Authentic leaders match their behavior to their context. They do not burst out with whatever they may be thinking or feeling. They understand how they are being perceived. ~Bill George
After this past week, I was at a loss for how to address the topic of leadership. A country starkly divided, people living in fear, harsh and hateful words painted on walls, social media posts riddled with hurtful and mocking statements, etc. Where is leadership in the midst of all this turmoil?
Then, I went to a concert at Symphony Center Sunday afternoon. This was a solo pianist concert by Jeremy Denk. A musician I was completely unfamiliar with but the concert was part of the subscription package I purchased months ago.
The program we received as we entered the auditorium included an insert with a revised program. At the top of the revised program it included this statement: “Due to unexpected circumstances, Jeremy Denk has revised the first half of his program and will not perform Phrygian Gates by John Adams.” My first thought was, this is a solo performance, how could “unexpected circumstances” change the program if only one person is performing?
Jeremy performed the first piece and then took the mic to explain the “unexpected circumstances.” He apologized for changing the program at the last minute and then said, “I didn’t sleep very well last week.” He said given how last week played out, his original program was too serious. Instead, he replaced the Adams piece with seven ragtime pieces, which he emphasized are based on syncopation. If you’re not a music buff, here’s the definition of syncopation.
A shifting of the normal accent, usually by stressing the normally unaccented beats. More simply, syncopation is a general term for a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm.
Brilliant!
He performed the seven “replacement” pieces and the mood in the auditorium shifted. The response was a standing ovation, which in my experience is not typical in the middle of a program at Symphony Center.
I asked myself, what did Jeremy just do, because I think that was leadership?
- He acknowledged the atmosphere, the elephant in the room, he didn’t try to pretend it didn’t exist.
- He saw the need to alter his plans to align with what people were experiencing. He matched his behavior to the context.
- He altered his plans in a way that was authentic, unpretentious, and gracious.
As I walked home along Michigan Avenue, I heard people talking about his altered program. He literally lifted people’s souls when they needed it most. That is leadership.