The Future Is “Yes…And”: Live the Melody, and Love the Harmony

Congratulations to our MEMSPA leaders….You’ve served your people this year, and you’re focused on ending strong!  Check this: Here’s a quote from Priya Parker’s great book, The Power of Gathering :

I once had an improv teacher, Dave Sawyer, who told us that you can tell the difference between good actors and great ones not by how they enter a stage … but how they exit. Good actors enter dramatically and in character, say their lines, and when they're done… scuttle off the stage. Great actors spend as much time thinking about the parting. Great hosts, too. Because great hosts, like great actors, understand that how you end things, like how you begin them, shapes people's experience, sense of meaning, and memory.

Ending the year with hopefulness, trustworthiness, stability and compassion is so important, isn’t it?  As you walk through the days of assemblies, awards nights, celebrations and closing rites of passage, remember that how we show up is so much more important than whether we have every detail covered perfectly! 

 The truth is that our leadership future involves a careful balance:  We need to be strong in our own values and voice;  we also need to “cloak ourselves in courage” of our supporters, and lean on others for their insights and wisdom when our strength is waning.  In short, we want to  “Live the melody, and love the harmony.”

These phrases capture the balance I hope you’ll take some time this summer to reflect on as you move forward: keeping your own voice strong with conviction, while also seeking support from your circle to maintain your strength and experience the power of collaboration.  That balance of self-sustainment and synergy is such a great model for your people! 

Howard Thurman was an American author, theologian, a beloved mentor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and icon of the civil rights movement.  He once said, “There are two questions that we have to ask ourselves. The first is “Where am I going?” and the second is “Who will go with me?”  Both questions are deeply worthy of our thoughtful reflection as we pause during the summer months to refresh and renew our spirits.  

Your story is for you alone to live vibrantly, and you know yourself best.  You get to make the choices that seem right for you and that align with your core values.  Your bravery and courage come from knowing who you are, what you believe, and then living your life in a way that’s seamlessly aligned with your values.

Having said that, your life will be enriched also when you reach out for support.  Our trusted circle comes into play again and again as we share with our “board of directors” our decisions, our processes for making our choices, and our hope for what the future may look like.  We begin to “love our harmony” as our trusted confidants ask us questions, keep us grounded, and help us think about things we may not have considered.  Those conversations can fuel our energy and encourage our hearts.

As you close this school year my wish for you all is that you’ll embrace this “Yes…And”. Be firm in your resolution of your own truth, and also richly blessed by trusted voices who share their insights to help you grow.  Our future is “YES…I’m living my own melody, AND, I’m loving my harmony too.”  

May you reflect and discover who you are and what values you hold.

May you be choose to have the courage to face your struggles and find your strength,

May you be cloaked in courage and surrounded by care and compassion.

 May you meet your own moment as you live your values and offer your loved ones, your community and the world the courage we need.

And may your courage always shine,

Debbie McFalone, Ph.D. 

To register for Debbie’s 2026-27 Monday Messages for leaders, feel free to visit www.LiveWellLeadStrong.com