I’ve been a dancer my entire life. I started out at the tender age of 4 with my first pair of shinny black tap shoes with little pink bows. I later graduated to jazz, swing, ballroom, a little country line dancing and in my mid 20s returned to my love of tap where I studied with a professional dancer who taught the likes of Paula Abdul and other celebrities how to shake a leg.
So when I decided I wanted to drop a couple of pounds before the holidays hit I went back to my roots and signed up for a series of dance classes.
Going in I knew that dance requires creativity, focus, control and power. But driving home one day I thought about how much learning to dance is like running a business. Here are 5 business lessons I’ve learned from hanging out in a hip-hop class.
I can do a whole lot more than I thought.
Each lesson is broken down into sections. It doesn’t matter what class I’m in the instructor belts out 8 counts of new steps and I watch thinking, “my body doesn’t do that”.
You know what, after it’s broken down and we practice a bit, “my body can do that”. It’s the same with your business. What business tasks, systems, phone calls, and risks are you not taking because you think you can’t? All it takes is breaking it down and a little practice and you’ll be amazed at what you can do.
It gets easier with time.
My first day in hip-hop class I looked around at the room full of 20somethings and through, “what on earth is a tap dancer doing in a hip-hop class”? I tripped over myself, got frustrated with the steps and pretty much looked like an idiot. But the more I do it the easier it gets and the more fun it is. To top it off I’m surprised at how fast I’m picking it up.
In business you don’t start at the top. You have to try things that make you feel uncomfortable, self- conscious and maybe even (gulp), out of control. But keep at it because soon things that gave you the heebie jeebies become second nature. Continue reading →
