We recently connected with Bobby Dutton and have shared our conversation below.
Bobby, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
It starts with curiosity.
I have never been one to simply accept things at face value; I like to understand how things work, and the WHY behind them.
Growing up, I was eager to pursue lots of different directions: Sports, academics, entrepreneurship, music & arts… you name it; I tried it. I had a hunger for life, but eventually it became clear that simply “doing it all” is not a sustainable plan. So I started “stacking” the elements that I was most drawn to — and that’s what put me on my path towards my purpose.
As it turns out, my wheelhouse is where engineering meets art; where an emotional impact can be cultivated through technology.
The first time I felt that I had found my calling was when I discovered DJing. It allowed me to be the performer and the button-pusher; the entrepreneur and the artist. I loved that — and it’s how I got into the world of special events. Fast-forward 25 years, and I’m now running a team (GBM6) that produces some of the most amazing college concerts and events I’ve ever seen. Our mission is to make people happy, through legendary events — and that’s my purpose.
Beyond that (or “above” it, as the case may be), I found my second calling in the sky, and have pursued aviation as a lifelong passion. Today, I’m an instrument-rated commercial pilot, certified flight instructor, and advanced ground instructor — for fun. Flying an airplane is the perfect example of how physics, knowledge, and technique can be applied to create an experience that’s pure magic.
By being intentional about what I chose to pursue — and why — I have been able to carve a path that feels uniquely “me..” I’m grateful to have found that path, and honored to spend my life exploring it.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I run an events company called GBM6 (www.gbm6.com), and we’re about making people happy, through legendary events, based on the statement “music is no longer a spectator sport.”
At first, we set out to disrupt the traditional concert model. While big headliners *can* be the most important part of a show, they can also be the most limiting — especially when the best artists are cost-prohibitive. We decided to take everything that was great about a DJ performance — musical variety, reactive energy, and a crowd-centric approach to events — and make them bigger than most concerts.
We now produce events that are legendary — events that just might be the best night of someone’s life — and we have an absolute BLAST making them happen. We do everything from DJ shows, to major concerts, to immersive, experiential art.
Check out some of our recent projects here: https://gbm6.com/watch-this
I’ve also launched a new business as a professional keynote speaker. It’s called Think Like a Pilot, and I teach people how “pilot thinking” has re-wired my brain to be a powerhouse of productivity and hyperfocus. It has been a really fun journey, and gives people a totally new perspective on how to rise above stress. To learn more about that, check out www.thinklikeapilot.com.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to support the GBM6 team, while seeing what heights Think Like a Pilot can rise to*. (*See what I did there?!)
For a jumping-off point, check out www.bobbydutton.com.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Relentless Optimism
A positive attitude makes all the difference — especially while navigating challenges.
If your life (and your mind) is dominated by things that bring you down, you need to make a change: Be sure to include things that make you happy, and be intentional about focusing on the good stuff. Our brains are evolved to serve up a dashboard of problems that we need to fix. It’s called a negativity bias. Challenge yourself to call out the positives regularly — even if they’re small. For me, a great coffee in the morning creates an automatic positive at the start of every day, and that has become a key ritual. No matter what the rest of the day has in store, it started with a great coffee, and that makes a difference.
2. Aggressive Calendaring
Most people feel overwhelmed a lot of the time. We’re being bombarded by information constantly: emails, phone calls, text messages, notifications… it’s too much. And it’s easy to feel buried
The key is PRIORITIZING. Know which thing is the most important, and learn to tackle each of them one at a time. Get really proactive about managing your time on your terms: Make your calendar look like the most dialed-in version of how you’d like to CRUSH each day. It works.
Pro tip: Start by calendaring your YESTERDAY, and it will be more aligned with your reality.
3. Great Communication
In this information-heavy world, there’s no shortage of content. This means it’s SUPER important to articulate the right message in the right way, at the right time, for the right people.
Pilots are GREAT communicators, and I’ve learned to apply that on the ground, both for personal and professional communication. I manage my inbox very intentionally, and try to keep it concise and action-oriented when possible.
“Wisdom is speaking because you have something to say; Foolishness is speaking because you have to say something.” – Plato
I also make a point to read every night, and I feel like that helps keep my words sharp, my screen time to a healthy minimum, and serves as a lovely buffer between a productive day and a restful sleep.
Do you think it’s better to go all in on our strengths or to try to be more well-rounded by investing effort on improving areas you aren’t as strong in?
I’d rather be great at a few things than OK at lots of them. I’m always most impressed by the virtuosos; greatness happens when the experts are empowered to do what they were born to do.
We live in a world where each of us has unprecedented access to information, media, entertainment, and people. As a result, we expect the absolute best of everything – and in general, we can get it!
Take music, for example: there was a time when the only music you could hear would come from the people around you. Later, musicians would travel, which boosted access to better music. Then there was recorded music, and concerts, and streaming. Now, I can get in my car and hear incredible versions of music that’s automatically curated for my tastes, from any artist in history, from anywhere in the world.
It’s amazing!
BUT, there’s a catch: Those who are most successful – in music or in anything else – tend to be the best of the best. And so, I strive to be a virtuoso (as opposed to a jack of all trades and master of none).
In practice, this means you need to figure out what you love to do, get uniquely great at it, and make that a key part of your work. For the adjacent parts — the ones that you need, but aren’t in your wheelhouse — you need to connect with the experts in those spaces, learn how to speak their language, and put it all together to deliver a service or product that’s unique and exceptional.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bobbydutton.com
- Instagram: @thinklikeapilot
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobbydutton/
- Other: Speaking Engagements: Think Like a Pilot
www.thinklikeapilot.com
Instagram: @pilotthinkingEvents: GBM6
www.gbm6.com
Instagram: @grooveboston
Image Credits
PIzzuti Photography
The Pixel Perfection
Peter J-T Media
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
