What makes someone a good leader? The big report
354 followers gave their opinion on what makes a good / bad leader. Here are the results
Have you been dancing for a while and wondered what followers appreciate the most in leaders? Do you sometimes wonder if you are a good leader and what things you could improve to up your leader skills?
This report will give you very useful insights into what followers appreciate in a good lead. You will be surprised, because for most things you don’t even have to go to dance class!
I have been dancing for 3.5 years and I created this report for you because I wish someone would have told me years ago.
If you like this information subscribe to my free weekly newsletter called “The confident lead”. Every week I share tips & tricks on how to become more confident on the dance floor and in your ability to lead. You can sign up to receive it each Sunday evening.
Some words on this report
Before diving into the results, here are some things you might want to know:
I surveyed 354 followers about what makes a good & bad leader
The majority of people that filled out the survey are from countries like Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria & Singapore.
Experience level of respondents: 0-2 years: 21% | 3-5 years: 39,4% | More than 5 years: 39,6%
The majority of people filling out the survey are either Salsa or Bachata dancers, some are also dancing Zouk & Kizomba
Ranking formula: The survey asked followers to rank the top 3 qualities of a good/bad leader. To rank the qualities the following system was used: 5 points for #1 | 3 points for #2 | 2 points for #3
Disclaimer: This survey was distributed freely on the internet and doesn’t represent the whole dancing community. It’s meant to give a good feeling of what followers think and is by no means an academic research. All findings were validated by a data scientist.
Ok enough with the formalities. Let’s dive right into it!
Part 1: What makes someone a good leader?
In the first part the followers got asked to pick their top 3 from 8 different qualities that a good leader has. I spoke to many different followers beforehand to decide which qualities to include.
Let’s start of with the overall results, regardless of level of experience:
Not surprisingly the feeling of safety and a good connection are the clear winners.
Or as someone filling out the survey said:
"Sometimes simply the energy & smile is enough. Leaders are so focused on complicated moves that they forget dancing is fun and pleasure. Connect with your dance partner, you are not dancing alone.”
It gets more interesting when we look at the answers based on level of experience
Beginners are looking for a clear leader
For followers with zero to two years of experience it is more important that the leading very clear. More important than a good connection and especially musicality.
A great takeaway for any beginner: Focus on learning the foundations of leading and worry about musicality later.
You will make mistakes along the way but learning how to deal with your mistakes is key in becoming a dancer that every follower likes to dance with:
“Playfulness, being able to be silly together. Laughing together about things that don't go as planned instead of getting frustrated or forcing the follower into moves.”
Intermediate/Advanced followers prefer musicality over clear leading
Musicality becomes more important as a follower becomes more experienced. It even replaces the ability of being clear in your leading.
There is no real change in preference as a follower gains more experience. It seems a follower forms their preference around the 3 year mark.
Complicated moves are NOT the key to a followers heart
Looking at the bottom two we can draw some interesting conclusions: Being able to lead complicated and many different moves barely gets mentioned as a Top 3 quality to have as a leader.
Part 2: What makes someone a bad leader?
In the second part the followers got asked to pick their top 3 from 8 different qualities that makes a leader unenjoyable to dance with.
Let’s start by looking at the overall results, regardless of level of experience:
Not respecting boundaries
“In Bachata lots of people think it's cuddling but it’s not. It is close yes, but always in a respectful way, so if I don’t know you and don’t go close by myself or even try to keep s bit distance, please never start coming closer and closer again...it is the decision of both wether she/he wants to dance head to head or not.”
“Boundaries are super important. It is really terrible if a leader doesn't respect those boundaries. Within time you may built up the connection but it shouldn't be forced. There can be amazing dances without being close.”
Unhygienic
“When they are SUPER sweaty. Kinda sweaty is fine, but Super sweaty (literally drenched) is not that great…”
Using too much force to lead
“I can't do everything you want me to, and by just using more force you injur me. Listen to me when I hesitate!”
“Not caring for my health: Rough moves even you’re obviously not able to do so... I’ve seen some men who tried bending moves with pregnant girls.. wtf!”
Level of experience doesn’t change the preferences
The ranking doesn’t change much as a follower gains more experience. What gets perceived as unpleasant is clearly defined and gets formed early in a followers dance career.
Top 3: 0 to 2 years of experience
Top 3: 3 to 5 years of experience
Top 3: More than 5 years of experience
Giving unwanted advice
Originally not part of the survey, a lot of followers mentioned that giving unwanted advice is a big turn-off:
During a dance one lead stopped me (with quite some force) multiple times during the dance, to tell me all the things I was doing wrong (angrily). This experience made me very uncomfortable for the rest of the evening.
I hate it when somebody tries to teach me on the dancefloow (if i didnt ask for it...) Or give me a lesson on my following. There is no room for that on the dancefloor, i cant hear him, im nervous, its contraproductive. If its done in a friendly and nice way, then ok, but usually it is rather arrogant and weird
He started explaining what I "should have done" in one move, whilst we are still dancing to the song. I did not ask for explanation
Doing the same moves over and over again is not as bad as you would think
Good news for all the leaders out there that are at the beginning of their dance journey:
Now it’s time to improve your leading!
Now that you know what most followers deem important, what is next? How do you create a good connection? How can you make a follower feel safe and respected? Hell, what does it even mean when someone says they’re looking for a great connection?
In my free weekly newsletter “The confident lead” I will be answering all these questions. I will address the findings of this research and break it down step by step. So you can increase your confidence and ability to lead.
Sign up here and get the article straight to your inbox every Sunday evening. It’s free.
Thanks for reading along. Please tell a few friends about this report if you’d like. Because better leaders = happier followers = everyone wins! Click here to share this post
Hello Yann, I'm a follower and the results of your survey are so true. I recognize myself in the answers. Leaders don't have to look for doing complicated moves. Making the followers safe and comfortable, leading clearly, have a right connection are one of the most important things. So many leaders wants to learn many moves in order to impress the followers. But i think they just need to master some fundamentals moves, to lead them precisely and use them in the right moment with the music. A basic on the spot, on the music could be much more enjoyable than a difficult move with no clear lead and not on the music.
Thanks for your article and your all blog. So useful !!!!
The biggest gift you can give a follower is to make them feel safe, only then will they be able to be fully present and open up to you. But also be able to give back in a dance, finding freedom in the movement...