Two words to help you make 2026 your best year ever: ears up.
Recently, I gathered a few close friends—world-class jazz musicians and big thinkers—for a night of jamming and conversation around creative collaboration. One of them was my longtime friend Jeff Ponders, a killer saxophonist and speaker with a razor-sharp mind for how teams work.
At one point, Jeff said something that stuck with me: the best players don’t just play their part. They move through the world ears up—open, alert, and ready to respond.
You can watch Jeff talking about this here.
On a jazz stage, “ears up” means your attention is out, not in.
You’re not obsessing over your last mistake or waiting for your turn to solo.
You’re listening for what the drummer is hinting at, where the bass player is leaning, how the room is reacting.
You’re tuned for contribution, not self-preservation.
And that’s not just a musician thing. It’s a life thing.
When our ears are down, we’re self-absorbed.
We replay slights.
We defend our turf.
We miss subtle invitations to step up and help.
We barrel through the day with our heads down, trying to “get through the list,” and wonder why opportunities keep passing us by.
When our ears are up, everything changes.
We notice who’s quietly struggling in the meeting.
We hear the unsaid in a client’s hesitation.
We catch the faint signal of an idea before it becomes obvious to everyone else.
“Ears up” is the shift from self to contribution. From performance to presence. From “How am I doing?” to “What does this moment need, and how can I help?”
If you want 2026 to be your best year yet, try living more of your days with your ears up.
To your creative success…
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