Herbie Hancock: Get Out Of The Way When Your People Are Learning — forbes.com

If you want your people to grow and develop sometimes the best thing to do is to back off. Herbie Hancock, the legendary jazz keyboardist, tells two stories about trumpet virtuoso and bandleader Miles Davis that illustrate this point. Hancock was an up and coming player and got an invitation to audition with Davis and his band. Davis was already a legend but Hancock was still cutting his chops. Another lesson Hancock shared with his audience (in conjunction with his new memoir Possibilities) about Miles was his gift of teaching. Miles would seldom give musicians a complete answer when they questioned him about something musical. His strategy was to let the musicians learn by themselves or with the band. Hancock now a veteran performer and teacher himself says that when you learn something on your own you remember it better. The lesson becomes lasting.

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