I recently got a surge of professional inspiration from just about the least likely source. A music producer friend of ours had been really inspired by the collaboration of bluegrass artist Alison Krauss and legendary rocker and Led Zeppelin front-man, Robert Plant. Our friend brought over a DVD copy of the CMT Crossroads show featuring their performances and interviews. My husband an I had heard a couple of the hit singles off of the groundbreaking album and liked it, but left it at that. Well, we watched the show and decided we liked what this unlikely duo was doing musically. Then came Plant’s interview. One of the first things he said was this: “It’s been such a learning curve to be part of something that’s not part of a masculine projection.”

What? The self-proclaimed Golden God of rock said that? Yes, he did. I was beyond intrigued. I was instantly smitten and set on learning more about this metamorphosis. Well, open yourself to synchronicity and you shall receive. We got a call the very next day from a friend offering us free tickets and backstage passes for the show. Needless to say we went and were blown away. The entire performance was, for me, a metaphor for the statement Plant had made during that interview.

There were clearly die-hard Led Zeppelin fans in the crowd. Easy to spot, they were screaming and yelling, just begging for the antithesis of what the collaboration with Krauss is all about. It was obvious that the “Golden God” is still quite capable of delivering that kind of performance; he simply chooses not to do so…at least not for now, not while sharing the stage with musicians and a producer (T-Bone Burnett) for whom he obviously has so much respect. While he spent plenty of time front-and-center, seeing him also stand in the background and sing perfect three-part harmony while Krauss took center stage spoke volumes about the inherent power, truth, and beauty in being part of a larger organic whole that delivers a message far beyond what you could ever deliver on your own, driven by ego…regardless of how creatively genius that ego may be.

So the inspiration? The lesson in this for me? I guess I would say this about it. It takes a lot of guts to let yourself change, to evolve, no matter who you are. When you are an icon–a leader–of any sort, though, I would imagine that it takes complete and utter faith in the process itself and in what you have to offer and absolute faith in the team in which you immerse yourself. What I take from this experience is that we all have the capacity to grow and change to bring to fruition untold impact on those who are watching our every move. And as a leader in any field, sometimes the most inspiring and powerful form of leadership comes in immersing yourself in your team or simply standing back and letting others shine.