Over the past few weeks, I’ve gone down a rabbit hole of music from a group called Home Free; that makes me a “Home Fry,” which is what members of their growing fan base are called. If you’re not familiar with them, they’re a five-man a cappella group that first came to prominence in 2013, winning the fourth season of NBC’s “The Singoff”. They have a country bent, though they cover songs from every genre, and their music is just fantastic! Check out some of their most popular covers, including Man of Constant Sorrow, Boyz II Men’s End of the Road, Elvira (with the Oak Ridge Boys), or Children, Go Where I Send Thee (with the late, great Kenny Rogers) to get a sense of who they are. I could offer maybe a million more recommendations, but once you get a taste you’ll likely dig your own rabbit hole as you dive into their catalog.

Each of Home Free’s five members have amazing talents. Tim Faust, the group’s bass, can hit incredibly low notes in one song (I heard him sing a G1 in Ring of Fire) and then turn around and sing tenor thanks to his five-octave range. Adam Ruff sings occasionally, but spends most of his time as the group’s beatboxer, laying down great drum tracks and even branching in to some instruments (he’s known for his “no-monica,” essentially a harmonica sound he creates himself). Other members are similarly talented in their own ways and feature in different songs and change roles as needed.

So why share all of this about Home Free in a blog about career-connected learning?

Every single one of these members is so talented that he could easily go on to launch a solo career based on his individual charisma and ability. And each could be fairly to very successful in doing so. But instead, they chose to come together to create something so far beyond what any one of them could have done alone. Only by working together have they truly reached their shared potential and created something so unique, timeless, and quite often, jaw-dropping.

I think that’s true for many of us. I was a solo consultant for a long time, but it wasn’t until NC3T that I was able to work with a great team, creating something of real value and becoming so much more than I could have on my own. And I see it so often in the schools and districts we work with, people with different skill sets and strengths complementing one another to do great things.

So I write this for two reasons. First, to note that, while we all like to be the star on occasion, our greatest contributions come when working with others who have related strengths and a shared vision. And next, to remind educators that collaboration and communication are two of the most important work-ready skills in the eyes of employers for this very reason: Be sure to highlight their importance and give students ample opportunity to build these skills. When they start their job searches they’ll already be close to being home free!

 

Brett Pawlowski is Executive Vice President of the National Center for College and Career Transitions (NC3T). NC3T provides planning, coaching, technical assistance, and tools. These strategies help community-based leadership teams plan and implement their college-career pathway systems and strengthen employer connections with education. Discover more at www.nc3t.com.