent and this hurts the business. People need strong leadership today more than ever. I am very happy I had the right mentors and experience to help me strengthen this particular skill.
What is the most frequent mistake leaders make?
I believe that one of the most common mistakes is making decisions based on work-related friendships or political relationships and not based on what’s best for the organization and the future life-pulse of the company. In addition, a very common mistake is to make emotional decisions, which can have grave consequences.
What’s the impact social media has made on you?
I come from an age that if you wanted to find a restaurant in the downtown area, you walked out of your house and hopped on your bike or the bus and you would go find it. If someone gave you directions you had to have the capacity to remember those directions. If you wanted to see or talk to a friend then you had to go to their homes and knock on the door and talk to them, and the same was true if you wanted to do business and build a network. It took real hard work to do it.
I am a fairly young man in the grand scheme of things and have lived through the change. I’ve seen the way technology has enhanced communication and affected us. I come from an era where there were no cell phones and today we walk with computers in our hands. Today I can reach someone in Hong Kong or Australia. I can exchange currency and do business like investing in foreign markets. I can even build a business in another country in the blink of an eye and at the click of a button.
What social media has also done has contributed to what we call the Democratization of Information. Today you have the ability to promote yourself and connect with people at light speed, but with that comes some disadvantages. There are roughly 7 billion people in the world and a fair share of those people are online trying to advertise and this makes the “lines longer” to be noticed. So,unless you’re clever, educated, and savvy enough or you have the right money to advertise, you will remain at the end of that line. I love the power of social media when used correctly, it expands your reach. The key is to know how to use it to fulfill your goals.
What advice would you give to someone going into a leadership position for the first time?
First you have to believe in yourself and understand that you will be scared, but that’s ok. Do not walk around thinking you have it all figured it out and that you know it all because that’s a recipe for failure. Richard Branson said it best, “If you are given an opportunity and you don’t know what you are doing, take the opportunity anyway and figure it out”.
The best thing you can do is connect with people, have a deep rooted passion for helping people because that’s what an impactful leader does. A leader doesn’t stand in the front of the pack and says let’s go. A leader is in the back of the pack inspiring people to push to the front. Leaders are servants. They serve the people. So when walking into a leadership position, you have to care about the people. And if you care about people, that translates into the corporate culture, and that translates into your product, and that product translates to your consumer. Remember, people quit bosses, not jobs.
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a leader?
I continue educating myself. I am a lifelong learner. I am a student of knowledge. I recently finished three incredible courses at Harvard Business School for Executives. I also read the Forbes list of CEO and Business leaders and make sure I stay informed about the books they are reading as I like to discuss them and share knowledge with the people that I lead and connect with. I enjoy sharing the books and the knowledge and like I said before, I travel a lot. I love traveling and connecting with other cultures.
You cannot be successful if you are incapable of connecting with people, different types of people. If you have the ability to connect on multiple levels, embrace various cultures and understand ways of working and how they operate and communicate, then you will see how essential it is for your success. This is and has been essential for my success in global business, and will be a key factor in one of my new companies, Mspired Music.
MSPIRED Music
No More Chains by Miguel Martinez
Mspiredmusic@gmail.com
813-997-5040
IG: @mspiredmusic
IG: @miguelglobal
