A Matter of Perspective

"To diagnose a system or yourself while in the midst of action requires the ability to achieve some distance from those on-the-ground events. We use the metaphor of 'getting on the balcony' above the 'dance floor' to depict what it means to gain the distanced perspective you need to see what is really happening.”

- Ronald Heifetz and Marty Linsky, Principles of Adaptive Leadership

This was the core concept in our assigned reading ahead of a 3-day series of working meetings in Chicago, hosted by CCI as part of the Sustainable Communities Investment Accelerator.

When you’re on the 'dance floor,' you’re immersed in the day to day – struggling to keep your head above water, while trying to protect time for important strategic work. You’re not seeing the big picture – you’re stuck in your own experience.

When you get up 'on the balcony,' you can see the patterns, trends, and power dynamics that make up the big picture. You can get out of your own head, see where you fit within the larger system, and act accordingly.

The goal is to develop the ability to move back and forth between the dance floor and the balcony – to cultivate an awareness of how your day-to-day actions play into the bigger picture, along with a sense for when it’s time to step back, re-evaluate, and adjust course.

This idea combines well with the Three Horizons Framework we introduced in an earlier post.

The ‘dance floor / balcony’ exercise is like zooming in and out with a camera lens or moving up and down in space. Three Horizons is like moving back and forth in time. 

With support from CCI, we got up on the balcony and applied the Three Horizons Framework to see how our work through Retrofit LA can serve as a bridge from Horizon 1 (status quo) to Horizon 3 (the future we choose).

After plastering a flipchart with sticky notes describing each of the Three Horizons curves, here’s where we ended up:

• Horizon 3 – the future we choose 

  • Preserve & fully utilize existing affordable housing 

  • Long-term ownership in the hands of local mission-aligned organizations

  • New production serves the missing middle + aligns with real needs 

• Horizon 2 – the bridge, what we’re doing now that we want to accelerate

  • Preserve existing affordable units (decarb + rehab + stabilization)

  • Develop and deploy flexible bridge financing models

  • Protect organizational financial sustainability

• Horizon 1 – aspects of the status quo we want to let go of 

  • Capital in silos, expensive to access 

  • Lack of flexibility to adjust rents to cover rising costs

  • Residents staying too long in restricted / temporary units

We have come back inspired, recommitted, and stronger than ever.

In the words of Omar Carillo, “We are accountable to the future we want, in the present.”

Now let’s dance!