The Correction Is a Gift
Why a dancer thanks the teacher for a correction, and what that teaches about giving and receiving feedback with grace.
Read the essay →Leadership
Leading, people first.
I lead the way I try to dance: with discipline, attention and a great deal of care for the people beside me. These are the principles I keep returning to.
My philosophy
Leadership is a practice, not a position.
I think of leadership the way I think of ballet: as something you practise every day, never something you finish. The title matters far less than the habits. How do I listen? How do I respond when something goes wrong? Do the people around me feel trusted, steady and seen?
Being a people-first leader, to me, means believing that when people are cared for well, they do their finest work. Standards, systems and strategy all matter. They simply work best in service of people, and never at their expense.
Six principles
- 01
People before process.
Systems exist to serve people, never the other way round. A good process gives a team room to be thoughtful; a poor one leaves no room at all.
- 02
Listen like a dancer listens to music.
Hear the whole phrase before moving. Most of leadership is understanding what someone needs before deciding what to say.
- 03
Correct with care.
Feedback should be specific, brief and about the work, never the person. Offer something to reach toward, not only something to avoid.
- 04
Hold the standard, warmly.
High expectations and kindness belong together. The best studios, and the best teams, are demanding and gentle at once.
- 05
Stay steady.
Composure is a gift to everyone in the room. Prepare well, breathe first and keep coming back to what matters most.
- 06
Honour the unseen work.
Every effortless moment rests on people the audience never meets. Their care deserves to be seen and thanked.
Emotional intelligence
The musicality of leading.
A dancer can perform every step correctly and still miss the music. Leading is the same. Emotional intelligence is how we hear what sits beneath the words: worry, excitement, fatigue, hope.
It begins inward, with noticing my own reactions before they steer a conversation. It extends outward, to the quiet person who has not spoken yet. And like musicality, it can be practised, a little more each day.
From the barre
What the studio taught me.
Ballet class is one of the best leadership schools I know. Corrections are given in front of everyone, and received with a nod. The basics are repeated by beginners and principals alike. And every class ends with a révérence, a thank you to the people who made the work possible.
I bring those habits into my working life: repeat the fundamentals, take the correction, make it look easy, and always say thank you.
Essays on leadership
Further reading.
Reading the Room: Emotional Intelligence as a Trained Skill
Listening like a dancer listens to music: why emotional intelligence is not a gift some people have, but a skill we can all practise.
Read the essay →Grace Under Pressure: Lessons from the Wings
Breath, preparation and the art of continuing beautifully when something goes wrong, from the wings of the stage to a difficult day.
Read the essay →Short reflections live in Notes →