Find Your Voice
Recently I came across some truly impactful words from a play by Terrence McNally. McNally, one of the great playwrights who deeply inspired the LGBTQ community, blazed trails by being out and proud early in life. His prolific body of work centered on equality, acceptance, and dignity for all.
The play is “Master Class”. If you have not heard of it, it’s a Tony award-winning play from the 90s telling the story of Maria Callas, a world-renowned opera soprano, teaching a class to aspiring singers in her later years.
The words Maria Callas told her students on her last day teaching the class really resonate:
“I want to thank you for your patience, for your kindness, for your attention. I have loved every moment of being here with you. And now, my darlings, my time is up. I must go. But I leave you with this thought:
The voice. The voice. It’s everything. It’s the instrument we have. It’s the one thing we have that’s truly ours. It’s the one thing that can’t be taken away from us. It’s the one thing that can’t be bought or sold. It’s the one thing that’s truly and completely ours.
And we must take care of it. We must respect it. We must nurture it. We must trust it. We must believe in it. And above all, we must find it. We must find our own voice. It’s the only one we have. It’s the only one we’ll ever have.
And with it, we can do anything. We can express our joy, our pain, our anger, our love. We can make people laugh, we can make people cry. We can make people think, we can make people feel. We can change the world.
But we have to be true to ourselves. We have to be honest. We have to be brave. And above all, we have to be willing to take risks. We have to be willing to fail. Because without failure, there is no success. And without success, there is no art.
So go out there. And sing. And dance. And act. And write. And paint. And create. And never, ever give up.”
Not sure it was McNally’s intention, but there are meaningful lessons in Callas’s words that embody what leadership is all about. We all need to find our voice as leaders and do it in an authentic way, since it is really the only one we have. The role of a leader is to find a way to discover their true voice, even when dealing with adversity. As McNally articulates, we can inspire others and “we can change the world”.
It is about being true to ourselves. Being authentic. Being brave to be exactly who we are. Being our true authentic selves will inspire those we lead. Success is about taking the risks to fail which leads to success. Don’t hesitate or hold back. Lean in and lean forward – you will be successful and you will be fulfilled.
Leadership is about finding your true voice but more importantly, helping others find their voice by listening, inspiring, and modeling the way through authenticity. There is nothing more inspiring to future leaders than seeing those who are bold and brave enough to be themselves. By sharing their diverse experiences and perspectives, they are helping others find their own true voice – to be themselves and follow their dreams.
In order for us to substantively advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, we need leaders to focus on helping others – especially those from diverse backgrounds who have faced adversity – find their voice.