(Don’t worry, no spoilers for Hunger Mocking Jay Part II)
I want to be like Katniss Everdeen. Yeah, I said it! You may be wondering why a 21-year old campus leader would want to be a fictional character from a book series. Well, it’s not because she won the 74th Annual Hunger Games, or because she has 2 beautiful men vying for her attention. It’s because she became a 5 on the dance floor.
In my downtime as a campus leader, I love to get away from a productive week of schoolwork by watching a movie. While watching the Hunger Games series this past week, I realized there are so many Dance Floor Theory moments where the engagement levels of the main characters were increased. Here are two:
1. Katniss Engages Others by Inspiring a Shared Vision
Katniss engages others by describing a vivid image of what the future could be like for all of Panhem. She does this while touring District 11 after winning the Hunger Games, and also while talking to members of the revolution. As a campus leader, when you describe a compelling image of what our future could be as an organization and campus, people will respond. A compelling image is irresistible so long as it is about OUR future, not just yours.
2. We See Katniss Evolve from a 3 to a 5
She volunteers as tribute in the Hunger Games where she is a 3 that asks, “What’s in it for me?” as she is only trying to save her little sister Prim. After winning the Hunger Games, she expands her leadership involvement by asking “What more am I capable of, how else can I help?” It’s important to remember that we all started out as 1’s on the dance floor of college. Given the opportunity by another campus leader, somewhere along our college career we started to ask “What’s next for me?” and soon became 5’s.
Think back to some of your favorite movies. Where do you see leadership development within the main characters? What Dance Floor Theory moments do you see? Where do you see the hero build a community where others feel welcomed, connected, and engaged?
