Honoring a Voice
The Cold War had tentacles far beyond the governmental structure of two superpower countries. Following its outbreak in the late 1940s, this unconventional war was marked by a series of pivotal events that had a global impact. There was the signing of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in the spring of 1972 and President Ronald Reagan’s famous speech in June of 1987 when he said, “…Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”[1]
Ultimately, the capstone event occurred in 1991 with the collapse of the USSR. In the middle of those monumental moments that impacted the globe, the construction of Prairieview School in rural Montana was also underway. These two events are more intertwined than you may think. The school was constructed due to the influx of servicemen and women working with the Minuteman Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles out of Malmstrom Air Force Base. It was because of these relocated families that I attended a relatively new school. A school with a wonderful stage in the gymnasium where music class was held twice a week. It was on that tiny stage that existed because of a global conflict that I got called out in front of my second-grade friends for not knowing what this meant.
Apparently, it’s called a ‘Final Double Bar Line’ (I had to look it up on ChatGPT). Ironically, I still can not remember its name, but I can recall EXACTLY where I was sitting and the layout of the music room that fateful day. I’m unsure if the Final Double Bar Line incident is the sole source of my aversion to understanding music or just a contributor. However, saying I am musically ignorant would be accurate and maybe even an understatement.
This ignorance of nearly everything related to music made engaging with The Sounds of Leadership by Jules Glanzer challenging, and I wish that were not the case. Glanzer weaves together leadership within the music framework in a way that left me wishing I could better comprehend his illustrations. While I don’t understand the rhythm of DO – RE – MI, I appreciated his practical rhythm of Listening to God then people, Seeing situations as God does, Learning through ‘composition’ based on what you have heard and observed, Doing through taking action, and Loving others as part of the song.[2] These five key leadership points are as fundamental to leadership theory as DO -RE – MI is fundamental to music theory.
Glanzer has significant points of connection for my NPO with ‘challenging the status quo’ in chapter fourteen and listening to the Voice of One in chapter five. He also explores the ‘private and public leader as one’ in a way that connects with the rhythm of music. [3] [4] I also appreciated Sweet’s emphasis in the Overture on the translators of the King James Bible, and their attention to the idea that ‘meaning and sound were connected’.[5] This meaning/sound connection struck me deeply when considering which voice to “honor”.[6]
The way honor sounded in the context “Voices that move your organization toward fulfilling the preferred future and desired reality should be honored” seemed to fall short. While I agree with this concept, and quote Peter Drucker to the same end in my Exploratory Essay, I am left pondering what is not said.[7]
- What if the voices are worthy of honor, and it’s the preferred future that is off target?
- Is the antithesis of ‘honor’ the only remaining option for undesired voices?
With a propensity for bias and misinterpretation, leaders must be open to evaluating voices with an awareness of our System 1 tendencies. [8] [9] To complicate matters further, this evaluation must also be tempered by an openness to the fact that the Voice of One may be leading in a non-conventional way. [10] Secondly, a clear distinction must be upheld between the sound of the voice and the source of the voice. While the sound and the source are distinctively different, they are interconnected in a way that allows for the rapid exchange of emotion. Just as a musician can be negatively impacted by the disregarding of their music, so an individual can be negatively impacted by the disregarding of their idea or viewpoint. An intentional balance must be struck that acknowledges, “People like to be treated with respect, dignity, and value.”[11] Camacho would likely take that statement one step further and suggest that deep listening is not only something people ‘like’ but a key part in helping them flourish.[12] It’s this deep listening and valuing of the individual that can allow them to feel honored, even in the dismissal of their vocalized perspective or idea.
If I had known what that double bar thing was back in second grade, I would have likely overlooked Glanzer’s concepts around honor and instead hummed along with his musical illustrations.
[1] “‘Tear Down This Wall,’” National Archives, August 15, 2016, https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2007/summer/berlin.html.
[2] Jules Glanzer and Leonard Sweet, The Sound of Leadership: Kingdom Notes to Fine Tune Your Life and Influence (Invite Press, 2023), 4–7.
[3] Glanzer and Sweet, 49.
[4] Simon P. Walker, Leading Out of Who You Are: Discovering the Secret of Undefended Leadership (Piquant Publishing, 2007), 28–29.
[5] Glanzer and Sweet, The Sound of Leadership, xviii.
[6] Glanzer and Sweet, 22-23.
[7] Breaking Through: Threshold Concepts as a Key to Understanding | Robert Coven | TEDxCaryAcademy, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCPYSKSFky4.
[8] Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow, First Edition (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013).
[9] David Rock, Your Brain at Work, Revised and Updated: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long, Updated edition (New York, NY: Harper Business, 2020).
[10] Isaiah 55:8-9 KJV
[11] Glanzer and Sweet, The Sound of Leadership, 53.
[12] Tom Camacho, Mining for Gold: Developing Kingdom Leaders Through Coaching (La Vergne, UNITED STATES: Inter-Varsity Press, 2019).
About the Author
Darren Banek
3 responses to “Honoring a Voice”
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Hey Darren,
I read your blog post when I saw your comment on mine, to maybe get a little more context on where you’re coming from.
It is a difficult road you are on, to discern the voices, as Glanzer describes. “Whose preferred future?” is a really important question.
What does your fellowship practice to discern together?
You are not alone in misunderstanding the concept of a final double bar line. I immediately went to a double arm bar, which is a wrestling move that is difficult to perform legally and even more difficult to escape.[1] Wrong analogy!
I found your post to be quite thought-provoking, particularly the two questions. What is the antithesis of honor? ‘Shame’ immediately comes to mind, though ‘cancel’ is probably our modern day approach to silencing the voice.
Here is my question. What does the leader do if their voice is the undesired one? Glanzer talked about majority, loud, and passionate do not equate to being the right voice.[2] Joff asks about discerning which voice is right. Assuming that discernment aligns with the leader’s view, how does the leader move forward? I preference is to resort to logic and facts, yet Duffy says “we can’t always solve delusions with more facts alone.”[3] What works for you?
[1] Joe Scioli, “Double Bar Arm Pinning Combination,” YouTube, accessed April 11, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiHhTssegwY.
[2] Jules Glanzer, The Sound of Leadership, 20.
[3] Bobby Duffy, Why We’re Wrong about Nearly Everything: A Theory of Human Misunderstanding, First US edition (New York: Basic Books, 2019) 237.
Thanks for sharing this post, Darren. I have also observed that in an organization, some voices may not be heard because they are overpowered by others. How might a leader create this balance to ensure a healthier organizational culture? Sometimes, the quiet voices are actually the ones who can challenge the status quo.