Can managers learn anything from the old fashioned tango?
Isn't this musty stuff relegated to dustbins of the previous generation and of
little interest to the modern crop of today's MBAs?
In the
spirit of the carnival season this post is on a lighter note. In preparation
for my upcoming vacation trip to Buenos Aires I have been exposing myself to
the delights of the Argentine tango by way of dance classes. Now, I have never
been really into dancing and so I am pleasantly surprised at the charms, depth
and the unexpected management lessons (!) one can derive from this enjoyable
and occasionally passionate pastime.
NOTE to the un-initiated: Argentine tango is a very
different dance from your typical ballroom, Latin or disco-style dancing. It does not
have a fixed rhythm or a step flow but instead relies on a "close
embrace" connection between partners to execute an individual, free-flowing step
structure nevertheless tuned to the played music.
Leaders lead, the followers follow (and don’t
you try to change that!) - One of the first things you learn from the Argentine
tango is that the dancing couple has prescribed roles (leader and
follower) which are to be acknowledged, accepted and executed each in their own
way. There can only be one leader (one pair of hands on the steering wheel)
with his vision and objectives for the dance (organization). The follower's job
is to be fine-tuned to that vision as well as to the directions coming from the
leader. There is no bigger disaster than the case of followers attempting to
out-guess the leader or impose their own vision in the dance (company). I had
such a case of "founderitis" in one of the ventures I was running
when the founder had a really hard time to let go and attempted to run the shop
from the back seat. This can not be successful and only leads to problems.
Trust and mutual respect are the foundation of a well executed dance :-)
It's about connecting - The most critical part
in executing Argentine tango is to establish a close and firm connection
(embrace) between partners right from the start. The partners need to feel
connected in an intimate way - secure,
trusting and working together. The followers may feel well taken care of, but
led in a firm way.
You don’t tell, you show the direction - As
soon as the movement starts, the tango dance becomes a series of small
collaborative step projects. The leader's job is to navigate the dance floor
(market) looking for free space (opportunities) and avoid collisions
(competition), while tuning the
performance to the music played (economic environment) with an ultimate
objective of ensuring a beautiful and satisfying experience (commercial
success). To execute well, the leaders and the followers need to be
collaborating harmoniously through a series of gentle interactions: the leader
extends an invitation and the follower issues an acceptance moving in the way
and the direction selected.
Listen to the music - Even the best learnt
dancing technique (technology) is useless if it does not fit well with the
music played (market requirements). The leader's job is to ensure that the
partners dance to the music played and do not in futile attempt to force the
music (the world) to fit what they know and do.
Enjoy yourself! - Why do we dance (live and
work)? Beauty, love, romance, graceful moves, scent of roses, fresh-cut grass,
slender limbs, taste of honey, that's the stuff that dance and life is made of.
We all spend most of our waking hours at work. Let’s make sure we make it a bit
more like the tango :-)
PS
I have
stumbled upon this brief video which helps to illustrate some of my points:
If you
would like to see a brief sample of master tango, here is a clip of Gabriel
Misse and his partner Alejandra Martinan. It starts off slow, but note the
amazing footwork as they progress. Most amazing? It's ALL improvised on the
spot (yes, market conditions can change quickly :-)
Finally,
if, after all of the above :-) you are in need of tango instruction, here is a
website of my favourite master teachers:
