In order for change to occur the way a leader envisions, it is imperative to not only see the end goal, but also to work closely with the team to ensure the vision they have is in fact that of the desired change. This closeness to the team can cause the leader to loose site of the original change vision, or even miss identifying the need for change at all. Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky describe this phenomenon in their book Leadership on the Line in their analogy of the balcony and the dance floor. According to Heifetz and Linsky (2002) this skill is called, “getting off the dance floor and going to the balcony,” describing this as “a mental activity of stepping back in the midst of action and asking ‘What’s really going on here?’” (p. 50).
Change requires a vision of The Big Picture. Whether it is recognizing that change is needed or that change is inevitably going to occur and needs to be managed effectively as discussed earlier in Inevitability of Change, having the skill to step “off the dance floor” and “onto the balcony” allows one to see The Big Picture. As Heifetz an Linsky (2002) state, “The challenge is to move back and forth between the dance floor and the balcony, making interventions, observing their impact in real time, and then returning to the action” (p. 51). This is the complexity of creating change Top Down, Bottom Up.
Change requires a vision of The Big Picture. Whether it is recognizing that change is needed or that change is inevitably going to occur and needs to be managed effectively as discussed earlier in Inevitability of Change, having the skill to step “off the dance floor” and “onto the balcony” allows one to see The Big Picture. As Heifetz an Linsky (2002) state, “The challenge is to move back and forth between the dance floor and the balcony, making interventions, observing their impact in real time, and then returning to the action” (p. 51). This is the complexity of creating change Top Down, Bottom Up.