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I've had no real opinion about Beyonce. I don't really know much about her. Her music is okay I guess.
Most people say she put on a great show at the Super Bowl last week. I wouldn't know. Not that I didn't watch, I just had no way of telling if that was a good show for her or not.
But I wonder if you heard this story; a story that caused me to admire her and gave a clue, I think, as to why she has been as successful as she has.
You probably heard that she lip-synched "The National Anthem" at President Obama's inauguration a few weeks ago.
She had her reasons.
"I am a perfectionist," she said. "I did not have time to rehearse with the orchestra. It was a live television show and a very important moment for me. Due to the weather, due to the delay, due to no proper sound-check, I did not feel comfortable taking the risk ... so I decided to sing along with my pre-recorded track."
You can buy that or not buy that. Some people are offended by anyone that lip-synchs any time. I lean toward that camp. As one might expect, no matter her explanation, she got blasted and ridiculed by the media for it. This just weeks before she was to take to the biggest stage of all-halftime at the Super Bowl.
What to do?
Instead of cowering and sitting back, letting the events play her and her critics define her, she grabbed the microphone by the throat.
A few days before the Super Bowl, she had a previously scheduled press conference with hundreds of media from all over the world.
She strutted confidently on stage, seized the mike and asked everyone to stand. And there, right there, to the surprise of everyone, she belted out her rendition of "The National Anthem" live...no accompaniment, all by herself.
In her mind, she stuffed their criticism back in their faces, and proved what she was capable of.
The media present gave her a much-deserved ovation. Suddenly the narrative about her changed. As it should have.
It was an audacious move. It took supreme confidence, knowing that any failure or a substandard performance would invite even more ridicule.
Circumstances wanted to envelop her...wanted to redefine her...wanted to begin a narrative of criticism that may have never ended.
But with assertive boldness she changed the conversation.
Success has a lot of ingredients. Hard work, endurance and a little luck to name a few. But audacity, the willingness to risk and to risk publicly, to stare down the doubter's barrel and serve up your best-now that's got to be near the top.
The naysayers will still pelt her for the inauguration. But it won't have the lasting effect they'd like. She seized the narrative and bent it.
You've got to think that that audacity has a lot to do with how far she's come. I do.
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