President’s Message
I would to share with you something that happened in a 
morning in 2007.
The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45
minutes. During
that time, approx. 2 thousand people went through the
station, most of them on their way to work.
After 3 minutes: A middle-aged man noticed there was a
musician playing.
He slowed his pace, stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried
to meet his schedule.
At 4 minutes: The violinist received his first dollar: a
woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping,
continued to walk.
At 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to
listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk
again.
At 10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother
tugged him along hurriedly.
The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the
mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his
head all the time.
Several other children repeated this action.
Parents, without exception, forced their children to move
on quickly.
At 45 minutes:
The musician had been playing continuously.
Only six people stopped and listened for a short while.
About 20 gave money, but continued to walk at their
normal pace. The
man collected totals of $32.
He finished playing and silence took over.
No one noticed.
No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.
No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the
greatest musicians in the world.
He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written,
with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.
Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in
This idea of having Joshua Bell playing incognito in the
Metro Station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a
social experiment about people’s perception and priorities.
Would people recognize talent in an unexpected place?
One conclusion reached from this experiment was this: If
we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best
musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever
written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever
made….How many other things are we missing as we hurry through
life?
That is the question, I pose to you as a TMSA
manager/supervisor and a Metro Transit leader.
What are you missing when you hurriedly dismiss an
employee looking for support or direction?
I encourage you to take the time and listen, leadership
is all about effective relationships and without effective
relationships, you do not have effective leadership.
When a child can recognize quality and beauty so shouldn’t we?
Steve