Introducing JosephRupp.org

October 5, 2020

How did the Beatles become the Beatles?

In my presentation titled Hamburg, we travel back to the time the Beatles spent a roughly 2-year residency in Hamburg – from August 1960 to December 1962. I will overlay information gleaned from modern performance research to help answer the question. Of course, we will visit Hamburg to see what lessons the city has for us.

My name is Joseph Rupp, and I am starting a speaking business -- from scratch, amidst the pandemic. So, I’d like to further explain the first program I’ve put together – I’ve called the entire program, Putting Business on the Map and it is a series of presentations I would love to give to your organization. As with any public speaker, the mission is to entertain, inspire and enlighten!

I have been speaking to groups for nearly three decades in my role as regional executive and leader at two fortune 100 companies.

Virtually every presentation I have ever done has connected topics related to sales, service and organizational performance to culture, history and sports in order to create powerful lessons on a variety of topics ranging from performance or change management or team building.

Over the next few video posts, I’m going to give you brief features of the first series of presentations I mentioned before: Putting Business on the Map. Each presentation is named after a world city from Vienna and Zurich to Seattle and New Orleans.

Hamburg, Germany is where the Beatles famously honed their transcendent Rock N’ Roll sound. The presentation has three main characters and one overriding theme around the elements that create great performance.

The three main characters include the Beatles during their Hamburg residency from August 17 1960 to New Year’s Eve 1962; the city of Hamburg at various stages of its history (which dates to the 9th Century when Charlemagne, according to legend, created it in the swamplands of the Holy Roman Empire) and finally Johannes Brahms, Hamburg’s favorite son and one of Classical Music’s all-time greatest composers. Outside of Classic Music lovers, few may recognize the name of Johannes Brahms. But his music is amazing and moments from his youth suggest the seeds of his greatness.

The next set of presentations follow a similar narrative arc: Zurich has not only been an historical financial capital in Europe but four revolutionaries in their respective fields in the 20th century lived in the same air space (not all at the same time) and deliver lessons in innovation: the world famous physicist Albert Einstein, the form busting Irish Novelist James Joyce, the psychologist Carl Jung and the first leader of Soviet Russia: Vladimir Lenin.

The presentation titled Seattle plots the intersection of the technology industry, geography and music in the lush greenery of the Pacific Northwest. Think Amazon, Microsoft, Coffee and Grunge – think Pearl Jam, Soundgarden & Nirvana.

Finally, Vienna tells the story of two more revolutionary figures: Beethoven and Napoleon. Beethoven was born in Bonn, but moved to Vienna, the European capital of music in the 18th century. Beethoven believed deeply in Enlightenment Ideals -- the principles of freedom, science and self-determination -- principles he believed Napoleon represented until he crowned himself emperor of France in 1804. Famously, Beethoven, who had written and dedicated his monumental and revolutionary 3rd symphony to Napoleon, and who planned to call it the Bonaparte, scratched out the dedication and wrote Heroic, or Eroica, in its place.

We can learn captivating lessons which apply to challenges we all face today by looking back into history and exploring the connections through the lens of modern research. Equally, these stories are inspiring and motivational in a unique way.

Business is about people, products, technologies. It is ultimately about organizations, of any size, dedicated not only to generating revenue, but to creating a better world for all the stakeholders involved in the enterprise. Every business can continue to learn from moments in our history where a product launch or a change in philosophy altered performance for the better. There lie lessons for all of us and I invite you join me on a journey of discovery.

Because of the pandemic travel and gathering restrictions, hiring speakers is not on everyone’s mind right now. However, if you would like to engage me virtually, I’m open for business. Contact me on Facebook @iamjosephrupp or my website www.JosephRupp.org or message me on Linked. You can also find me on Instagram at @iamjosephrupp.

Joseph Rupp