Louder Still

There’s a story I’ve always loved about a performance of music by Johannes Brahms.

During one section of the symphony, the score instructs the orchestra: “As loud as possible.”

The conductor that evening was the legendary Eugene Ormandy, who led the Philadelphia Orchestra for decades and was known for conducting with enormous physical energy.

When the orchestra reached that passage, Ormandy leaned into it, urging the musicians to give the music everything they had.

Then a few measures later came another instruction in the score.

“Louder still.”

So Ormandy pushed harder.

He drove the orchestra forward with such intensity that in the middle of the performance he literally threw his shoulder out of joint while conducting.

The press had a field day with the story afterward. Reporters asked him what it felt like to dislocate his shoulder during a performance.

Ormandy’s response was unforgettable:

“I know some people who have reached middle age who have never been enthused enough to dislodge a necktie, not to mention a shoulder… so I feel pretty good about it.”

I’ve heard it said that the most important thing a leader brings to an organization is their energy.

Not their title.
Not their strategy.
Not even their experience.

Their energy.

You can feel it the moment a leader walks into the room.

Energy communicates belief.
Energy communicates urgency.
Energy communicates whether something actually matters.

When a leader shows up with enthusiasm, it does three powerful things:

1. It elevates performance.
2. Energy is contagious. When leaders bring genuine enthusiasm, people tend to rise to it.
3. It creates momentum.
4. Organizations rarely stall because of a lack of ideas. They stall because of a lack of energy.
5. It makes work meaningful.
6. People want to be part of something that feels alive.

At ADDO, one of our core values is passion—the willingness to bring energy and enthusiasm to the work that matters.

Not artificial hype.
Not forced motivation.

Real enthusiasm that comes from believing deeply in what you’re doing and the people you’re doing it with.

Because the truth is, a lot of people go through life at half volume.

They show up to work, but cautiously.
They lead teams, but without visible belief.
They pursue goals, but without much fire.

They’re technically present, but emotionally disengaged.

And over time that quiet disengagement spreads through organizations like gravity.

Leaders set the tone.

When a leader is energized, curious, and passionate, it lifts everyone around them.

When a leader is flat, distracted, or indifferent, that spreads too.

Which leads to a simple but powerful question:

How enthusiastic are you about the things that matter most in your life?

Here are a few areas worth evaluating.

Your Work: Do people see that you genuinely believe in what you’re building?

Your Team: Does your energy communicate confidence in them?

Your Clients or Customers: Do they feel that you care deeply about the experience you’re creating?

Your Life Outside Work: Are you showing up fully for the people and moments that matter most?

Because leadership, like great music, is rarely about playing it safe.

Sometimes the moment calls for you to lean in, raise the energy, and push for something just a little bigger.

Sometimes it calls for “louder still.”

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