“Get to the Balcony” this summer.                       

In his book, Leadership Without Easy Answers (Belknap Press), Ronald Heifetz proposes that the practice of Getting to the Balcony is a way of rising above the dance floor of our work in order to get a better view of the dynamics, interactions, exchanges, pace, and other factors that we’re not able to recognize while we’re in the midst of it all.

Here’s what Heifetz has to say about getting there:

“Engaged in the dance, it is nearly impossible to get a sense of the patterns made by everyone on the floor. Motion makes observation difficult. Indeed, we often get carried away by the dance. Our attention is carried away by the music, our partner, and the need to sense the dancing space of others nearby to stay off their toes.

To discern the larger pattern on the dance floor—to see who is dancing with whom—in what groups, in what location, and who is sitting out which kind of dance—we have to stop moving and get to the balcony.”

Teachers have been dancing all year long. Some have been doing this teaching dance for many, many years. For many of us, it is a calling.

A vocation.

Sustaining the Spirit is easier when we practice getting to that place where we can rise above the dancing and look at it all from above. Getting to the Balcony and examining our teaching interactions, tone, techniques, and aspirations from a place above it all gives us a fresh and different perspective.

Heifetz suggests that when you Get to the Balcony, you take an objective observer—not a cheerleader—with you. Too often we take someone who serves as our cheerleader. Lord knows, we all need cheerleaders.

But not on the Balcony.

When we Get to the Balcony, it is best to take someone who has clear eyes and a truthful tongue. Someone who cares more about helping us identify and analyze and cares less about confirming our perspectives.

The teaching dance of the 21^st century is far more complex now than it was in the past. Dr. Margaret Guider, OSF of the Boston College School of Theology, recognizes the complex steps of today’s teaching dance. She reminds us that when we Get to the Balcony, we would do well to seek the “wisdom of the ratio.” Because of the increasing complexity of the vocation to teach, wisdom is not just a matter of choosing “either /or.” Greater wisdom may be found in determining the appropriate ratio of how often /how much of one thing and how often/how much of another.

When find our way there and are contemplating the “wisdom of the ratio,” we should ask questions such as:

• How much understanding is needed? When has there been too much/too little?
• When should I confront? When should I console?
• How much should I try to control? How much do I need to let go?
• How much should I reveal and how much should I keep to myself?
• What needs a quicker pace and what needs a slower speed?
• With whom should I consult? And when?
• How much energy should I invest in this? How much should I invest in that?

This teaching dance can make you numb. Or sore. It can leave you exhausted. Or bruised.

Getting to the Balcony, alone or with the right person, makes Sustaining the Spirit to teach easier. Perhaps you can find a way to try this approach and perspective sometime this summer to help you prepare for the fall term.

And when you do, make the Sign of the Cross and thank God for helping you find your way.