I am very proud of the friendship I enjoy with Uwe Kruger. Uwe is a singer, songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire who has mentored me to amazing (for me) musical heights. After two years within the Kruger Academy I approached Uwe with the idea of writing a book about my musical journey with him. The result carries a working title of ‘Simple Truths in Music and Life – A Learning Journey with Uwe Kruger’, and will be available later this year. These simple truths, with their genesis in the study of music, also carry parallel lessons in leadership and life. Let me share a couple quotes to show you what I mean:
- “Don, what do you see when you play that song? Don’t memorize words, discover what you see and the song is yours”
- “You never know what you will evoke in a listener…be careful, performing carries responsibility”
Now let’s look a little more closely at each truth:
- Discover what you see and the song is yours.
For me, the simple lesson here is one of making a message your own. Too often we get caught up simply parroting the words of another. How effectively do you think we connect with others – when we infuse no meaning of our own? First, understand your own intentions in singing a song, delivering a speech or simply influencing someone important to you. Discover what you see when delivering the message and they will be moved. - Performing carries responsibility.
At a music academy I sang a song evoking the image of someone ‘late in the day’ trying desperately to recreate a comforting ritual with a loved one now gone. Over the course of the event I enjoyed countless hugs from audience members telling me how much they were moved by the performance. I felt very gratified – until a man I didn’t know pulled me aside to tell me of his recent terminal diagnosis and how his greatest fear had been exactly that, imagining his wife all by herself at the end of the day. He too was deeply moved by the piece, but I wasn’t ready for his hug and the depth of meaning that performance carried for him. The simple truth? Be careful…performing, leading, parenting, and everything else we do in life that involves another, carries responsibility. It’s quite possible you won’t begin to imagine the impact you can have.
Thank you Uwe for the beautiful journey (and it is not over). Join me over the next several months for many more ‘simple truths in music and life’.
Don Brown
Don Brown dedicates his career to ‘helping people with people’ in leadership, sales and customer service. Bilingual and experienced at the executive and line-level alike, you see the results of his work across dozens of industries, including brewing, automotive, airline, banking and medical equipment.
Speaking, writing, coaching and selling to the best – Ford Motor Company, Anheuser-Busch, United Airlines, Harley-Davidson, Jaguar Cars, Hilton Hotels and many, many more – Don takes great pride in long-standing customer relationships (some running well over twenty years).
