Life is a dance...
There are many analogies for life. One that I particularly like is Life is a dance. ?In the dance of life you need three to tango.. the dancer, the dancefloor and the drumbeat.
Of the three the dancer is the most important as they have the capacity to adapt to changes on the dance floor or the drumbeat. The goal is not to be the best dancer on the dancefloor but rather the best dancer you can be.
In the course of my dance, I would like to share some lessons gained over 25 years on the corporate dancefloor dancing to different drumbeats.
1.?????Dance to your own drumbeat - ?We are all in the same dance, but we are different dancers. The best dancers find and dance to their own drum beat. I like to think of my drum beat as my purpose which serves as my North star through the seasons of life. My purpose is to “inspire others to greater heights” and I believe that we all have the potential to achieve whatever we set out to achieve. Find your drum beat and dance to it.
2.?????If you stumble make it part of your dance- In the course of the dance of life you will stumble and when you do, make it part of the dance. Embrace unforeseen challenges as part of the journey and keep dancing. In 2020, the world stumbled with the Covid pandemic- those who adapted fastest to the changes on the dancefloor and made it part of the dance by leveraging technology continue to emerge stronger.
3.?????If you fall, TRY again- At some point in the dance you may fall. If you fall, shake it off and TRY again. TRY means- Time to Reinvent Yourself.
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While you do not need to fall to reinvent yourself, you should always seek opportunities to pivot and do things differently. ?Over the course of my career I have had several opportunities to reinvent myself after a fall. It may be difficult during the fall but getting perspective and support from your trusted advisors will help you as you reinvent yourself.
4.?????Learn as you go- On the dance floor you learn as you go. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow. The best dancers continuously sharpen their skills and build their capacity to adapt to changes in the dancefloor or the drumbeat. The quest is to be a better dancer today than you were yesterday as you build new skills for tomorrow.
5.?????Be Unstoppable-Believe in yourself and you will be unstoppable. Unleash your potential and be the best dancer you can be. You can do this by Adapting your mindset for full potential, Believing in yourself and Creating possibilities for yourself and others. Ultimately as leaders our greatest responsibility is to inspire others to be the best dancers they can be. At times we challenge mindsets, other times we encourage others to believe in themselves and we help create new possibilities. In the movie the Bucket List, there is a quote on life that says “you measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you”- this is just as true for leadership and dance.
What are your lessons from the dancefloor?
Manufacturing Director at Coca Cola Kwanza Ltd
3 年Thanks Andrew for sharing, my take here is relax while dancing and observe others the way they react to drum beats and the changing dancing floor, do not be rigid to adopt other styles but keep in mind not all styles will suit your dancing need. Keep practicing before exposing yourself on the floor and have a reflection time, "am I aligned to the tune" if not why not changing, if yes what improment is needed.
CEO, The Collective - Digital Ad Agency
3 年Finding the rhythm and sticking to it is crucial, especially for getting everything to move in harmony.
An Unstoppable Force for Good ? Founding Partner: Empower ? Visionary Entrepreneur ? Seasoned Board Director ? A Servant Leader ????
3 年Like music, life is eclectic - my key takeaway is the fact that we (dancers) are all dancing to different songs ??
Executive Chairman & Director
3 年Thanks for sharing Andrew. Dancing to your own drumbeat or knowing why you are dancing is key. Once this is clear, what remains is selecting the dancefloor then dancing away. Seeking to be the best you can as opposed to dancing better than others is freedom! The dancing style may have to be measured though, guided by your principles / values.