Yesterday I went to see the remastered version of Pink Floyd: Live in Pompeii – a 1972 film of Pink Floyd playing in an empty amphitheatre in Pompeii.

The group were experimenting with new technology and new avenues. They were curious to create something timeless and pioneering and felt the acoustics and desolate atmosphere of the amphitheatre would blend well with their surreal sound.

As a caveat, I’m not a Pink Floyd aficionado. Whilst I could appreciate the influence of Echoes, the music that opens and closes the movie – on their monumental album Dark Side of the Moon, I was more curious about the words of the band members.

Apart from an amusing few minutes where the drummer, Nick Mason, repeatedly requests fruit pie without a crust, I found the comments from Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour intriguing.

The band were asked about the impact of technology on their craft.

In the ancient Roman amphitheatre, the band members are dwarfed by huge stacks of amplifiers. They’re also using synthesizers and effects pedals to create different levels of richness and textures of sound.

Waters responds with words along the lines of, ‘’You can have all the equipment in the world, but if you can’t actually play it or make something good out of it, it’s useless.” His point is that technology is a tool – the creativity and ability still need to come from the musician.

Gilmour echoes this, saying, ‘’There’s whole sort of snobbishness’’ about the use of technology. He means some people think the use of technology somehow makes the music less authentic. Whereas he sees technology as another way to expand what’s possible, not as a shortcut.

The band was experimenting. They were evolving.

Looking at this through the leadership lens, in any change, we shift some of our style, our behaviour, our ‘sound’, but we keep our core.

Though Pink Floyd has never officially written about its core – what it values and who the band is at heart, we might guess some of them:

Freedom and Experimentation

They pushed boundaries. In the movie, there is a scene where they record a dog ‘singing along’ on a track – another way of describing that sound might be ‘howling’.

Authenticity

They seem to value creativity and absolute honesty, dealing with themes such as greed, mental health and isolation in their work. The choice of Pompeii, a city frozen in time, seems analogous to the themes they explore of mortality, time and the smallness of human life.

Technological Innovation

They use technology as an enabler – expanding how they express themselves, whilst keeping the raw and honest emotion.

Curiosity

They were curious about technology, about society, about all aspects of life, and death – and used music to question and critique, not just to entertain.

Emotional Honesty

Through their music and lyrics, Pink Floyd tapped into feelings of alienation, loss, fear and madness. They explored emotions – never sugarcoating them.

Just as with successful artists, successful leaders are recognized by their core – the values that permeate their leadership and impact their influence.

They embrace tools – technology, data, models, structures – to create results. In maintaining that core, they enable people to connect with them – aligned with their values and ambitions.

And they change, maintaining their core, but expanding boundaries and evolving their sound.

And as with Pink Floyd in Pompeii, they influence without the need for applause.