Keep Dancing With The One Who Brung You: How the Right Dancing Partners Make All the Difference

There were 5 minutes and 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 51. The Atlanta Falcons got the ball at their own 10-yard line and were proceeding to drive the ball down the field to clinch the game as well as their first NFL championship in franchise history. They had the lead for the entire game and were in control of their own destiny. The Falcons were known for putting together an impressive passing game, but they had been running the ball successfully throughout the game. When the goal is run the clock and secure the win most people agree that running the football is the best way to accomplish that goal. At the 3:53 mark the Falcons had the ball in field goal range. At this point, instead of running the ball to run down the clock and advance the ball, quarterback Matt Ryan dropped back to pass and was sacked for a 12-yard loss taking them out of field goal range. The New England Patriots would proceed to get the ball back, tie the game and win in a dramatic overtime victory. After finding a formula that worked, as Jeanna Thomas of SBNation notes, “they then, for no discernible reason, decided to throw the ball, resulting in a catastrophic sack that led directly to the eventual loss in overtime.”

Sometimes in life we can get too smart for our own good. We have to remain consistent with the foundational practices that helped us reach our current level of success. This is where the saying, “keep dancin’ with the one who brung you” comes from. It means that there were actions, exercises or routines that helped you reach this point in your life. Some of us reach a level of success and then suddenly abandon some or all of the things that helped us get there.

For example, if you used to be a man or woman of prayer and your daily practice every morning consisted of time with God in prayer, don’t abandon that once you get the new job or start your own business. If you had a consistent date night with your spouse before you knew your purpose or had a vision, don’t neglect that important time once you have a new direction in life. If you were a regular at the gym 3 days a week before you shifted careers, find a way to keep that gym routine implemented in your life.

There are some dancing partners that none of us should leave. No matter what walk of life you are in, your character should always be your primary dancing partner. Zig Ziglar said, “The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.” As we pursue our purpose in life we have to remember that it does no one any good, and brings God no glory if once we’ve reached a higher level of success we do so without our character in tact. If our loyalty is now in question then we should revisit the practices that got us in the places and positions in which we now find ourselves.

When we “keep dancing with the one(s) who brung us” we often find that leadership is conferred upon us. Titles don’t make leaders. The ability to exert influence is what makes a leader. Your ability to effectively influence others will be determined by the dancing partners they see when they see you. In The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership John Maxwell wrote, “When people respect you as a person, they admire you. When they respect you as a friend, they love you. When they respect you as a leader, they follow you.”

As I pursue my purpose it is important that I don’t just focus on sharpening my gifts or making the right connections. Loyalty, hard work, and persistence helped me get this far so I can’t allow those attributes to wane as other opportunities are presented to me. What attributes or characteristics are at your core? What are your core values? What qualities are synonymous with who you are and with who others know you to be? What are your primary dancing partners?