The movie Black Swan takes you into the world of professional ballet. As someone who was fortunate to be a part of a ballet company (no dancing though), I thought the film did a good job of depicting the everyday life of a dancer.
By this, I’m not talking about the Natalie Portman character’s flights of fantasy but rather the ordinary things that a ballerina does like sew ribbons into her pointe shoes.
I was reminded of the level of trust a ballerina must have with her partner. When a ballerina launches herself into into the air for a dramatic jump, she must do so with no hesitation. She must fully extend her body and reach new heights.
Surprisingly, returning to the ground is not something the dancer should think about. Catching her and bringing her safely down is the responsibility of her partner. If the ballerina doesn’t trust her partner to get the job done, then her jump will suffer. She can only realize her full potential if she lets go of those thoughts. Her entire focus must be on the jump and not the landing.
Now let’s take a jump into your workplace. Do you trust the members of your team to support you? Are doubts distracting you from your goals? What heights could you achieve if you knew that you would have a soft landing.
If you don’t have a high level of trust in your organization, then you’re probably headed for trouble. It may take time to build a culture that embraces trust but it’s a quality you’ll find in most successful organizations. Get the pointe?
