gistfile1.txt

I don't know how to quantify the following, but for me it the life blood of a scene that works...

Dr. Cleve Stevens wrote in the Harvard Business Review

Traditional business leaders says, 'I'm the leader Ð you're the follower; I have something you need (money) and you have something I need (labor). Let's make an exchange.' This is like the dance scene organizer who says, ÒI donÕt need your thoughts on how I should run things, I just need your money from registering for my events so I can keep providing for you.Ó 

Transformational leaders understand there is something bigger at work. In fact, employees need four key things to be happy:

the need to love and be loved

People need to feel focused concern and action directed at them for their personal good. This means personal loyalty and ethical behavior that shows respect, the ability to listen and critique fairly and appropriately, and ability to create an environment where a person feels safe from injury or ridicule.

the need to grow 

Nobody wants to keep doing the same thing over and over or merely show up for something hoping to maintain their current skill level enough to avoid decay. People want to be inspired to learn. 

the need to contribute. 

Failing to contribute in a significant way yields a gnawing, just-beneath-the-surface anxiety of which we are usually only vaguely aware. The other pole, the positive one, answers this anxiety. When we are contributing in a significant way we have an inexplicable peace of mind. We know we belong to something and our opinions are valuedÉ life works when we forget about ourselves and contribute to others. To feel fulfilled and empowered, employees must know they are contributing to the whole.

the need for meaning. 

We are meaning-seeking creatures. If our lives lack a clear sense of meaning, if we are not engaged in some larger purpose, we will not be fully satisfied, People need to know how their specific task fits into the bigger picture. What is the larger context to what they are doing? Step, step, triple step is pretty darned repetitive In a tiny room with 10 people in it each week if youÕve never seen a large exchange, workshop or competition. 

Like successful businesses (which a dance scene is on one level), organizers need to also embrace these concepts and demonstrate a clear commitment to local dancers, not merely see them as a cash cow or the great unwashed masses who will treat them like they are a king. But how does that fit into a measurable questionnaire?