Your calendar resembles a barcode. Meeting after meeting blurs together as you race from crisis to crisis, inbox perpetually exploding. Sure, you're executing rapidly - but when was the last time you actually saw the patterns causing these fires? This is the paradox of modern leadership: being so consumed by the dance that you can't see the choreography. How can you be deeply involved in the work while maintaining the perspective needed to see the bigger picture?
The Balcony-Dance Floor Framework
The metaphor of "the balcony and the dance floor" elegantly captures this leadership dilemma. As Jodie Goulden recalled in a recent The Organization Design Podcast episode, she was inspired by Beth Gunderson's presentation at the 2024 ODF conference:
"She (Beth) talked about the balcony and the dance floor... So if you are right in the thick of things in your job, you're fighting fires, you're dealing with seventeen different crises at once, people are coming to you, you've got a full email inbox... then you're on the dance floor, right? You're right in there, in the midst of everything. And there's times at which you can stand on the balcony and look at what's going on (on the dance floor) and see things from that helicopter view - and that's when you can understand the situation better."
This powerful metaphor provides a lens through which leaders can understand their dual responsibilities:
- The Dance Floor: Where the action happens. It's immersive, fast-paced, and detail-oriented. Leaders on the dance floor are deeply engaged with their teams, solving immediate problems and driving execution.
- The Balcony: The strategic vantage point. From here, leaders can observe patterns, identify systemic issues, and see the whole organizational ecosystem at work.
The most effective leaders develop the ability to move fluidly between these two perspectives, knowing when to dive into the details and when to step back and take in the bigger picture.
The Challenge of Perspective
For many leaders, particularly those who rose through the ranks based on their operational excellence, the dance floor feels like home. As Dr. Christopher Worley, professor at Pepperdine University and organization design expert, observed in his 2024 podcast interview:
"I make fun of executives because I'll look at over their shoulder at their Outlook calendar... that looks like a barcode for some grocery item in the store, right? And I kind of look over their shoulder and say, where is the space in that day for you just to think about the organization?"
This calendar "barcode" phenomenon reflects a common leadership challenge: finding the time and space to shift from dance floor execution to balcony reflection. Without deliberate effort to create this space, leaders risk becoming trapped in perpetual firefighting mode, unable to see the patterns and systemic issues that might be causing those fires in the first place.
Image credit: Created by the author.
The Value of Dual Perspective
While it might be tempting to simply delegate either the dance floor or the balcony perspectives to different leaders, Goulden makes a compelling case for why every leader needs both:
"As a consultant, you come in and you do have the chance to look at things from the balcony, but you won't understand it properly unless you've got the experience of being on the dance floor, in the thick of things."
This insight applies not just to consultants but to organizational leaders at all levels. Understanding the day-to-day realities of your organization provides crucial context for strategic decisions, while the balcony perspective ensures that daily activities align with broader organizational goals.
Creating Balance: Practical Approaches
How can leaders effectively balance these dual perspectives? Drawing from the insights of organization design experts, several strategies emerge:
1. Schedule Dedicated Reflection Time
Block time on your calendar specifically for "balcony" thinking. Even 30 minutes of uninterrupted reflection can yield valuable insights when done consistently. As Worley challenges: "If you don't have time [to think about the organization], who does?"
2. Engage Multiple Perspectives
Jardena London, an organization design expert specializing in Agile transformations, emphasizes curiosity as a leadership capability:
"The magical antidote for all soul crushing things is curiosity. And I'm a curious person. So, even if it hurts my feelings, I'm still curious. But I think, that's what leaders really need to lean into is, getting curious." (The Org Design Podcast, Feb 13th 2025)
This curiosity naturally leads to seeking diverse perspectives from throughout the organization, helping leaders develop a more comprehensive view.
3. Build Trust Through Vulnerability
Moving between the dance floor and the balcony requires trust. Team members need to feel safe sharing honest feedback about organizational challenges, and leaders need to trust their teams enough to step away from day-to-day operations periodically.
As Dr. Worley explains:
"Trust is the flip side of risk. You build trust quickly by taking little risks... I'm going to put a little something out there, see if it makes sense to you. It might be a risk. It might be a risk to me....but it might be a risk to you. Who takes the first risk? It's got to be the leader."
This vulnerability might involve acknowledging areas of uncertainty, admitting mistakes, or expressing concerns about organizational challenges.
4. Create Space for Others to Contribute Insights
Jodie Goulden suggests a practical approach for leaders without access to external consultants:
"Bring your team together in a workshop and create some space to listen to the different perspectives on the organization. Set up a space... do a diagnosis by asking people to put down their thoughts on what are the things that are helping us to get our work done in our organization today? What are the things that are stopping us?"
By facilitating these conversations, leaders can tap into the collective intelligence of their organization while simultaneously building the trust needed for effective change.
Shifting from Direction to Conditions
Perhaps the most profound insight about leadership balance comes from Jardena London, who suggests a fundamental reframing of the leadership role:
"Leaders are responsible for creating conditions for soulfulness... Not so much directing work, but making sure that we have the conditions in place for work to get done. So, that's the shift I talk to leaders a lot about... stop focusing on the work and the status, but more about the conditions. Like, what's blocking people? What's frustrating people? And removing those obstacles."
This shift from directing work to creating conditions represents a mature evolution of leadership thinking. It acknowledges that in today's complex organizations, no single leader can understand or control all the details. Instead, leaders create the environments where great work can happen organically.
Embracing Both Perspectives
The dance floor and the balcony aren't separate leadership responsibilities—they're complementary perspectives that inform each other. The details observed on the dance floor provide crucial context for balcony-level strategic thinking, while the patterns visible from the balcony help prioritize and direct dance floor activities.
As seasoned HR executive Pallavi Srivastava, who spent many years at IBM, emphasizes:
"Leaders need to be very clear and communicating what is the strategy and why is the strategy making sense for the organization at this point of time." (The Org Design Podcast, Jan 30th 2025)
This clarity about strategic direction—developed from the balcony—provides essential context for dance floor execution.
Image credit: Created by the author.
The Rhythmic Dance of Leadership
The most effective leaders develop a rhythmic dance between these two perspectives, knowing when to immerse themselves in operational details and when to step back for strategic reflection. This balance isn't achieved once and maintained forever—it requires ongoing attention and adjustment.
In today's environment of continuous transformation, the ability to move fluidly between these perspectives becomes even more critical. As Dr. Worley observes:
"The problem is those disruptions now are getting closer and closer together... people get tired of change. Because somebody told them it was going to be over... I think one of the things we have to start doing is telling people change is now normal."
In this context of ongoing change, leaders who can balance dance floor engagement with balcony perspective are best positioned to guide their organizations successfully. They connect strategic vision with operational reality, creating a coherent experience for their teams while maintaining the flexibility to adapt to an ever-changing environment.
The dance continues—and the best leaders know exactly when to join it and when to watch from above.
Follow The Org Design Podcast on Spotify and Apple.
The Org Design Podcast is produced by Functionly, a workforce planning and transformation tool that helps leaders make important decisions. Try it free today.
