How Leaders Learn

Conclusion

Masterpiece-in-Progress

I like country music. I love its storytelling. I’m inspired by the songs of so many great artists, so much so that occasionally an idea for an opening line or a chorus will pop into my head, and I’ll write it down.

Last year, Wendy and I celebrated our seventieth birthdays and our forty-eighth wedding anniversary. It was a big year and I wanted to do something truly special for Wendy. I decided I would finally do what I’d been thinking of doing since 1983—write a song for her.

I’ve been trained to be a writer for much of my life, but I’ve never written a song. If I wanted to do it well, I needed to learn how. I planned a trip to Nashville—because where else do you go to learn how to write country music—and ...