What If John Never Asked Paul?

On collaboration, connection, and the opportunities we almost miss

In 1957, a teenage John Lennon met a younger boy named Paul McCartney at a church fête in Liverpool. Paul was introduced to John's band, the Quarrymen, after impressing someone with his guitar playing and encyclopedic knowledge of rock 'n' roll lyrics. A few days later, John asked his bandmates a simple question:

"Should we let him join?"

It was a throwaway moment, barely worth remembering at the time.

But it changed the world.

✨ The Fragile Thread of Greatness

If Lennon hadn't asked that question — or if McCartney had said no — we'd have no Let It Be, no Yesterday, no A Day in the Life. No cultural revolution wrapped in four-part harmony. No Beatles.

It's easy to think moments like that are rare, reserved for rock icons and history books.

But here's the truth: this kind of moment happens all the time — in boardrooms, schools, offices, Teams calls. And just as easily, it can pass us by.

💡 The Lennon–McCartney Principle

Lennon and McCartney weren't similar. If anything, they were opposites:

• John was raw, impulsive, rebellious.

• Paul was melodic, structured, an optimist at heart.

They clashed, challenged each other, and often disagreed. But that tension — that creative friction — was exactly what made their work extraordinary. Each brought something the other lacked. They didn't just collaborate; they elevated each other.

In your own career, who is your opposite? Who challenges your assumptions, sharpens your ideas, balances your blind spots?

Are you working with them? Or have you let them pass you by?

🕳️ The Missed Opportunity That Could've Been

Let's flip the thought.

What if John Lennon hadn't asked Paul to join? What if they'd never written together?

John might still have made music. Paul certainly would've found a stage somewhere. But the magic — the alchemy — of their partnership? That might never have existed.

In business, we often talk about "talent" and "leadership" as individual qualities. But more often than not, greatness comes from connection — from the right people working together at the right time.

How many projects stall, innovations die, or brilliant ideas stay half-formed because we don't invite the right person into the room?

🎯 The Career Lesson: Don't Wait for the Perfect Moment

That moment in Liverpool wasn't planned. There was no strategy deck, no project brief. It was just one person spotting potential in another — and acting on it.

How often do we hesitate?

• We don't reach out to the colleague we admire.

• We hold back from proposing a new idea because it's not "ready."

• We wait for permission instead of creating momentum.

Collaboration isn't just a productivity strategy. It's a force multiplier — the difference between good work and great work.

🧠 Your Turn: Start the Conversation

The next Lennon–McCartney moment doesn't have to be a cultural milestone. It could be a meeting. A whiteboard. A passing comment in a hallway or on Teams.

But you have to act. You have to ask.

"Want to work on this together?" "Can I get your input?" "Let's try this — just see where it goes."

Because you never know which moment will become the one that matters.

📝 Final Reflection

Ask the question. Send the message. Start the project.

Because history doesn't just happen on grand stages. Sometimes it starts in a side room, with two people — and one simple invitation to begin.

P.S.

One line that says it all:

"Life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friend."
— We Can Work It Out (Lennon–McCartney, 1965)