This essay talks about a music industry leader that I did some research about.

1. Staying Relevant in the Music Industry
Live Streamed on March 10, 2020
Leslie Brathwaite: Mix Engineer
Although, Leslie has encountered tons of challenges since being in the industry, one thing that
can still be challenging at times is having to travel and work in places that aren’t very familiar to
him. During the presentation, Leslie was explaining that he still struggles with all of the change
that comes with being in the industry, but he’s figured out some “cheat codes” that help him
with coping with the changes. (12:00) One of the cheat codes he mentioned was when he flew
out to Miami to record Cardi B’s album, ‘Invasion of Privacy’, he asked them to rent him a
Cadillac Escalade because that’s the kind of car he drives at home. The reason he did that was
because he wasn’t really used to mixing in the Miami studio so by having access to something
he’s familiar with really helped him to set his ground to know that when he drives that truck, it
reminds him of that one at home and he can mix his music better. Being able to figure out little
cheat codes like that one can really help an individual keep some level of consistency when
traveling.
I think that Leslie Brathwaite does lead by example. One example from the panel that shows he
leads by example is during the Q&A session of the panel, a student was asking a question but
while asking the question, he stood up from his seat and walked up to Leslie and Tremaine to
give them each a handshake, which doesn’t sound like a bad thing to do, but then he was asked
to sit down by a crew member and follow protocol rules, he refused to do so and stated that
“he pays a lot of money for tuition.” (27:40) Leslie then proceeds to ask him to please take a
seat and follow protocol, in which the student agrees to. Leslie then goes on to give a tiny
speech to the student and the rest of the students present that no matter what you learn, you
will not be successful if you don’t follow protocol and in life people aren’t going to listen to you
if you don’t do things the right way. I think that is an example of leading by example because
Leslie could’ve easily just ignored the situation and not do anything about it, but he used this as
a teaching lesson and took action to the situation.
Based on my research, I think Leslie Brathwaite can be considered a transparent leader. In the
Leadership Guide by resourceful manager, a transparent leader is basically a what you see if
what you get leader. They are very honest and don’t like to put on a “second face” to the
people they work with and to the people they have close relationships with. Leslie shows some
of this leadership in the way that he works. In the panel, he mentions that he always like to be
authentic, even on social media, because he said he never really got into the habit like other
people to be posting things to “show off” or “flex” on other people. (46:01)
Based on the e3 strengths, I think that Leslie Brathwaite’s biggest strength is that of mentoring.
The reason I believe it’s his biggest strength, is because he loves going to Full Sail and talking in
panels to encourage us students to fight for our dreams. I have seen one of his panel back when
I first started my program at Full Sail, and I’ve been inspired by him ever since. He has had
different panels and talked about many different topics and life lessons he’s learned. I think

2. that him taking time out of his busy schedule to fly to Florida and talk to us students shows
great leadership skills.
References:
Bass, J. (2010 August). The Truth About Leadership: The No-Fads, Heart-of-the-Matter Facts you
Need to Know. Retrieved from https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-truth-
about/9780470633540/
Full Sail University. (2020 March 10). Staying Relevant in the Music Industry. [Video]. YouTube.
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTJ_AmjXwe0&t=349s
ResourcefulManager. (2016). The ResourcefulManager’s Guide to Leadership. Retrieved from
https://fso-lms4-immortal-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/372/20174/cfd56ed5-eaa2-4035-a300-
17f896c7eb85-b503f94b-bb22-4f28-b924-2e605b249704/Leadership_Guide_2017.pdf?X-Amz-
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