An interesting week has just passed: following another eye surgery, I've holed up in a dark apartment, protecting my eye from painful light. I am someone who craves light, so this was a stretch. Furthermore, a woman of words, I could not read, and I could not write.
What was I to do? I recognized that my surgeon had done his part; now it was time for me to do mine.
I've slept a lot. I've prayed and meditated some. I've watched missed episodes of TV shows and movies. As often occurs, two themes emerged from them all. One was about timing: the Universe has it's own time schedule. The second was about knowing our part and doing it.
Knowing our part, however small, and doing that part is a concept I've addressed many times over the last 25 years. For that theme to come up this week shouldn't have been a surprise, and come up it did, over and again, perhaps most poignantly this afternoon.
Movie viewing this afternoon was the Oscar-nominated documentary, "20 Feet From Stardom," which profiles a handful of back-up singers who performed on many hit songs recorded by a wide range of groups and artists over 40 years. Although most of us couldn't name any of them, anyone who has listened to any popular music genre during those years knows their contributions.
Few have broken into their own stardom, notably Sheryl Crowe and Darlene Love. Their talent is a different one: support and blending is what the stars and producers for whom they performed described. That is a unique contribution to that of the lead singer.
Most of us can think of a number of people in our lives who support us in accomplishing our own roles. Similarly, we should probably be able to think of others for whom we have provided support. Each role is important, and knowing what role we are to play at any time, and performing it flawlessly, defines our success.
A play I saw last week featured half a dozen roles that most of the audience will recall. Yet, those actors comprised only a quarter of the cast. Without the whole cast, the performance would have been shallow and lacking the depth of the message the play was to deliver.
An orchestra which features only first-chair performers is no longer an orchestra: it is a quintet or ensemble. Without second and third-chair musicians and rhythm instruments, the richness of the symphony is erased. Those supporting parts add complexity and fullness.
Oscar season is upon us. A handful of stars will be recognized for spectacular performances, but without dozens of people who support them in getting to the screen, we may never have noticed.
Olympic season has just passed, and for each medal performance there are many others who supported getting the medalist to the platform.
Whether I am performing my role as either a coach or an organization development consultant, my role is a supporting one through which leaders and teams perform more perfectly because of what should be my almost-invisible role. There are times when the trainers get accolades (at performance and rewards season especially,) and my contribution is looked over, that I wish someone would notice what I had done. But that is not my role. My role is to help others succeed and look good.
Each and every role is important. Without each and every one of them working together to create a seamless whole, all others would be less effective.
I would like to think that the world could be a more loving place, and I wonder if each of us is playing our part, however small it may be. There is something magical in how things come together when we are pulling together to the same end. If all if us pull together, could something as daunting as world peace really be achievable? I'd like to think so, but I suspect that there are a lot more supporting roles to be performed to make it happen. If we can pull together to produce a symphony, a pop recording, a play, or an Olympic performance, why not work together for peace? We may not have center stage in global affairs but each of us can play a supporting role in our families, our communities, and in our nations.
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