In September 1976, four teenagers in Dublin, Ireland, crowded into the Mullen family’s kitchen for their first rehearsal as a band. Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. still play together, in the same roles they held that first day. Fifty years, same four members. Most bands are fortunate to survive a single decade. On Sept. 25, U2 marked its golden anniversary by returning to its roots and playing for students at Mount Temple Comprehensive School, where the four met, and later surprised thousands of fans by performing from a balcony above Dublin’s Grafton Street. A new album, “Carnaval De Luz,” arrives on Friday.
U2 has not just survived; it has thrived, winning 22 Grammy Awards, the most of any group, and staging some of the highest-grossing tours in history. As David Marchese observed in a recent interview with Bono and the Edge in The New York Times, few other rock acts have reached that level of acclaim. What may be unmatched is that the same four people earned it all together.
What can the rest of us learn from U2’s story? The answer to how the band has lasted is the same answer that helps any team thrive: U2 has a connection culture.
A tale of two bands
To appreciate what U2 has sustained, consider another band with comparable talent but a very different culture: The Eagles. In the 1970s, the band recorded hit after hit, including “Take It to the Limit” and “Hotel California.” But behind the scenes, ego and resentment were building. Within the first decade, a fifth member joined, and two founding members were replaced.
The breaking point came on July 31, 1980, at a benefit concert in California. Glenn Frey and Don Felder spent the set trading threats about the beating they planned to give each other afterward. The band stopped working together. Don Henley reportedly said The Eagles would reunite only when hell freezes over. It took 14 years. When they finally regrouped in 1994, they called the reunion album and tour “Hell Freezes Over.”
The reunion was a commercial triumph, but the culture had not healed. Frey and Henley now took a larger share of the profits, which had once been split equally. Felder, who had rejoined for less money, expecting a later renegotiation, was fired in 2001 and sued. Think of what was lost: fourteen years of The Eagles as a band during some of the most productive years of these musicians’ lives. Talent was not the issue. Culture was. When people feel controlled, unappreciated, undervalued or unheard, even the most gifted teams come apart.
Vision: Embracing a shared purpose bigger than fame
A connection culture is created when leaders communicate an inspiring vision, value people and give them a voice. The connection culture element of vision comprises mission, values and reputation. It creates a shared identity, and U2’s has been remarkably durable.
You might expect a band’s mission to be hit records and sold-out stadiums. U2’s mission has always been to improve the world through its music and influence. The band’s songs take on human rights, social justice and matters of faith. Bono has described himself as a traveling salesman of ideas wrapped in songs. For example, sensing that many people today feel anxious, lost and isolated, the band set out to make “Carnaval De Luz” a counterweight: a celebration that brings people together around shared hopes. Bono calls it defiant joy. It is not denial of the darkness, the Edge explained, but looking it in the face and still choosing joy.
U2’s vision includes a standard of excellence. Bono describes it as a desire to reach the band’s own potential, not envy of what others have. As teenagers, the four made a pledge never to walk onto a stage without giving everything. Leaders can give their teams the same: a mission, values and reputation that inspire and unite them through contributing to the greater good.
Value: Caring for one another as people
Valuing people creates shared empathy, and U2’s story is full of it. When Larry Mullen Jr.’s mother was killed in a car accident, Bono, who had lost his own mother at 14 and grieved largely alone, reached out to console Larry, and the two became close friends. When an early record deal offer required replacing Larry with a more conventional drummer, Bono told the executives, in effect, to shove it.
The band has rallied around its members in hard times, putting the person ahead of the band’s performance. They supported the Edge through a painful divorce and Adam Clayton through his recovery from addiction. Leaders who show up for colleagues in hard times convey to them that they matter as people, not just as performers.
Few things tell people they are valued more clearly than being respected and recognized, a lesson The Eagles learned the hard way. Bono consistently praises his bandmates and credits them as essential to his success. He has called U2 the best example he knows of how to rely on others. U2 has reportedly long split its earnings equally among the four members and their longtime manager. Leaders can follow Bono’s example by praising colleagues’ contributions and sharing credit and rewards fairly.
Voice: Arguing well and deciding together
Giving people a voice creates shared understanding, and U2 does this through a participative, consensus-oriented approach.
If any member strongly opposes a proposal, the band will not move forward with it. That does not mean U2 avoids conflict. The members argue relentlessly about their music, which reflects their passion for excellence. Bono has acknowledged that the process can be frustrating, but the band considers it necessary. As the Edge told The New York Times, the band has learned that an argument usually signals that something is not quite right yet. What matters is that the arguing serves the work rather than wounding the relationships. Leaders who make important decisions collaboratively and welcome healthy disagreement about the work get better decisions and stronger commitment.
U2 also listens to outsiders. U2’s newer managers challenged the band to show up in unexpected places to reach new listeners. All four were open to the ideas, including Larry, who said he was suspicious but listening. After 50 years, that humility to keep learning may be the most impressive thing of all, and any leader can practice it by staying open to fresh ideas from inside and outside the team.
Being intentional about connection
The Eagles and U2 both have talent. The difference is culture. One band let ego, resentment and control break it apart for 14 years. Today, only two members from the 1970s, Don Henley and Joe Walsh, remain in the group. The other band has remained connected for 50 years by intentionally living out vision, value and voice.
Vision + value + voice = connection. Imagine what your team could accomplish if it were still creating together and still getting better in years to come.