Where iron sharpened iron…

By Matthew Woolford

Scalability is a concept often associated with excellence. According to the educational portal GeeksforGeeks, “Scalability refers to the ability of a system, process, or organisation to handle increased workload or demand without compromising performance or efficiency.”

In my own words, this includes the ability to grow with and through others, learn collaboratively, and build sustainable human relationships within a win-win dynamic.

For the past 30 years, or most thereof, I have watched and rewatched US basketball player Michael Jordan compete and win at the highest level, not only because of his incredible talent, but also because of his ability to make the people around him better, me included.

On the sidelines of every professional championship basketball game Jordan ever played was Phil Jackson, who, in my opinion, was the best basketball head coach God ever created.

Their open and collaborative approach helped to create a safe space for other legends like Scottie Pippen to blossom as one of the best players I have ever seen, and for Steve Kerr to gain some of the experiences that he has since leveraged into one of the most successful coaching careers.

For the past 40 years, or most thereof, I have also listened to and rewatched the catalogue of music and music videos bestowed on us by the late Michael Jackson, not only because of his incredible talent, but also because of his ability to make the people around him better, me included.

Behind every hit song Jackson recorded for the albums Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982) and Bad (1987) was Quincy Jones, who in my opinion, was the best music producer God ever created.

Their open and collaborative approach helped to create a safe space for other song-writing legends like James Ingram and Carol Bayer Sager, just to name a few, to make winning contributions.

Thriller was a masterpiece of an album showcasing Jones’ class as a music producer and Jackson’s maturity as an artist. Every granular detail of recording on that album seemed to have been carefully, delicately, and professionally pieced together.

According to the Grammy Awards website, “…1982’s Thriller, would see Jackson sweeping the 26th GRAMMY Awards with eight total wins, including Album of The Year and Record of the Year. Jones shared four of these wins for his stellar production on it…”

Bad, in my opinion, was probably Jackson’s most signature body of work. ‘Leave Me Alone’ reflected his growing angst and frustration with a media seemingly inclined to misrepresent elements of his private life and personal relationships for public notoriety. ‘Man in the Mirror’ reflected self-awareness and the need to be more compassionate, alongside a recommitment to being a better version of himself.

For me though, it all started with Off the Wall. According to Rolling Stone magazine, “He and producer Quincy Jones established the something-for-everyone template of Thriller on 1979’s Off the Wall, on which Jackson captures the rare mania of his life — the applause and paranoia, the need for love and the fear of commitment — in a crisp fusion of pop hooks and dance beats.”

Off the Wall was lightning in a bottle and quintessential Michael Jackson in my opinion. It captured his youthful exuberance, purity of heart and ultimate desire to enjoy life.

Jones masterfully built around this raw energy and unbridled emotion, recruiting a brilliant cast of musicians, writers and other collaborators from around the world to chisel out and refine a voice that the entire universe needed to hear.

According to the Grammy Awards website, “The 10-track dancefloor-ready, disco-tinged album was produced by Jones, with Jackson co-producing three tracks, including the smash-hit opening track and lead single, ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,’ which the singer/dancer wrote himself. It also features songwriting from Stevie Wonder (on ‘I Can’t Help It’), Paul McCartney (on ‘Girlfriend’) and British songwriter Rod Temperton (on ‘Rock with You’, ‘Off the Wall’ and ‘Burn This Disco Out’) … The LP made history by becoming the first album by a solo artist to spawn four Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hits. ‘Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,’ earned Jackson his first GRAMMY win—for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 22nd GRAMMY Awards.”

I still love and regularly listen to Michael Jackson’s music with fondness and flashbacks of my own childhood, burning my feet on the carpet as I attempted to do the moonwalk in front of the television. As an older child, however, my mind now directs me more toward his attention to detail, pursuit of excellence and validated self-mastery.

The legend of Jones also looms larger in my mind as I have gotten older. As I learned from the Netflix documentary, Quincy, he too, like Jackson, had a troubled childhood, and in overcoming it, cultivated a work ethic that was second to none, leaving behind a legacy of “no excuses allowed” for the rest of us to follow.