Leadership: Opening the Door to Possibility
I have written previously about Tango and leadership in Nov of 2020. Since I view Tango as a wonderful metaphor for life, I find myself drawn to explore this topic again. (If you’re interested, you can find my earlier post here: https://www.regenerate.coach/regenerate-your-leadership/slow-dancing-nov-20.)
Recently in our Tango class, we focused on a particular piece of Tango vocabulary (for fellow Tangueros - barrida/arrastre con colgada) that I feel embodies much of the philosophy of the dance form - deep listening and collaboration, and living in a call and response relationship to your partner and the music. Tango is, after all, an improvisational dance. Just like leadership.
Successfully executing this movement requires the leader to listen deeply for the weight shift of the following partner as they step forward. I have found that deeply listening for that shift mandates the leader be quiet, open, and trusting of themselves and their partner. Cultivating trust is essential for embodied leadership - as much for the individual as the rest of the team or organization. Without trust, it’s near impossible to lead. At best, you end up with a toxic workplace.
As a leader, my invitation to the following partner must be clear. The quieter it is, the less noise, and hence, less confusion there is my lead. Additionally, the quieter it is, the easier it is for me to be with the music, and the situation. If, as a leader, I merely react to the music or to the movement of the partner, my invitation will become harsh and jerky. For me this is a very apt metaphor to reflect on how you respond under pressure. My coaching work focuses on cultivating embodiment for leaders. Being able to respond differently, with more resources, under the same old pressures is one of my measures of success.
The beauty of a quiet, clean invitation is also reflected in how you as the leader move. In Tango as in leadership, there needs to be congruence between your words and actions. As a leader moving in alignment with the values you hold and expect others to uphold is critical. In Tango, this means moving from the midline. By doing so, you honor your own vertical axis. By honoring your axis your partner has a safe place to step into, allowing them to honor their axis. In turn, this enables both partners to honor the third, shared, axis. Like Tango, I believe leadership is a dance involving all three.
By offering a clear, quiet invitation that reflects your values, trust can be built through the congruence of your words and actions. That trust facilitates collaboration. Your self-awareness is reflected by the actions and words of those around you. When you extend from your midline, your center, you invite others to do the same. Honoring your vertical axis, gives space for others to honor theirs, which means the third axis can also be honored - as seen through the quality of collaboration and intentional communication across the team or organization. The way you respond under pressure also informs and shapes the container in which the third axis exists. Honoring the third axis in your leadership can also result in less burnout - for you and your team. With fewer sick days taken, lower staff turnover, costs are also reduced.
I’ll leave you with this: there is a saying in Tango - the follower is the one dancing. As long as they are dancing in rhythm to the music and able to incorporate their own interpretations to the line of the music, the leader is doing their job.
How are you leading? Are you cultivating an environment where your team can dance while you open the door to possibility?