I had the good fortune of attending the Lenny Kravitz & U2 show last weekend.  Whatever your taste in music, this “experience” can’t be understated.  From my perspective it is simply off the charts entertaining and they are the only touring act today that can pull it off on this scale. A noticeable element of this “show”? Preparation. You want to engage an audience?  Deliver a compelling client experience?  Convince a community?  Inspire a team?  Close the sale?  Earn that testimonial? Prepare like a professional artist. Put in the hours.  Test.  Tear it apart.  Rebuild it.  Start over.  Add.  Adjust. Adapt. Rehearse. You’ll know when it is ready.  When you and the team have put in the time.  When everyone knows their part. When your confidence is Rock Star. Success often doesn’t come down to the moment.  It usually comes down to how prepared you are for the moment. Preparation is a process.  It requires discipline.  It is always useful to consider your approach. If you skip the choreography, rehearsal and sound check the people you want to impact will most assuredly notice the difference. If you get it just right the impact can be extraordinary. U2 prepared and delivered a surprise to the crowd at Quest Field, Seattle last Saturday night with a video message from Commander Mark E. Kelly. Bono dedicated ‘Beautiful Day’ to Gabby Giffords, before asking, “Imagine a man looking down on us from 200 miles up. Looking down at our beautiful crowded planet… What would he say to us…? What is on your mind Commander Kelly?”