It’s Not Murder on the Dancefloor; It’s Leadership Lessons

Last night, my husband Robb Coppock and I started our first-ever-to-us-in-over-15-years-together ballroom dancing class at the Community College of Allegheny County . We were expecting a good, if somewhat awkward, time as we stumbled through dance moves. We got that [An aside: yep, we got that ??], but I decided to look past my two… make that three… left feet to what I could learn other than the meringue. I turned my dance class into an unexpected workshop on leadership, teamwork, and the art of staying positive. Take my hand and join me in dance lessons that resonate with professional insights.

Diversity in Motion

As the sole same-gender couple, we caught a few eyes. It was clear we were shaking things up a bit for some of the attendees. The instructor seemed a bit confused at first but quickly accepted us as a couple like any other in the class. But, as the lesson proceeded, what mattered most was the group’s shared goal: to learn how to dance. It felt a lot like a workplace, where bringing different people together can be like new choreography. [Another aside: choreography can be defined as the individual performer’s movements that make up the troupe’s dance. Does that feel familiar?] The real skill of leadership, or teaching a bunch of newbies the meringue, is creating a psychologically safe environment where everyone's unique moves and levels of talent are valued, turning diversity into strength.

Sabotaging the Saboteurs with Positive Moves

I'll admit, my dance moves are more clumsy than graceful. Internal criticism, especially from my Hyper-Achiever [Yet another aside: I call him “The Mean Coach”], was loud and clear - I wasn’t good enough to be on the dancefloor. My Saboteurs were saying I should just sit down to not embarrass myself any further. Thankfully, my Sage and my husband were there to encourage me and help me learn to do better next time. Every time I stumbled or missed a beat, I did PQ reps looking into my husband’s eyes and got back in the groove. It turns out that learning to dance, like leading a team, involves accepting the negative as an opportunity to focus on improvement. Positive intelligence (PQ) taught me to see each misstep not as failure, but as a step towards growth. This mindset is crucial for leaders who aim to foster resilience and positivity in themselves and their teams.

From Awkward Steps to Meaningful Connections

Though the beginning was a bit rocky with some skeptical glances, the class quickly evolved into an opportunity for connection. We met Tanner and Hunter, two people who had come solo and were assigned to dance together. They were very different from my husband and me [Yet another, another aside: Blameless discernment is that they were better dancers than I am], yet we shared a common interest in learning how to dance. We ended up learning a lot from and with Tanner and Hunter. This experience underscores the importance of building relationships and fostering a sense of community. Leaders should encourage connections that go beyond the surface level, recognizing that shared goals can bridge diverse backgrounds and add value to everyone on the team.

Pretty Persistent, One Twirl at a Time

Learning to dance is challenging for me, but giving up isn't an option [The Final Aside: Robb won’t let me (and neither will my Sage)]. This persistence is essential in leadership as well. It's not about being perfect from the start but about continuous effort and improvement. Leaders should be vulnerable and therefore inspire their teams to embrace challenges, learn from mistakes, and keep moving forward, regardless of the obstacles.

What’s Next on the Dance Card

I’m not sure what dances Robb and I will be learning next Thursday, but I do know we’ll be there and learning how to cut a rug and to be better team players and leaders at the same time. Stay tuned for more insights from the dancefloor!