Something To Think About . .

A colleague sent me this today, which made me think about what we miss by rushing through life without pausing, noticing and appreciating things that in other circumstances and environments we would love and value.

THE SITUATION

In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, this man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.


About 4 minutes later:


The violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw 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 the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without exception – forced their children to move on quickly.


At 45 minutes:


The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After 1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

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 theatre in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

Joshua Bell

Joshua Bell


This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.


This experiment raised several questions:

*In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

*If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

*Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?


One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be 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 rush through life?

Brought me back to thinking about something I wrote last year – see here: Do You Value What’s Right Under Your Nose?

New ReSource hot off the press


It’s been a busy few weeks getting this edition of ReSource off to print, and there are some really great interviews and articles which I’ve really enjoyed preparing.

I also relished designing the fresh summer cover –

ReSource Edition 17

ReSource Edition 17

Some snippets

‘Generation Y’ has featured  strongly, it wasn’t an intentional thing, simply that it was topical amongst the people I was speaking to.

Generalisation about any group is not ideal, and can be dangerous, and we acknowlede that there are always exceptions, yet Don Tapscott, Marshall Goldsmith, Kate Sweetman and Marcus Buckingham are all talking about the differences between this group of 16 – 31 year olds and the ‘boomers’ – the message is that they are flexible, value-driven and aren’t impressed by materialism in the way previous generations have been – they won’t compromise their ideals.

Kate Sweetman talks about the fact that Gen Y ‘s values, needs and wants are very similar to those that women have traditionally upheld –

“I predict that companies that can solve the C-level gender gap will also win the Talent war for the best and the brightest in Gen Y.  What women have always wanted and what Gen Y demands are virtually the same things.”

Don Tapscott advocates listening to young people and acting on their input. He says of the Net Generation:

“they are the first ever global generation, and they are defined by these eight norms. If you are designing a company, a brand, a marketing programme, or a government, it doesn’t matter what it is, these eight norms need to be at the centre of it.”

Marcus Buckingham (in London next week – check out his June 10 event here – ReSource will be there as a media partner) noted:

“All the research that I have seen shows that Gen Y is a ‘volunteerist’ generation, and an optimistic generation, but they are clueless about what it takes to perform”

Marshall Goldmsith has some great advice:

“For young people, my advice is that the world you are growing up in is a much more competitive world than the world I grew up in. Make sure you love what you do, or you are going to be living in what I call ‘New Age Professional Hell’“.

These are just a selection from the host of valuable, great articles covering a range of topics from business leadership and personal success to spirituality and well-being – check out www.resourcemagazine.co.uk and subscribe so you don’t miss out on a truly great ReSource!


Everybody must blog…….

…..Blogging is learning  –
it refines your analytic skills,  your writing skills…
and keeps you abreast of what’s happening in the world.


What’s more,  it’s de rigueur in one corporation, NGenera,  headed by Wikinomics author, Don Tapscott……..

Christine Miller interviews Don Tapscott

Christine Miller interviews Don Tapscott

In my early morning London interview with Don,  his most recent publication, Grown Up Digital, was up for discussion and we talked about the need for a different method of talent management, what’s happening in business education and how to engage the variously named ‘generation Y’ – the net generation, the Millenials, or the young people aged between 16 and 31, now entering the workforce and with very different ideas and values.

Here’s an under 3 minute audio clip (excuse my first slightly clunky efforts at editing!)  which gives a tiny taste of our conversation…..full, fascinating interview is in the upcoming edition of ReSource Magazine.

don-tapscott-blog-post

I have two children born into this generation, and from my experience of them and their friends, they are different in terms of looking for and insisting on certain values being present in the organisations with whom they choose to work or align.

Gib Bulloch, head of Accenture’s Development Partnerships, which provides consultancy services to the Development sector on a non-profit basis,  recently told me that there were more volunteers than placements for consultants willing to take large salary cuts in order to make a contribution, and says  “Today’s consultants are increasingly interested in making a difference, and it’s a win for everyone when our clients benefit from getting our expertise and services at a fraction of the market rates”.

More clips to come….

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