John Scofield Quotes

Improv relies just as much on listening as it does you delivering dialogue. That's the hard for some people. Some people just concentrate on what they're going to say, and they're not listening. You have to listen in order to see where the other person is going to.

The lifelong goal of an improviser is to listen to what the other person is saying, taking it in, and responding.

The thing about improvisation is that it's not about what you say. It's listening to what other people say. It's about what you hear.

Through improvisation, jazz teaches you about yourself. And through swing, it teaches you that other people are individuals too. It teaches you how to coordinate with them.

Being a good listener is absolutely critical to being a good leader; you have to listen to the people who are on the front line.

I can be incredibly focused, and I can appear impatient. So I've learned to slow down, get to know people, and provide more context. There's nothing wrong with getting to the point pretty quickly, but it's also helpful to give people an opportunity to talk about their work.

Every time you go in to make a record with the same group of musicians, the communication gets better and better. You've got that joint experience, and you learn with every single one that you have on top of that.

Music is like having a conversation. All musicians inspire each other, and they're all geared to play something that matters.

I think the lesson that I learnt very early on was to listen to people you work with, because you're all in it together.

Listening can make the difference between a mediocre organization and a great one.

Many leaders don't listen, and it is one of the greatest methods we have of learning. You need to listen to those under your supervision and to those who are above you.

Not being a genius, I believe in collaboration, and my background as a problem solver means I've never been afraid to work with people cleverer than myself.

I love being in a band. I love that collaborative spirit, although some would suggest that I don't get involved in the collaborative spirit, but it's not true.

The art of effective listening is essential to clear communication, and clear communication is necessary to management success.

I've always been a good ensemble player.

I think team sports probably teach you more about giving - about being unselfish and being flexible.

I guess there's this mind shift that happens once you're on stage. I don't know, chemicals, something happens and you just... I just become completely in control of where I am. And it's all about trusting the people that you're on the stage with, listening... and it just falls into place really easily.

I used to teach improv courses in Amsterdam where we would do team-building exercises, and they can go south very quickly.

I just think that with music, it's kind of like life, and so the people you work with, you generally develop a relationship. You don't have to try to explain things. You just know. It's like you're in the band together and striving for the same goal.

I played on teams with 24 guys pulling the rope one way and one guy pulling the other. I've seen how destructive it can be. I tell them, 'If 13 of you are insanely successful and one fails, we all lose.'

With Pearl Jam, everybody is so good at what they do, it's hard to get up the courage to say, Can I sing this part, or, I want to play guitar. I feel like I have more courage to do that.

A good quartet is like a good conversation among friends interacting to each other's ideas.

I've never had a plan - it was just to try and get with the people you like to play with, and try to do the best you can.

But I just think we've got such a continuity with what we're doing that most people come in and fill in the blanks. And sometimes we leave a lot of blanks to be filled.

What I know about me is that, in order to lead, you also have to know how to follow.