The Art of Business
Face the Music:
Soothing the Disgruntled Executive
by Jay Blotcher; photo by JoJo Ans

www.facethemusicblues.com

The American Blues has entered the 21st century, evolving from plaintive Negro work song to anthem of the beleaguered corporate executive.Introducing Face the Music ftm. The Stone Ridge-based company offers musical therapy to the business world, allowing workers to air—or rather, to croon away—their grievances to middle and upper management.

“Whether you’re a chain gang slave or in a corporation,” said Mitch Ditkoff, a Hudson Valley musician and co-founder of ftm, “everyone gets the blues.”

If you’re a disciple of Robert Johnson, or a new blues fan, thanks to the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, this concept may give pause. But ftm has spread its musical message throughout the Fortune 500 world, putatively humanizing the Corporate World.

Ditkoff’s colleague Paul Kwiecinski, a local musician, had been employing this concept for years at local parties, inviting guests to sing their own version of the blues, in order to “to speak their truths,” Ditkoff explained. But it was Ditkoff himself (a singer and clarinet player) who took the concept to the next step, pitching it in an arena where the modern equivalent of slavery is softened by coffee breaks and vacation time: American Big Business.

The philosophy of ftm? If you have disgruntled employees they ought to complain to resolve workplace matters. But most drones fear upper-management reprisals. By voicing these problems in the guise of a blues song during an ftm session, everyone gets their ya-yas out and has fun in the process.

The process is straightforward: When hired to work their magic, members of the ftm band will talk with upper management first, and get a sense of the problems at the office. (Ditkoff and Kwiecinski are both business consultants; the former is the founder of the Woodstock-based Idea Champions and Kwiencinski runs Metasystem Consulting Group in Stone Ridge.) Then, in a meeting with employees, the band meets with employees and management and performs a customized blues song that incorporates the gripes but emphasizes humor. Attendees are then directed to separate into songwriting teams to compose their own two-chord songs, voicing their objections. They are invited to take on faux blues monikers germane to the workplace (like “Two-Java Overworked Larry”) and sing their own songs to the group. In some cases, ftm later sends cds of the sessions to all delegates, with lyric sheets.

ftm rose during an era when Big Business finally softened its hard-line tactics and welcomed more user-friendly consultants to help increase productivity and foster diplomacy among the ranks. In the past, efficiency experts would shame workers into spasms of higher productivity. These days, high-ticket corporate cheerleaders carry a new arsenal of tactics, focused on “corporate messaging.” Some hold weekend retreats that offer head games to provoke interpersonal catharsis, or sports games designed to improve teamwork. Others write company anthems designed to improve morale. ftm effectively combines both approaches.
The first corporation to bite was the Crotonville branch of General Electric. The band attended their learning retreat and spread their brand of musical therapy. Word spread of the success and more companies lined up to follow the process.

“It’s not about performing, it’s about transforming,” said Ditkoff, sounding like a laidback version of motivation expert Tony Robbins. The success of ftm was immediate. The band remains a core of five, but can draw on a pool of 15 side musicians for corporate engagements.
“Blues is about resolution,” he said. “Getting the tough stuff up and out.” Clients consistently report back to Ditkoff that staff members are now playing nicely together. A ftm session helps melt the steely distinctions between management levels. The greatest triumph of such an approach, he said, was the melting of distinctions between upper and lower management, mostly by urging executives to loosen up in front of the workforce. In one ftm getaway, the major suits of a company, widely perceived as straitlaced tyrants, won their underlings’ admiration by dressing as The Blues Brothers for a skit.

“We realized that we had created something that had great power, great force, great fun, great meaning,” he said. “It was like a confluence of experiences where people got a chance to speak the same language. To speak the truth to each other in a way that made it safe. To talk about tough issues. To listen to each other.”

Ditkoff acknowledged that the blues, a style known for its articulation of pain and sadness, is an unlikely mix for the corporate world. “The blues touches the heart, emotions, feeling. And in most organizations, feelings is the f-word,” he added. “[You’re told to] keep your feelings to yourself because it’s not professional.” But, Ditkoff pointed out, “If you’re not allowed feeling, then there will be a virus of discontent.”

In an anemic economy, marked by downsizing, workplace gripes are certainly more evident. But no matter what the economic scene, the complaints remain the same. “The universal corporate blues,” Ditkoff said, “are ‘too much to do, not enough time.’”

The experience has also helped Ditkoff the businessman gain a new attitude toward Corporate America, he said. “It’s helped me see the humanity of my clients, because it peels off a layer. It’s made me more compassionate about what’s really going on for people.” As for Ditkoff the musician, “I practice more, and actually have learned to be a lyricist.”
The success of Face the Music sometimes leads the band to “blue-sky thinking,” Ditkoff admitted, where they wonder how they could apply the approach to greater problems. “We would be willing to do it for countries,” he said. “Let’s get Israel and Palestine in the same room!”
To learn more about commissioning Face the Music for your company, visit www.facethemusicblues.com, or call 687-2100.