The Music of True Leadership

My Mom was nearing the end of her life. In her youth, she sang with Eddie Fisher on the radio and also had a love for music. In preparing her funeral ceremony, it was clear that music should be a part of it.  

I reached out to a man whom I had met only a few times that I knew played violin. It took some courage on my part, but I asked him if he would play a song at my mom's funeral. He graciously said yes. The song I asked him to play was Hatikva, Israel's National anthem.  He wasn't familiar with it, but I sent him the music and a video of a violinist playing it.    

Later that same day, he reached out to me and asked, "Where does your mom live?"  I said. "She lives nearby."  He said, "We must go play it for her right away".  I gave him the address and met him there.

My mom was awake and well enough to receive his visit. Raymond (the violinist) showed up in a suit and played her the song he just learned how to play that day. She loved that he dressed in a suit for the occasion, and she sang along while he played.

This gesture by Raymond to want to play the song for her while she was alive and making the effort and taking the action to do so, was true leadership in action.  He took an ordinary request and did more than was asked - coming from a place of love with a desire to honor my Mom, Rivian Marcus. Ray is a living example of what it means to be on the leading edge of leadership.   

Written by Evan Marcus