Walking around and having timely conversations with young leaders has been a real highlight of the last couple of weeks. It's been tough out there so providing some on the spot coaching, encouragement or idea generating has felt like a different perspective for people who are doing incredible and challenging work. 

One conversation allowed me to tap into a saved resource and idea that I'd stored for just these types of moments and conversations, and that then translates into being shared with you all. 

We were talking through an issue that had arisen and I asked them to consider it from a different perspective - I asked them to look at it from the balcony. The concept and metaphor of the dance floor and balcony in regards to leadership was one they'd come across, understood and liked. At this point the conversation was getting very energised, they talked through the different perspectives and how they were already using those ideas to help them frame conversations and actions they had to take. 

I then asked - do you know where the staircase is?

Moving from the dancefloor to the balcony is all well and good, but how to do you actually do it. You need the stairs. 

This was a recent discovery for me and saved in my memory for just this moment. A podcast from Brené Brown around receiving hard feedback, evolved into talking about the dance floor balcony metaphor and how to move between the two. When she said 'you have to know where the staircase is' my response was the same as her sisters on the podcast, 'no-one told me there's a staircase' The podcast is well worth a listen - if you are short on time, or want to cut to the chase, the staircase conversations starts about halfway through. 

Back to the young leaders I was talking with.....'that's why I'm so tired then - I'm running up and down the stairs'. So the stairs can help us move from the dance floor to the balcony, and also allow us to take our time and be intentional and take others with us. Up and down. 

Brene describes the 5 stairs as 5 C's to intentional walk through to get from one place to another. 

• Colour - what's our why here - what is this all about - give me some colour - why are we doing this?

• Context - what else is happening in the organisation, country and world that we need to be thinking about, aware of or taking notice of.

• Connective tissue - how does this connect with other things we are trying to do, who else is working on things like this, what's that connection.

• Cost - this is more than the money, what about relationships, reputation.

• Consequence - if we do this - what could be the impact, or if we don't what other things will then follow.

When you notice you are in the moshpit of the dancefloor and up to your elbows in everything, grab a friend and take a walk up the stairs to the balcony. One step at a time and check in. 

When a leader is thinking about the plan, project or priority for the organisation or team, it might be time to walk down the stairs to the dancefloor to understand and see the reality of what's happening right now, getting a feel for how it could play out. 

The balcony / dance floor metaphor is credited to Ronald Heifetz and his work on adaptive leadership. This blog post is a short introduction.

Below is a short video introduction to the dance floor and balcony metaphor from the Kansas leadership centre. They also reference the term adaptive leadership.

Working out how to walk between the dancefloor and the balcony is one of the beautiful challenges of leadership. It’s a topic that is perfect for working with a coach or supervisor on. Book a chat with me to find out more.