Can You Tell Time without Your Watch?

There are certain things in life you can escape from – but sound is not one of them. From the wind whistling through a mountain to the honk of a New York City taxi cab, sound permeates our environment. But have you thought about the sound of music. No, I don’t mean the movie with Julie Andrews. I’m talking about the factors that differentiate music from plain sound.

Composers arrange sounds to create a musical masterpiece. By orchestrating sound, they give order to otherwise arbitrary noises. Just think if you bought a ticket to see your favorite musical artist. You get all dressed up in your Sunday’s best and head out to the concert. After the artist is introduced, the keyboardist takes his place on the piano bench and begins to play notes with his entire arm. Yes, 32 notes – at one time! Then the drummer starts playing beats, but in the absence of timing his beats have no rhythm. Would you stay to hear this noise or call the box office with the claim of false advertising. You paid for a concert, but clearly your experience could hardly be called “music” and failed to reflect a concerted effort on the part of…anyone. There was no music, no composer, no concert.

Just like a composer, business owners and entrepreneurs must use timing and harmony to orchestrate their ventures. Without timing, both music and business lose their true form. A concerted effort only happens when every instrument, every business system is in sync. Even if you can’t always hear the rhythm, you can feel it. Pictures of major players in finance and government reveal the rhythm of the entire economy. When you get a moment, look at Warren Buffett and Ben Bernanke. Their faces signal trouble. Physically, I may not be in Washington or on Wall Street to hear about the trouble that’s brewing in our economy, but I feel the heartbeat of this nation. It has a rhythm that’s building in intensity as economic forces converge. Time is money.

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