How to ‘Get on the Balcony’

If we haven’t rammed it down your throat already, let me continue with the firehose we hope you’re drinking out of on the topic of growing your own perspective. We borrow language from minds that come before us that are brighter than ours like that of Ronald Heifetz whose seminal research coined and expounded upon the idea of adaptive leadership. 

Heifetz declares that not all problems can be solved with techniques or expert information. The word “adaptive” in adaptive leadership is in reference to the evolution that’s possible when we take on frames of reference that grow our perspectives. That said, to use a Heifetz figure of speech, we can gain more perspectives by “getting on the balcony.”

It’s the balcony perspective that allows one to look down at the party and dance floor from above to see more clearly the complex dynamics below that couldn’t be understood when in the mix on the busy dance floor. 

The “get on the balcony” metaphor is specifically making reference to the ways we can displace our bias and take on a more expansive perspective. Here’s how you can “get on the balcony” in real life on a Monday morning in the office according to Heifetz:

“Observe what is going on around you. Stay diagnostic even as you take action. Develop more than one interpretation. Watch for patterns. Reality test your interpretation when it is self-serving or close to your default. Debrief with partners as often as you can to assess the information generated by your actions, and the interventions of others, in order to think through your next move.”

I encourage you to “get on the balcony” as often as you can. Deploy the tools illustrated above. After all, it’s quite dangerous to remain trapped inside your perspective your whole life.