Roland Heifetz and Marty Linsky introduce a rather witty metaphor, Balcony and the Dance Floor, in their book “Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading.” A dance floor is sometimes chaotic, and those who keep dancing usually miss opportunities. This is why leaders need to step back for a moment and observe from a vantage point – the balcony, and then return to influence change:
Let’s say you are dancing in a big ballroom. . . . Most of your attention focuses on your dance partner, and you reserve whatever is left to make sure you don’t collide with dancers close by. . . . When someone asks you later about the dance, you exclaim, “The band played great, and the place surged with dancers.”
But, if you had gone up to the balcony and looked down on the dance floor, you might have seen a very different picture. You would have noticed all sorts of patterns. . . you might have noticed that when slow music played, only some people danced; when the tempo increased, others stepped onto the floor; and some people never seemed to dance at all. . . . the dancers all clustered at one end of the floor, as far away from the band as possible. . . . You might have reported that participation was sporadic, the band played too loud, and you only danced to fast music.
. . .The only way you can gain both a clearer view of reality and some perspective on the bigger picture is by distancing yourself from the fray. . . .
* Heifetz, R., and Linsky, M. Leadership on the Line: Staying Alive Through the Dangers of Leading. Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 2002.
I have used this concept in many leadership development interventions because it’s a simple and effective way to explain the need for leaders to become more strategic and purposeful with that they do. Being able to look at the big picture every once and a while is extremely essential. You ought to stay focused on your vision, and at the same time not get distracted by meeting the daily demands of your business.
However, leadership is never about perfection. Leadership is about self-knowledge; you need to identify your own strengths to use them efficiently; and get to accept your weaknesses in order to improve and find ways to mitigate them. Observing from the balcony will not only grant you information on your team members and your company, it will also provide better self-insight.
You need to be confident enough to leave the dance floor and not fall off the balcony. But how are you going to do that?
1- Stop fueling the chaos that already exists on the dance floor. Be confident with your choices and strengths; use them wisely and try to promote working interdependently within your team.
2- Build a team that will allow you to get on the balcony. Build trust and be vulnerable with your weaknesses, and allow them elevate you with their strengths.
Many managers and aspiring leaders fail to become successful due to their excessive pride. They cannot seem to manage their strengths and weaknesses; always showing off their strength and hiding their vulnerability. Such leaders come off as a threat to their team members, and work is usually done out of fear rather than respect and admiration.
This lack of vulnerability and confidence usually fuels the chaos in the workplace, and here’s how:
Team members start to form alliances, and don’t engage everyone; cooperative sense is lost.
Leaders need to have the ability and the willingness to work towards a positive prospect. Perfection is never a prerequisite for success; but with building the right team and, more importantly, developing it, you are more likely to meet your desired outcomes. You as a leader must step out of your comfort zone, face your weaknesses and observe the working environment from the balcony; so you may get back down to change for the better and start working with people, not against them.
Thought provoking article and great use of the dance floor metaphor to draw parallels. 👍🏼 Leadership food for thought, definitely, but this thinking also can also apply to employees as well …to “step off the dance floor” so they too can gain the benefits of seeing the big picture not just their own work in isolation. Thx Zahi great write up and share!
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