Thinking on your feet
Lessons learned in ballroom dancing can provide steps to success within the workplace
EVERY step, twist and turn that Kelby Dougherty takes on the ballroom dance floor is a step toward her future as a standout employee.
Dougherty, a 24-year-old Manorville, LI, resident, is one of the competitive dancers featured in executive consultant Valeh Nazemoff ’s book, “The Dance of the Business Mind” (TI Press, out now), about career-minded people taking ballroom dancing classes to help them get an edge at work.
For Dougherty, who’s been competing in ballroom dancing since she was 16, the hobby has helped her prioritize what’s important, both on the dance floor and in the veterinarian’s office where she works as a technician.
“It’s all about being able to read the room and also read the patient,” says Dougherty, who is studying to become a vet. “In dancing you have to read the judges, and if there’s a bunch of [other dancers] in the way, you and your partner have to take a move out of the way. I’m able to act on my toes.”
Like Dougherty, the ability to roll with the punches with the help of a partner can be key to succeeding at work, says Nazemoff, who interviewed dozens of ballroom dancers before writing her book. In it, she breaks down the parallels between preparing for a performance and preparing for your next big work challenge — whether it’s launching a product, acquiring a company, or helping heal someone’s pet.
“With dance, you have to be aware of the dynamics of dealing with stressful situations that are unexpected and completely on-the-fly,” Nazemoff says.
She brought up one of the subjects of the book: an executive with the company Rent the Runway, who recalled a recent storm that would have delayed the company’s shipments.
Having the mindset of a ballroom dancer helped the executive make an instant decision about notifying her customers, Nazemoff says.
Nazemoff, whose clients include the White House and Sony, started dancing when she was a kid. After writing her first book about business, her dance partner asked her if there were any similarities between the two pursuits. The more Nazemoff thought about it, the more she began to see that dancing had made her a better communicator and better able to handle the challenges that her job throws at her.
Another dancer interviewed for the book, Kevin Deutsch, a business-program manager in the health care industry, says ballroom dancing helped him seek more feedback, since in dance, it can be really helpful to watch videos of a performance with a coach or judge to improve.
The Medford, LI, resident started taking lessons with his girlfriend two years ago, but as he stuck with it, he saw his performance at work improve as he learned the importance of preparing for big projects, and not being overly confident in his skills. It also helped him come off as more human to his co-workers.
“I think I’ve been more willing to step outside of my comfort zone a little bit,” says the 24-year-old. “Before [I started dancing,] I might’ve tensed up with new people. Now I try to build relationships in a different way and try to adapt to different people around me, whether it be clients or colleagues or in my personal life.”
Nazemoff says interpersonal skills like these are one of the biggest perks of picking up ballroom dancing. Co-workers and clients will also notice and appreciate someone with a distinct style — something which tends to emerge when people take up ballroom dancing.
“Dancing brings out more passion in you,” Nazemoff says. “You know what makes you who you are, and you can communicate that.”