Lessons from the High Priest of Song

As he approaches his 75th birthday, Leonard Cohen, the poet musician, is back on tour and we have a lot to learn from him. As the concerts continue to receive rave reviews for their poignancy and impact on those attending, here are some lessons in leadership gleaned from his Vancouver, BC concert.

For those who don’t know of him, Leonard Cohen has been publishing poetry, songs and novels for fifty years. A product of Jewish Montreal, his voice and words have documented the journey of the human heart for millions of readers and listeners. Over a thousand renditions of his songs have been recorded. At his Vancouver concert, he performed with eight other musicians for a concert which lasted over three hours.

1. Fully Sharing the Stage
Throughout the performance, Leonard gave prominent placing to every musician on the stage. He kneeled before them as they performed. He was clearly moved by their art. And they remained with him and with the audience throughout every note, committed to our experience and sharing the muse. The musicians were his partners.

2. The Power of Jewish Text
Leonard Cohen folds his Jewish lexicon and identity into his words with nobility, humor and grace. Elegantly extracted references from the books of Psalms, Ruth and others prove the resilience of our poetry, regardless of whether the audience knows its source. We have a valuable textual tool on our shelves that we should not let gather dust.

3. Oh, His Smile (and the Romance)
Leonard clearly enjoyed himself, and leaders must do the same. When he sang, “I am the little Jew who wrote the Bible,” or when the audience screamed their love at him, his wry smile infectiously charged the concert hall. Having attended more concerts that I can count in my life, I’ve never heard women squeal like when he sang, “If you want a doctor, I’ll examine every inch of you.”

4. Give Blessings
Leonard Cohen is a direct descendent of Aharon (Aaron) the Cohen, Moses’ brother and the first Jew assigned priestly duties by God. Through the evening, Leonard, true to his priestly lineage and the instructions given to its descendents by God, offered blessings to the audience. He blessed us with the warmth of family and friends. And he blessed those who find themselves alone to find comfort in this solitude. And as he parted from 12,000 lovers, he told us to wear coats since it was getting chilly outside, in an echoey blessing from an ageing priest.

5. Giving More Than Your Audience Thinks You Can
When the third encore rolled around, when our hands hurt from clapping and our eyes were swollen from the tears he drew from us, it became clear that he had won us. “Wither thou goest,” Leonard and his band sang, and we were his followers in song, in heart and in vision. If only Jewish leaders in other realms could do the same.
 

Return to the May 2009 E-Newsletter