Leadership is Learning to Dance

Leadership is learning to dance.

Leaders develop a sense of the rhythms of life. They get all the partners making the right moves at the right time, choreographing controlled beauty. They glide across the floor, or they fly through the air, hands and feet working together to produce athletic artistry.

Some people lead like ballet, with clearly prescribed steps in specific patterns. Others lead with more abandon, giving each dancer the freedom to showcase their own moves. Some lead in ways that appear to be improvised, but reveal intense preparation and hours of practice.

Leadership is not marching, with each dancer is lockstep, nor is it disorganized chaos. The leaders who inspire me create opportunities for people to listen and creatively put the music of their core values into action, dancing with each other.

Dancing exists only in the present moment. It cannot be repeated or recreated. We can dance again, but we cannot do the same dance. We can learn from our mistakes, and we can try new things, but each dance is different.

When we dance, we dance with all of ourselves. Our arms and legs, our hearts and minds, we dance with all we have. Just like leadership.

We may begin tentatively, gaining solid footing. We develop our own moves. We learn what we can do, and what we need help to do. Dancing with some people is more enjoyable than with others. We learn to recognize and appreciate the beauty of when we are really dancing.

There are times when we dance for joy, and there are times when we dance trying to go faster.

Learning to dance is not only learning the steps, it is becoming comfortable with the moves.

May I have this dance?

Are you dancing to celebrate, or dancing to catch up?

[Image by ausiegall]