Steve Jaeger
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