How Leading On the Dance Floor Helps You Beyond It

Do you struggle to lead well?

Do you have trouble with communication, confidence, or creativity (or some combination of the three)?

What if learning to dance would solve your problem?

Studying what it takes to be a skilled dancer can make you a more effective leader. In learning salsa dancing, my leadership improved in other areas of my life, including my job. Here are five aspects of the "dancer's mentality" which will elevate your leadership ability.

Quality #1: Command.  You have to take care of the people you're leading and know where you're taking them. In dance, this means scripting the next two or three moves. In work, this involves figuring out the biggest priorities for your team to finish, which is best to review each day.

Quality #2: Confidence. In dancing, confidence comes from having a solid grasp of fundamentals, which includes learning moves and how to recover when you mess up. The same is true for leadership. When you know what success looks like and how to get there, you feel better about yourself. And as the leader, confidence helps you set the tone for your followers. This involves self-assurance as noted above, but not in knowing everything. Rather, this means being confident in your ability to learn, improve, and respond to challenges.

Quality #3: Creativity. The best dancers aren't predictable. Rather, they use variety to keep things interesting for their partners. Even if you only know three moves, you can shuffle them in a way to keep your partner on her toes. The same goes for leading at work. Don't let your meetings become stagnant. Switch up your usual routine by sharing interesting stories, asking pointed questions, and inviting recommendations from the other team members.

Quality #4: Communication. Leaders make clear where the followers need to go, with gentleness. This is true for your job as well. Tying back into Quality #1: finesse is better than force. Leaders are more effective when they guide instead of yank or push. In dance, this means knowing the best ways to give clear signals. In work, this can mean mentioning the destination and asking the other members how to get there. While you might need to increase the firmness of your effort for certain situations, be careful when you do.

Quality #5: Commitment. Messing up doesn't mean you give up. Quitting in the middle of a dance out of frustration is rude. Quitting on your team because you're exhausted is selfish. The best leaders still make mistakes, but they always learn from them. Some even look good when they flub a move.  They also provide the support their partners and teammates need, even when it hurts. If you make a mistake in dancing, you look for the next chance to reset and resume dancing. If you make a mistake at work, you don't have time to beat yourself up for it. Rather, you recover, learn, and resume what needs to get done. The best action is to keep moving, both in dance and work.

Here are some other tips beyond the initial qualities:

Tip 1: Focus on your fundamentals. The qualities of good dancing and leadership don't change. The best dancers still work on timing, rhythm, communication, and footwork. The best leaders serve their people, have a destiny in mind, and inspire team members to follow them with a clear, compelling message. They also give them a sense of belonging and equip them to contribute with purpose.

Tip 2: Maintain a cheerful attitude. Good leaders don't let insecurity become a comparison game for them. Whenever I go dancing, I know I'm never the best dancer on the floor, nor do I focus on that. Rather, the best compliment is when women tell me how much they enjoy dancing with me. Fun is a choice. When I establish a fun tone, my partners enjoy dancing more. At work, I want to be a boss everyone wants to follow. Grousing on legitimate failures and flaws might get people to comply, but no one wants to be around someone who does that.

Tip 3: Understand the cost of inaction. Waiting and hoping a woman will ask me to dance is not the best use of my time. Instead, asking and inviting them to dance creates opportunities for myself. At work, don't expect problems to resolve themselves. You have to be proactive. Take initiative to get to the bottom of things. Draft a solution, then experiment with it until the problem goes away for good.

Tip 4: Find a supportive community. I love being a dancer. I also love being around other dancers because they are fun, creative, and musical. Finding a group which accepts people of all skill levels allows people to be themselves and inspires them to improve.  This is the kind of support everyone needs. Allow for failure, then show them how to improve in an gentle way.

Tip 5: Celebrate every step of progress. Part of being a supportive community involves a great deal of encouragement. I know how much reassurance I needed from friends when I started, and I do my part to help beginners as well. Early on, watching advanced dancers caused feelings of envy and frustration. I wondered if I would ever get to their level. The same is true for people on your team. Affirm them so they don't shut down after mistakes. Then balance your affirmation with challenging them so they stretch their abilities.

Tip 6: Enjoy the process. In celebrating progress, another quality of good dancers is intentional improvement. Dancers not only want to get better but also get excited about how much more they can learn. You don't have to become the best dancer in a day. All you have to do is take time today to become a better dancer.

Transferring leadership principles from dancing to work has some interesting parallels. Even if you never try dancing, you can appreciate how dancing can improve your leadership.

If you're excited to discuss how to apply these ideas in your specific situation, schedule a complementary 30 minute call. What do you have to lose?