I'm A Producer

by Mark McClanahan

A common question I often hear is “What did you do before you came to Mosby Building Arts?”  I typically respond with something like, “I came from a remarkably different industry.” You see, before running small companies, I made a living as a music producer. I spent well over 15 years directing, developing and coaxing musicians to create an end product that was far beyond its potential at inception. When my career evolved into leadership and management, I started to realize that much of what I loved about producing music had a direct correlation to leading and managing people.

As a music producer, I discovered that the key to success was collaboration with lots of talented people and that more collaboration equated with higher-quality returns. The same practice definitely applies to my role now as president of Mosby. The more I include talented people in decision making and planning, the better the outcome. And because of this, I’m very intentional in gathering input from my management team and beyond. This input comes to me through many paths, including one-on-ones, team meetings, informal and formal surveys, and stand-ups.  

A great example of successful collaboration occurred just recently. The executive team was wrapping up a meeting where all were in agreement on a certain direction. Just as we were about to conclude, one of the managers put up an objection. I could tell this caused a brief rift in our cohesion. However, we entertained the discussion, and I believe that based on this person’s input, we gained an outcome that was far better for the associates at Mosby than what was originally conceived.

My unique background taught me the value of collaboration and that the collective is much stronger than the individual.

Mark McClanahan (mmcclanahan@callmosby.com or 314.909.1800) is the president at Mosby Building Arts.