I’ll See You on the Balcony

OpenAI. Image of ornate opera house with balcony. DALL-E, 2024

One of my favorite quotes comes from Viktor Frankl:

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

― Viktor E. Frankl. Man’s Search for Meaning (1946)

That space—so small yet so powerful—offers incredible rewards. Growth! Freedom! And all I have to do is pause and take a beat? Simple, but not easy. 

Yesterday, I delivered a presentation as part of Dominican University + North Bay Leadership’s Business Edge Briefing series. My talk, Thrive in the AI Era: Unleashing the Power of Human Connection, Care, & Creativity, offered a counterbalance to our technology-fueled lives by focusing on what makes us uniquely human. I playfully positioned these capabilities - to care, connect, and create  - as my "favorite technologies.”

In the presentation, I emphasized how these human capabilities are essential for thriving in business:

• Care: A high-care culture fosters collaboration and learning, essential for adaptability and innovation.

• Connect: Analytical thinking isn’t adequate in our BANI  (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible) world; systems thinking is needed to address complex, interconnected challenges.

• Create: We were born to create—it's an innate part of our drive to contribute.

During the Q&A portion of the hour, every question centered on artificial intelligence.  Okay, so maybe I set myself up for this by including “AI” in the talk’s title, but I couldn’t help but notice–and feel slightly rattled by–the absence of curiosity about human behavior or culture. 

Why is that? Are we so consumed by the liminal, anxious uncertainty surrounding AI’s impact on every aspect of our lives? Or do we dismiss “soft skills” like caring, connecting, and creating as just so obvious that there is nothing to be curious about or discuss?

This dynamic is likely a mix of the overwhelming buzz around AI and the general flux in all areas of life, including work. Future-of-work expert Nirit Cohen captures the current moment beautifully:

“Employees now expect flexibility, autonomy, and purpose as fundamental aspects of their roles, reshaping how organizations engage and motivate their teams. At the same time, the very structures of work are fragmenting: rigid hierarchies and fixed roles are giving way to fluid networks and project-based teaming, where individuals move between assignments based on their skills and organizational needs. Workforce composition has also shifted, with organizations increasingly relying on a diverse mix of freelancers, contractors, and full-time employees. While this diversity brings agility, it also complicates cohesion. Overlaying these changes is the rapid advancement of AI and automation. These technologies are not only transforming workflows and task management but also challenging organizations to balance technological efficiency with uniquely human qualities like creativity, empathy, and innovation.”

Cohen, Nirit. 2025: Embracing That We Don’t Have The Future Of Work Figured Out. Forbes. November 2024

The confluence of factors adds up to a lot of uncertainty and desire for clarity. I love the evocative metaphor Cohen offers - we have all of these intricate puzzle pieces to form a new picture, but we’re missing the finished, guiding image on the box. What will the new image of work look like when we put all these pieces together? 

I, too, am working to fit these pieces together into a cohesive whole, both for myself and my clients.  No matter how much and how quickly I inhale information, I don’t have many satisfying, authoritative answers about AI’s implications for work and workers. Even though I realize that none of us do, my discomfort as I fielded the questions yesterday was profound.

Reflecting on this, I realize now what I could have done differently: I could have found that space between stimulus and response. I could have gotten on the balcony.

The Power of the Balcony

In facilitation, leadership, and self-regulation practices, “getting on the balcony” means stepping back to observe the broader dynamics of a situation rather than being consumed by the action. It’s a concept popularized by Ronald Heifetz in his book Leadership Without Easy Answers (1998). From the balcony, you gain perspective, noticing patterns and interactions that aren’t visible from the stage.

If I had stepped onto the balcony during the Q&A, I could have slowed down and commented on the dynamics rather than reacting to each question. For example, I might have observed:

• Isn’t it striking that all the questions focus on AI, even though the talk centered on human capabilities?

• What does this reveal about our collective anxiety around technology?

• Why do we seem to undervalue “soft skills” even though they are essential for our personal and professional success?

From the balcony, I might have commented on these observations:

“It’s fascinating how all the questions are focused on AI, given that my talk emphasized human capabilities. This suggests that we’re collectively grappling with how to balance technology’s power with our unique, human strengths. I wonder if we can explore that tension together.”

This invitation to reflect could have lowered my own discomfort while simultaneously bringing deeper insights into the discussion.  And, by pausing and stepping back from the immediate action while making underlying dynamics visible, I would have modeled a vital leadership skill for navigating complex challenges. 

A Pledge to Pause

I’m making a pledge to myself, and I invite you to join me:

The next time you feel swept up in action, take a moment to pause. Get on the balcony. From this vantage point, observe what’s happening—not just what’s being said or done, but how it’s unfolding. Then, share insights that facilitate exploration,  illuminate deeper truths, and foster more authentic interactions.

I’ll see you on the balcony.

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Note: This work was enhanced with editing suggestions provided by OpenAI's ChatGPT.