Hello,
Dirty Dancing. The mere mention of those two words likely conjures up images of Patrick Swayze's iconic lift, Jennifer Grey's defiant spirit, and the infectious rhythm of "(I've Had) The Time of My Life."For Gen Xers like me, this movie is a classic. Before there was streaming, there were VHS tapes and reruns, and, if you’re a person of a certain generation like I am, you have likely seen Dirty Dancing more times than you can count.
In 1987 when Dirty Dancing came out, I wasn’t even ten. The first time I watched it, I’m sure I understood it was a love story, but I’m also sure I didn’t grasp most of the drivers of the plot. In fact, to call the aspects I missed “nuances,” would be inaccurate. They were there and obvious, but so was my ignorance and naivete. Nevertheless, despite watching it dozens of times, there’s a part of me that still sees this movie through the eyes of that little girl who watched it for the first time.
What I’m talking about is perspective. Why use Dirty Dancing to illustrate a point about perspective? Because sometimes a story you think you know changes over time, and that change reveals something about your own growth. Recently, I saw a post on Instagram that made me rethink everything I previously thought about the movie:
Okay, Patrick Swayze was a mere 34 when he filmed the movie, and Jennifer Grey was 26. Nevertheless, as a mom of a 16-year-old daughter, if I discovered that my daughter was engaging in a clandestine relationship with an older employee at a resort, rest assured, I would not say, “Go for it!” Perspective changes everything.
It’s not just this Instagram post that has shifted how I see the film. Over time, I’ve noticed subtleties I completely missed in earlier viewings. For example, the elderly couple who turn out to be thieves are initially dismissed as harmless because of implicit bias—the assumption that kindly older people are inherently trustworthy. That plot twist hinges on how easily we overlook our own prejudices. Similarly, while I always picked up on the class divide between Baby’s wealthy family and working-class Johnny, it took decades for me to notice the underlying tensions related to the resort’s predominantly Jewish clientele and its largely gentile staff. These layers of the story reveal how much I had to learn about cultural context and implicit bias, even as an adult.
Perspective is just as relevant in the workplace. A leader who values collaboration understands the importance of seeking out and listening to diverse viewpoints. Whether solving a complex problem, navigating conflict, or making a strategic decision, recognizing the limitations of your own viewpoint and inviting others to contribute theirs can lead to more thoughtful and innovative outcomes.
This idea of shifting perspective reminds me of a metaphor from one of my favorite leadership authors, Susan Scott. In her book Fierce Conversations, Scott asks readers to imagine holding a striped beach ball. Each stripe is a different color. The person holding the ball sees the red stripe clearly because it’s right in front of them. However, on the opposite side of the ball, which the holder cannot see, is a yellow stripe. Someone standing across from them sees the yellow stripe just as vividly but cannot see the red. Each person’s understanding is incomplete without the other. To truly understand the whole ball, we need to share and integrate our viewpoints.
Perspective shows us who we are and what we’ve learned while inviting us to explore what others can teach us. The more we open ourselves to these evolving viewpoints, the richer and more complete our understanding becomes—whether we’re watching a movie, navigating the complexities of a workplace, or simply trying to grow as individuals.
No matter how many times I’ve watched Dirty Dancing or how many new insights I’ve gained, one thing remains unchanged: the movie itself. The story, the characters, and the dialogue are exactly the same as they were in 1987. The constant in this equation is the movie; the variable is me. Each new understanding I bring to it—whether shaped by age, experience, or the insights of others—reveals something new, not about the film, but about my own growth and evolving understanding of the world.
This realization applies just as much to work and life as it does to revisiting a favorite movie. The challenges, conversations, and decisions we encounter in our professional and personal lives are often constants. What changes is our ability to see them from new angles, shaped by our experiences and the perspectives of those around us. By acknowledging that we are the variable—and by seeking out others’ "stripes" on the beach ball—we can approach familiar situations with fresh eyes and unlock deeper insights.
What conversations do you need to have to help others see what you see? Better yet, who do you need to hear from so you can see things differently yourself?
~Heather
P.S. Earlier this year, the NY Times published their list of “The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.” I consider myself a reader so I was shocked that there were books on the list I didn’t enjoy and, even more shocked to discover there were books on the list I’d never even heard of. Since then, I have used the list to select some books to read, and not surprisingly, some of them were amazing and others I disliked so much that I either stopped reading them or finished but would never recommend them. While you might be interested in that list (which was generated by reviews of book reviewers and authors--the bourgeois, so to speak), I suppose I am more “of the people” and find more resonance with the other list the NY Times shared, “Readers Pick: Their 100 Best Books of the 21st Century," my proletariat Catch of the Week.
Do you agree with the Top 10 on either list? If not, what would you have included?
P.P.S. Please remember to...
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