As a serial moviegoer, I just love looking for lessons that can be learned for women in business from the story. In my opinion, "20 Feet From Stardom" is not just a 5 Star movie, but a perfect analogy for understanding one's natural role in life. In other words, just because you have the gift of a beautiful voice does not necessarily mean you should and will be a star. The world, in this case the music world, needs backup singers as well as lead singers. The question is which one are you meant to be?

The movie is the story of several backup singers who "live in a world that lies beyond the spotlight" yet whose voices we've all heard over and over again. These singers, almost all women, have sung with all the great artists of our time: Mick Jagger, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Joe Cocker, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and more. Their names: Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Judith Hill, Mabel John, Darlene Love and more, never became household names, but their voices did. One can easily say that as the woman 20 feet away from the star, she made him look and sound great!

So, what does this all have to do with women in business? Well, it is quite obvious that this role of backup has been played in our society by women in business since the beginning of time. In the '50s, she was generally the CEO's secretary which later became known as his executive assistant. I knew my Dad's secretary very well, and I knew that he was lost without her. She not only made sure that his correspondence went off without a hitch, she also organized his files and appointments and just about everything else, that my mother didn't have a hand in. My point is, without his backup, my Dad would have fallen on his face more times than he would have liked to admit. She allowed him to be the star and get all the credit even though his words, and often his punctuality, could be attributed to her.

Today, every CEO has a variety of backup players, male and female. Learning to be a successful backup is not as easy as it might sound. As a business coach, the greatest character flaw I find in some of my clients is the lack of awareness to their true calling.

The question is, are you a leader (star) or a backup player?

Here is my definition of a leader (star):

You are a high energy person, self-motivated and indefatigable. You are an independent self-starter, ready to take risks and be accountable for success and/or failure as it happens. You live life on your own terms and take control naturally, able to make decisions as they come along. You thrive on visibility and seek it at every chance and inspire others to follow you wherever you go.

Here is my definition of a backup player:

You are comfortable following directions and knowing that your work may often be credited to someone else. You are a team player, willing to work hard regardless of what others are doing. You are natural at picking up the slack and are determined to make the one in charge look good no matter what. You love being able to give it your all and then go home at the end of the day without being accountable for the outcome. You know that the focus is always going to be on the person you support and you are just fine with that.

Do you know which woman you are?

The world is not meant to be filled to capacity with leaders. If only leaders or stars walked the earth nothing would ever get accomplished. Backup players are the substance of an organization. Back to our scenario of music, we know that without the backup singers there would be no refrain or chorus. Can you imagine a world without a chorus?

Every song would be just one verse after another without a melody to bring it all together.

So, take pride in your decision to be play backup. Just make sure that you get the respect you deserve for your role in the ensemble.

In "20 Feet From Stardom", each artist interviewed praised the talent, dedication and tremendous personal sacrifice of the backup singers he had worked with. Together, leaders and backups make a better world for the next generation.