Small steps that count (Dancing & Leadership)

I was at the Fillmore Jazz Festival today. It was a beautiful day and I wanted to enjoy it outdoors. Finding out they had a swing dance floor finalized the decision for me.

I arrived perhaps a couple of hours after they had started. There were only a few people dancing. I joined in, danced with the more active participants, and we started talking about how to get others to dance. I went and asked a few, some said no, some that they didn’t know. So I would ask if they wanted to learn and help them ease through the nervousness, staying away from the dance floor if need be. Soon, even if people didn’t “want to dance themselves”, they would gladly volunteer their friend. As those of us that where there to dance welcomed others that had stopped by to watch, the experience and fun spread.

This feels like how most change management can likely succeed. It is creating the momentum but tapping into what makes people enjoy what they do without pushing their boundaries too much.

One more thing. I participated in my very first dance competition as they didn’t have enough leads. I didn’t rank, nor did I expect to, but I had fun, had the experience, and met some new fun people along the way. After all, isn’t part of leadership development just jumping in?