It’s 26 years since they released their first project and they are celebrating yet another milestone – being back on stage and on tour after an almost 2 year break due to Covid-19 restrictions. Joyous Celebration reclaimed their prestige over this Easter Long weekend when they returned to Carnival City’s popular Big Top Arena for their 26th album’s launch. This project is titled Joy. I am an avid follower of the group, since their 20th project onwards and I must say, I am not an expert like many other loyal followers out there are but I would like to consider myself as a detailed observer of their work.

I was fortunate to get the chance to attend one of their shows this year and I must say, it was surreal to be out and about and at my first concert experience since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Obviously, the experience was not completely ‘business as usual’ because the venue was not filled to capacity (most of their shows are sold-out) and there was a requirement to produce proof of vaccination to gain entry into the venue. While this article is not based on their 26th project per se, it seeks to bring about a leadership twist to their work.

Successful teams are often a good example to use in terms of implementation of elements and strategies that they exhibit in our various spaces of influence be it at home, work or other associations. Let me try to paint a picture of how these lessons are easily picked up from this group. Please also note that these lessons are in no particular order.

1. Credits go to everyone in the team

When the choir gets on stage, at every live performance, everyone in the crowd, witnessing their entrance moment instantly goes mad in euphoria and cheer. This is because every choir member is on stage, taking the spotlight and basking in it and not because of one single person who’s there. It’s never just about a single person. Granted, there will be more screams from the crowd because specific choir members (those more popular in the choir) are there but these are often drowned by the overall cheers for the choir as a whole. People are happy and excited to see the entire choir on stage. There’s sheer cheer and jubilation for the entire choir. What’s the lesson here? – Successful teams win because it takes a collective to do great work and to achieve greatness. The cheers and rewards thereof are directed to every choir member as part of the team and not just a single member. People within your space are often happy and made successful because you are there as part of the team. The happiness therefore goes to your role and contribution in making the team as a collective succeed. In a nutshell, successful teams have a shared and collective perspective to success, taking into account every single member’s contribution to the bottom-line.

2. Strong support system in place.

Not all choir members are on the same experience level in the music industry and at live performances and as such, take time to harness and grow the skill than others, however, there is a conceited effort to bring those starting up to the same level of esteem and experience year on year. New members are always given a shot at being part of the choir and at leading a song. The choirs’ ‘not so strong members’, when backed-up and supported appropriately by the choir, can release hits as well. It’s in supporting one another that makes successful teams thrive. It’s getting adequate support, at the right time and it being genuine and done appropriately. This is what the choir does very well. The choir members themselves hype each other up at every performance and when it appears that the show has gone on for a long time and energy levels are at a low, it’s the energy levels from the choir members themselves that sustain the show until the curtain call moment. The support structure of the choir also includes the vital band, which forms an integral part of the choir’s backbone. The lesson here is in appropriate support being given by the team and enabling those inexperienced, a chance to showcase their unique talents and take the center-stage in the choir. Year on year, the choir displays this with exception.

3. Phenomenal behind-the-scenes footwork

There are some people who do great work for the choir but are never on that stage, always at the back, behind the scenes and busy running around each time to ensure that the choir succeeds. And the public never really knows or sees these individuals to pay tributes to them. The likes of Mbali Thabethe, who is the Joyous Celebration Project director, Sharif Baker, the Technical Production Manager and Joyous voice-over artist, Siyanqoba Mthethwa, the musical director, Bokang Ncube, the Wardrobe Manager, the hair and make-up artists, assistants, social media coordinators, choreographers – you name them, there is a whole list of people behind Joyous Celebration. These are a sample of many individuals who do amazing work for the choir and are mostly behind the scenes and are not always on the spotlight. The band is also included in this pool. The lesson here is, great teams have a good supportive structure and system in place, often behind the scenes. In companies, these could be the CFOs, the security and cleaning personnel and people who are on the ground, who may not necessarily be the faces of the company or business. Credits to the Joyous behind-the-scenes gang for their outstanding work.

4. Showmanship is a given

Successful teams always show up to any task or challenge that they are faced with. Even when the lockdown restrictions dampened their usual morale and way of doing work, through live shows, they still continued to deliver great music amid those challenges. They were never deterred and with all their live shows, there is an element of great showmanship where everyone brings their A game and leaves everything on the stage floor. I remember when they had to record their 19th and 22nd albums respectively where obstacles nearly prevented them from successfully recording these two projects in particular but the choir triumphed. One, a tragic car accident which claimed a life of one of the choir members while injuring some band members who were also on board, this almost affected their 19th album recording and for their 22nd offering, the persistent weather conditions at the time affected their planned outdoor recording and a last minute venue change threatened the success of the recording yet the final product turned out to be a great success amid the concerns. Here, the lesson is successful teams show and rise up to challenges that they come across. Even when the going gets tough and when circumstances do not enable them to thrive, they still push on and still do what is expected of them. This is what this choir does well.

5. Embracing diversity

The choir beautifully embraces diversity and is intentional about it. There are members of the choir who are selected for their unique personalities and styles of music. These members are credited with compiling songs for the choir that are not in a Nguni language (which the choir is predominantly centered around) but in either Sepedi, Xitsonga, Tshivenda, Shona and Afrikaans. The members is particular are Sefako Mamabolo, Gospel Silinda, Phuluso Thenga, Eric Moyo and Jessie Lottering. Teams that succeed do not all look the same, they have elements that make each member unique and authentic to stand out. What I find amazing about this is how the choir contributes to unifying us as a nation into embracing diversity with ease by including these members, their languages, cultures and songs into their projects each time. Successful teams embrace diversity and inclusion as part of their team’s overall make-up.

6. Open to new members

Joyous brings in new people each time, as part of evolution. On one of the Easter special shows, three new singers were announced as the new members of the choir after a nationwide talent search that was narrowed to only ten. The choir hits a clever balance between experienced and less experienced talent and has a way of merging the two worlds. It creates a platform for raw, new talent to be discovered while enabling learning and mentorship from those who’ve been in the field for a very long time. Successful teams balance the experience levels in their teams quite well and ensure that one group can learn from the other and vice versa.

7. Embracing change

The choir has a good track-record of embracing change and adapting to it. They never do the same thing twice or over and over. They experiment with new music, sounds, themes, composers and voices. They do not box themselves into traditional gospel music and sounds. Songs in their 26th offering where an evolution is clearly picked up for me include ‘Power‘ and ‘Wenza Kwenzeke‘ (you make things happen) which are a Pentecostal up-tempo beat and an R’n B gospel with a rap respectively.

8. Longevity.

Many musical groups from across the land and broad come and go, majority never make it all the way but here is a group that is still here, existing and relevant. MTN Joyous Celebration has been at it since 1994 and are still going strong. They have a formula that works, one that evolves consistently and adapts to changing trends and styles to ensure the brand’s long-term relevance and sustainability. They reflect on their previous performances and projects and use that as a basis to be better than their last project. Successful teams always take stock in-between major milestones and projects to identify what went wrong for them to amend accordingly and what went right, for them to continue maintaining to a high regard and where new avenues for opportunities can be established. Longevity in successful teams ensures the ability to do just that.

Well, as you can see, there’s always an opportunity to learn new things as learning is never restricted or limited to one dimension and perspective. I enjoy learning while being entertained and looking at great depth into things and that is what following Joyous has meant for me. It has made me discover new things and appreciate what goes on in an ensemble as majestic and successful as Joyous Celebration from where I stand, to relate that to what successful teams in general ought to learn and possibly implement.