As a dancer, I consider everyone I work with my dance partner.

I dream of beginning every partnership with a dance lesson.

The students, teachers or school/community leaders and I would meet and learn the fundamentals of partner dancing, not immediately launch into the monumental process of answering the question of how to start a school, find the “perfect” college match or “What do you value, and why does that matter?” The rhythmically-challenged or uncoordinated should not despair; the lesson would not be about learning the particular steps to a dance.This critical first interaction would explore what it means to be someone’s dance partner, what roles there are to play and why the relationship between the two dancers is at the core of a winning routine.

Partner dancing is the coordinated movements of two people.

Usually both partners move together as a unit, but sometimes there is movement in opposite directions either on purpose or by accident. I can design and deliver educational programs that coordinate movements between partners to optimize momentum toward the stated goal. Needing to compensate for a misstep is a given; I’ve got a well-practiced pivot that can get people and processes back on track. What I’ve learned from teaching, coaching and mentoring in wilderness, classroom, community and virtual settings is how critical it is to have a balance of energy focused on the here and now and directed to what lies ahead.

Each partner has a specific role in the dance: lead or follow.

The lead usually initiates movement and the follow maintains it. At the very minimum, each person must carry her own load and be responsible for her own balance. Personalities, experiences and context influence the degree to which the lead is more “comprehensive” or “improvisational.” My “lead” draws upon my experiences with learning communities including low-income minority girls from the south side of Chicago, rural kids and professional women from Wyoming and Idaho, university undergraduates and public elementary school students in Michigan and Third Culture kids and families in Santiago, Chile. My lead represents my deep belief that one size does not fit all.

Leading does not involve pulling or pushing.

A good lead chooses the appropriate steps to take to best suit the music, partner ability and dance floor. A good lead is aware of how the follower responds to any particular cue and is ready to compensate. A good lead never dances the same way with every partner. I’m excited to explore proven and novel ways to collect partner and performance data on a timeline and in a format that allows for a tight feedback loop of learning and growth. Although, as a woman, I follow on the real dance floor, these leading principles inform all my work in the metaphorical dance that is growing up.

Lead and follow are, in fact, misnomers.

The best dancing results from partners having a conversation—a dynamic exchange of ideas. New dance partners may “yell” at one another where strong movements are met with resistance. As the relationship matures and each partner improves, whispering or even body language will do. As an educational leader, candid and responsive communication helps me understand what makes a student or school tick and how a certain program or process can become the right partner for life.

The steps in implementing a new process, program or curriculum can be numerous and complex, and students, teachers or schools can feel overwhelmed when tasked with performing them alone.The launching and learning process is most successful when choreographed, not executed as a series of uncoordinated leaps, kicks or spins. I am a partner ready to lead students, teachers and schools through their own unique routines of growth and improvement which will take years to practice and perform.