Principle: Balcony and Dancefloor — Lizard Brain

Observing is a highly subjective activity. But in exercising adaptive leadership, the goal is to make observing as objective as possible. Getting off the dance floor and onto the balcony is a powerful way to do this. It enables you to gain some distance, to watch yourself as well as others while you are in the action, and to see patterns in what is

Since the section had no leader, sky decks served as a natural part of the immune system to foster a healthy and balanced group dynamic. While everyone laughed, everyone also got the message. Sometimes direct confrontation with colleagues is the best path, and other times there are more subtle, comfortable mechanisms to hone a team’s chemistry.

Why don’t you ever see tightrope walkers without long poles? It’s because they’re stabilizers, as critical to the reaching of destinations as the steps taken toward them. And yet, the poles work by feel, not thought: focusing on them risks falling. Temperament functions similarly, I think, in strategy. It’s not a compass—that’s intellect. But it is

How do you get on the balcony to diagnose your organization’s culture? Begin by looking for four cultural flags: folklore, rituals, norms, and meeting protocols.

1. Figure out the group’s default interpretations. If it is not obvious, get on the balcony and track the group’s responses to several different problems, looking for patterns.