Kristin von Donop

In times of organizational change, when opinions abound about what is most important for the organization, managers must be able to identify what is truly most important. This is a critical skill. But how can you do that?

Consider the many constituencies that are impacted by the changes at hand.

They send signals that provide you with cues about what is most important, what is at stake for the organization, who will support you, and who will block you. Mapping these perspectives and experiences into a portrait about what is happening enables you to identify your most strategic leverage points.  

To make sense of the undercurrents and be more strategic, step back from the action to notice the patterns, Picture this as “getting on the balcony.” It connotes getting off the “dance floor” of action and going to the balcony to explore what is going on below. The pressure to remain on the dance floor is real – with e-mail, instant messages and cell phones, you are constantly in the midst of action. When you go to the balcony, you define a space to observe patterns and create many interpretations, of your own behavior and those in the larger system.  

Getting on the balcony helps you gain perspective in the midst of action.

You can examine the dynamics, interpret any trends, and reach a deeper understanding of the current situation. When on the balcony, you are developing two complementary skills.

The first is noticing all that is going on, such as nuances in the language and behaviors. The second is making many possible interpretations about the possible meaning of the data. Developing the capacity to hold multiple perspectives and remain curious helps you identify and decide on actions that will connect to the experience of others and help the organization make progress.

This skill helps managers tune to the currents and perspectives within the broader organization.  You need not leave a meeting or the office to get on the balcony.

In sports, successful athletes can be in the game and at the same time recognize the larger patterns of play. The next time you are in a meeting, experiment with shifting your seat subtly and notice what is going on. Identify who is doing most of the talking, who has been silent, what is the senior authority figure doing. 

Ask yourself, “What is going on here?” Consider several possibilities about how the current situation reflects the concerns, values and perspectives in the broader system. The same practice can be held with others. Have members of your team “get on the balcony” to observe the patterns of conversation and attention. This practice raises everyone’s awareness of how they work together.

Holding a range of perspectives is necessary but not sufficient. To be effective, you need to test your interpretations with others. Next, get back on to the dance floor with your best guess about what is needed to help the organization move forward. Talk to people at all levels, not just managers and executives.

Once you’ve tested your interpretation with others and gotten their feedback, you will find out if you’ve uncovered the most important themes for your organization.  If you’re right the first time, great – if not, you’ll need to get back on the balcony again, come up with new interpretations and test it on the dance floor again.

Getting on and off the balcony is an iterative process to find out how others understand the situation, interpret what is behind the words and listen for what is not being said. It is a way to reflect and connect with the perspectives of others.

This opens you to a broader range of options to leverage resources in new ways. 

Kristin von Donop, who has more than 20 years of experience helping clients achieve strategic change, is a senior associate of Cambridge Leadership Associates in Cambridge, Mass., a consulting firm that helps clients expand and enhance the leadership needed to thrive in complex environments. She can be contacted at kvondonop@cambridge-leadership.com.