Focus Leadership Blog

Name: Shawn Corey "Jay-Z" Carter.

Occupation: co-owner of the 40/40 Club; part-owner of the New Jersey Nets; creator of Rocawear clothing line. Former CEO of Def Jam Recordings; cofounder of Roc-A-Fella Records; founder of Roc Nation.

Career Highlights: Jay-Z grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn and, at 12, shot his brother in the shoulder for stealing jewelry. He also dealt crack at one time, which he explores in some of his later music. When he wasn't shooting his siblings, he was keeping them awake all night by banging on pots and pans. Upon receiving a boom box, which his brother wisely decided not to steal, for his birthday, Jay-Z became interested in music. Before long, he was freestyling and writing lyrics, making cameo appearances on several recordings by mentor Jaz-O, including "The Originators" and "Hawaiian Sophie." After proving himself in rap battles, Jay-Z rose to greater prominence as the hype man for rap legend Big Daddy Kane. His first official rap single was called "I Can't Get With That," and it spawned a career so packed with accomplishments (and criminal charges) that a full listing of them would exhaust both readers and writer alike. Let's just say that Jay-Z is a wide and refreshing departure from guys like Michael Eisner.
Besides, Jay-Z's business accomplishments are of greater relevance here. He started Roc-A-Fella Records with Damon Dash and Kareem Biggs in 1996, and built it up into a profitable subsidiary of Universal Music Group. He is the founder of the urban clothing brand Rocawear  (also with Damon Dash), which he sold to Iconix Brand Group, for $204 million, retaining his stake in the company and his role overseeing marketing, licensing, and product development. He is a co-brand director for Budweiser Select, and is part owner of the 40/40 Club, where this writer once attended a party for the second season premiere of Rescue Me and managed to a) get his belt buckle caught in someone's purse and b) have a panic attack within 30 seconds of entering the club. None of this is Jay-Z's fault, however, and is not intended to reflect upon 40/40 or the impressive catering spread therein.

Dominant Pattern(s): Collaborator. Hip-hop culture values artistic and entrepreneural collaboration, hence Jay-Z's numerous co-foundings and partnerships. His diverse business portfolio qualifies him as a Visionary, too. Jay-Z's a smart guy precisely because he didn't come up in an insulated MBA culture where failure is, to some extent, rewarded. Complacency isn't something you find much of in his career.

Recommendation(s) for Improvement: Organizer. Not that Jay-Z is disorganized, but he has a lot of different items on his plate. The busier he gets, and the more he has to manage and delegate, the trickier it becomes to stay on top of everything. Diaphragm circles and meditation (assuming he doesn't meditate already) would be good for him, and taking up sudoku/logic puzzles would keep his troubleshooting skills sharp.