Interview of Lesly Simon November 11, 2021

MJ: "Hey how are you doing today?"

LS: "Good Maddey, how are you doing?"

MJ: "I'm doing good. Thanks for meeting with me"

LS: "Absolutely. "

MJ: "So my name is Maddey, which you know. I am senior at Belmont."

LS: "Okay. Are you from Birmingham?"

MJ: "I am from Mongtomery"

LS: "Oh, okay. I grew up in Montgomery."

MJ: "Cool. Where did you go to school?"

LS: "I went to the LAMP program"

MJ: "Okay, I went to Trinity"

LS: "Oh good, that is great"

MJ: "Thank you for sitting down and meeting with me"

LS: "Sure."MJ: "If you do not mind, go ahead and tell me a little bit about your background and what lead you to the position you have today?"

LS: "First and foremost, I would love to just hear what exactly we are doing. Tell me about your class. Tell me what this interview is. I see it is recording so is this an interview that you are recording to play back? Tell me a little more about it"

MJ: "We are taking the audio file and posting it on our professor's website. That is why I sent the consent form to you to make sure that was okay with you."

LS: "Oh, I do not think I saw that. Go ahead and send me that again. But just tell me a little more about it. What class is this for?"

MJ: "It is for my global leadership studies class."

LS: "Okay."

MJ: "We were told to find someone that we think is an influential leader."

LS: "Okay"

MJ: "I also had to write a paper for this class about another influential leader and I wrote about Frances Preston"

LS: "Yeah, she is amazing"

MJ: "I thought I would want to keep the same, not trend, but another woman in the music industry"

LS: "That is awesome"

MJ: "So I thought you would be a good person to interview for that:"

LS: "Great. Thank you so much. What is your major?"

MJ: "I am a music business major."

LS: "Okay, so you are you graduating in May?"

MJ: "Yes."

LS: "Great. Do you know what area you want to go into? Tell me a little more about what your trajectory is."

MJ: "I am wanting to do artist management."

LS: "Okay."

MJ: "I am hoping at some point to also go back and get my copyright law degree."

LS: "Great, that is awesome"

MJ: "I can practice that. I will not have to hire an attorney. I can look over my own contracts and also represent my artist in a copyright infringement case."

LS: "That is awesome. Have you done internships so far?"

MJ: "Not yet. I am doing an internship next semester; I am studying abroad in London."

LS: "That is great. Who is your internship with?"

MJ: "I have not found a specific one yet. I am talking with the Warner Bros over there and then there are some that are connected to the program that I think they are going to try to put us into."

LS: "That is great. As far as the interview is concerned, today is there a certain area that you wanted to focus on? Tell me a little more about what you are looking to get out of it."

MJ: "I have a couple of questions in there about being a woman in the music industry and how that has been with you. Talking about different effective leadership styles that you have experienced. Just to get a grasp of what you think has been successful and what has not been. Different forms of leadership in the industry."

LS: "Okay great. So that helps me a little bit. Tell me again how you want me to start."

MJ: "Yeah. If you just want to tell me a little bit about your background and what led you to the position that you have today."

LS: "I am the general manager for Pearl Records which is an independent record label. It is Garth Brook's record label. It is an imprint that he started years ago when he actually took ownership of his masters. This imprint has housed his masters and then he fully staffed it in 2016 and I was a part of that. It was an imprint long before he staffed it and again houses his masters. He is not just an incredible artist and human being, but he is an incredible human being. Before that, I spent thirteen years at Arista Nashville, Sony Nashville which was a wonderful experience as well. I really started my journey in the industry as a temp, that was my first job. I worked my way up from there. I was a temp at, at the time it was RCA Label Group that eventually became BMG and then BMG and Sony merged which then it became Sony. I started as a temp and then became an assistant in the sales department and eventually ended up in the promotion department. I did work in capital records in pop promotion for a little bit and then came back to Nashville when Joe Galante was the head of Sony BMG at the time and became a regional at Arista and kind of worked my way up to the national role and then eventually to the vice president role. So that is kind of just the short version of my path."

MJ: "The music industry is predominately a male industry. How have you managed to effectively establish leadership as a woman?"

LS: "You know, I think when I was raised my father really instilled a very strong work ethic in me as a child. I had a very strong work ethic as a student and then really carried that into my career. When I was starting in the industry, I was not really focused on being a woman versus being a man, my focus was always just on do the absolute best I can do at whatever I am doing. As a temp, I started answering someone's telephones and putting together sales reports and I was really interested in the numbers, my degree was in accounting. I really loved the numbers of sales and understanding that and also seeing the bigger picture: how our artists compared to not just other country artists but how they compared globally. Putting those reports together and having everything on my boss's desk when they got to work and being able to communicate that information and share that information and really learn more from them was really an important part of my just growing in the business. I think because of that work ethic that really helped propel me from one step to the next."

MJ: "What has been effective leadership that you have seen that you thought was helpful to work under?"

LS: "You know I really think that the most effective leadership has really been inclusive leadership. Always listening to other people's opinions and that really came from my bosses Joe Galante and Garth as I was kind of growing up in the business. Both of them really made a point, and Gary Overton, to their teams and to listen to the expertise of the people in the field, to take that information and to use that in decision making. That is something I learned from them that I was not always great at carrying that out, especially when I was younger. The more experience you have the more you learn both the kind of leader you want to be and the kind of leader you do not want to be. I am a little bit of a perfectionist so for a long time I liked to do everything myself but the more responsibility you get the harder it is to do everything yourself and I certainly learned the hard way at certain times in my career to release that control and to really help other people to learn how to do their role and to help guide them through that instead of trying to do everything myself because it is impossible. There just are not enough hours in the day. I became a better leader when I released that control and really became more inclusive with the people I was working with."

MJ: "We talked in class about how important it is to delegate your time, which I think is what you were just talking about. What are some things that you do to make sure that you are delegating your time in the best way?"

LS: "So, for me, I have always made lists and I prioritize things. I learned over twenty some years how to prioritize what is the best use of my time and prioritize the information I need to take in for my next decision and the next steps I need to take. I have learned to really help to train people how to gather the information and how to use that information as knowledge and power for them. Being able to communicate that and to communicate that with me and really be collaborative in those discussions so I can take it into the meetings that I have and the conversations I am having that are priorities for me. Delegating that work and prioritizing my day is absolutely critical. And I think also on a personal level it is very important to me that I am an early riser, I get a lot done in the morning. It is really important to me to get in the right headspace before I start work. I get up and I work out every day. I have my meditation time, my quiet time, and the things I do to focus myself for my day are equally as important if not more important to my business priorities for me to function at the highest level. I think balance is really really important and prioritizing personal life, family life, and career life, to be able to be the best that you can be in every situation.

MJ: "A lot of that stuff, was that something that came natural to you or is that something that overtime you had to adjust and learn as growing into your position?"

LS: "It definitely did not come natural. I mean, working hard and working all of the time was what I felt like I had to do that get to the next step, to get everything done. I think the older I have gotten, the wiser that I became through experience, the more I realized I am a better executive and a better boss, better person, when I balance my life with my career, and everything is not just focused on my work. I have to have that balance in my personal life, my family life, my spiritual life, my you know physical health, for me to be able to do everything I want and need to do at work."

MJ: "What are some challenges and obstacles that you faced in figuring all of the industry out that shaped you the most and you learned the most from?"

LS: "There are so many of them. I mean, I think you are challenged every day. It is a combination of the little things and the bigger things as well. Right now, I am going through cancer again. That is a challenge, it has also been really important for me to be able to continue to work and to have business to focus on to kind of feel normal as I go through this. I would say probably my biggest challenge happens to be a health challenge that has really helped me to balance my life and to put my business and spiritual and personal life into perspective and also really to prioritize everything I am doing at work and in my life."

MJ: "I did not know; I am so sorry about that."

LS: "That is okay. I had it originally in 2017 and then it came back this year. I actually have my final chemo treatment tomorrow. For me, it has been really important to take my computer to chemo and I set up my little office and work while I am there. Then I take the time to recover and then when I am strong enough, I go back to work. That has been really great for me to get through the health struggle, but that challenge has put everything into perspective for me and has made me a better leader."

MJ: "During this, I assume that you have been relying on some of your co-workers through this time. What are good ways you motivate them in order to comfortably rely on them?"

LS: "First of all, I think living by example is incredibly important. Compassion and kindness are the most important thing that you can share with the people you work with and understanding that everyone has gone through different things. Instead of when something goes wrong, assuming the worst. You have to assume the best and then kind of make decisions from there. Honestly, I always talk with our team about communication and transparency. I would just much rather people over communicate because I think when there are conflicts or misunderstands it typically comes from some kind of struggle in communication. Even if we are on a call and someone gets heated, we do conference calls, we do zoom calls, if you feel somebody kind of going down a negative path, I will often regroup with them one on one afterwards and say 'okay, let us talk about what is going on' and try to get to the real root of the problem so we can get through it. That communication, again I was not always great at that in my early days. I thought I always had to have the right answer and really focused on the goals and getting the job done and accomplishing the goals. I think when you really humanize everyone's situation and really look for the best in somebody and then try to work through whatever struggles and challenges you are having with any person one on one. I think that communication is the best way to get to the other side. And to get the most out of them. When a team is not working cohesively, the entire team struggles. You have to get everybody working together and communication is the best way to do that."

MJ: "Is communication how you work with everyone in measuring success and learning to fail forward?"

LS: "Obviously there are very specific metrics for success in this business. Those are important, absolutely. At the end of the day, how everybody feels about the job that they are doing is also very very important, because when people do not feel good about the job they are doing, even if they are getting number one records, if they do not feel good about what they are doing the team is going to start to break down. A lot fo times you learn the most when you do not accomplish that goal. When you do fail, it can be the best experience as far as moving forward. I think really helping everyone understand that and it is always important to go back and whether it is a number one run or an album launch, if you go back and look at what was done and you really talk about what were our success, what were our big wins. Knowing what we know now, what would we have maybe done differently. Evaluating all of that and taking that into the next album launch, the next single. All of that is really important not only to have more success but this is an industry that is constantly changing so you cannot just keep doing things how you did them the last time. There is evolution on a daily basis. You have to be structured enough to be able to stay on top of every single aspect of the artist's career that you are focusing on, but you also have to be nimble enough to change and evolve enough with an industry that is changing and evolving every day.

MJ: "Very true. What advice do you have for building relationships and trust within an organization?"

LS: "Well I mean I think the biggest thing is communication and then also compassion and kindness. There are always going to be moments of frustration, there are going to be difficult moments. I think if you kind of just take a deep and communicate through those, really break down what everyone's wants, needs, and goals are and then try to work together. If the focus ever becomes too much on any one person individually, you lose site of the whole goal for the team. It is really keeping a team mentality but you are going to have weak links in a team. You have to really be honest with yourself about that as well. If there is something that is just not working, there are times that it could just be the wrong fit. A person can be better in another group, in another team. If there are ten people on a team, eight people on a team, they cannot all work the same way and that be successful. You often need to have people to have different skill sets. A creative works really well with somebody who is, on a team, really organized and kind of OCD. When you add those different personalities together, there is real magic that comes. I think it is really important to not try to have a bunch of different people who are just like you, but really to find the strengths of each individual and find how everybody works together. To make the puzzle all work together, but if there is something that is not working you need to call a spade a spade and move on fast if there is a problem."

MJ:" In looking at your career as a whole, what is an experience that you think shaped you the most?"

LS: "Wow. I was at Sony for a long time and then there was a corporate change, and I was restructured out of Sony. I think that really was a significant time in my life because I grew as an individual and as a leader the most in that time. Then I went to work with Garth right after that and became his GM and I think my style changed significantly when I went to work with him. A lot of that has to do with his leadership style. He is a great innovator. He is really a very very intelligent businessman and I think using him as an example and seeing how he nurtured all of those different aspects of who he is as a person and how he brought that into the business really gave me the freedom to do that myself and I think I became a better leader at that point. And happier."

MJ: "That is good. Lastly, what is, if you have any, advice for people wanting to get into the music industry that are coming up on graduation?"

LS: "I always said this in the beginning when I was asked that question and I still think it is really important. Just work hard. I remember, I had interns years ago and there was always a significant difference between someone who was there to work hard and learn the ropes because when you really learn all of the aspects of the jobs that you are taking, those are the foundation for how the company works. Never feeling like any type of job that you are doing, any little task, is beneath you because nothing is. For me, I interviewed somebody one-time, and they said, 'Well who is going to do the expenses and handle all of the promotion details if I have a contest winner?' and I was like 'Well, you will do that as well. There will be times you will have support but at the time in this role there was not support.' And he was like 'I need someone to do that' and I was like 'If you are out on the road and cannot do that, I would do that.' And I was saying that in a sense that nothing is beneath you. If you look at that, it is one thing if you are trying to prioritize your time, it is another thing if it is to say, 'I do not do that kind of work' 'I do not do that task'. I think until you have done every task, you do not really understand how the soup is made. It is like, I always say, at some point in everyone's life they should serve at a restaurant. If you are going to eat at a restaurant, you should know what it feels like to be the person who is serving other people at a restaurant. You are a better person for doing that. I feel the same way in this industry. The more jobs you get to do in the very beginning, the more tasks you take on at the beginning that may seem menial, really help you understand the nature of the business in a big way. Also, always having integrity and honesty and standing up for what you believe in at the same time are equally important. Is that helpful? Does that answer your question?"

MJ: "It does. Thank you very much. And thank you so much for meeting with me."

LS: "Absolutely. Good luck to you."

MJ: "Thank you, and I hope tomorrow is your last day that you will have to sit there ever."

LS: "Me too. Me too. Please stay in touch, I would love to hear how things go for you. Especially both being from Montgomery, it is not often that I meet people from Montgomery that are getting into the industry."

MJ: "For sure, I would love to stay in contact with you."

LS: "Well thank you so much, I appreciate you reaching out to me for this."

MJ: "Of course, thank you for doing this."

LS: "Hope you have a great day."