Chapter 10 Leadership and Decision Making in Groups 295The other advantage of productive conflict is that the group members
who have a hand in exploring and arriving at a decision will feel a greater sense
of ownership over the decision, which leads to greater commitment. Thus,
decisions made through productive conflict have a greater chance of being
implemented. That’s a good thing, since even the most brilliant decision is use-
less unless a group puts it into action.
NAME: Aaron Tolson
OCCUPATION: Dancer, Choreographer, InstructorI jump feet first into my
work. I am a tap dance
instructor, performer,
and choreographer,
and—together with my voice—I use my feet to
champion the art form, promote it worldwide,
and share it with others.
Tap is my life. I choreograph, produce, and
direct a number of programs and shows, as well
as perform and teach around the United States
and internationally. As a teacher, I take the role
of directive leader, as students come to me from
all over the world for instruction on how to learn
the art of tap. This type of dance is very popular
throughout Europe and also in Russia and in
Japan, so I have the pleasure of working with a
varied group of international students. Beyond
my dance expertise, I also share my own stories
of failings and successes in order to help my
students navigate the complex (and sometimes
difficult) world of professional dance.
I read my classes for their learning style,
observe their nonverbal behavior, and adapt my
leadership approach accordingly. The pace and
tempo of the classes vary, as well as my leader-
ship behaviors. For example, with older students
I’m less sarcastic and with younger groups I use
more humor.
I’ve been interested in dance since the age
of ten. I also ran track and was able to get a track
scholarship to college, where I earned an under-
graduate degree in communication. During my time
there, I also focused on looking for opportunities todance wherever I could. By my senior year, I landed
a place in the New York Shakespeare Festival tap
program, Funk U!
After college, I became a company member
in Manhattan Tap. My big break came when I was
chosen for a featured role in Riverdance. I toured
with Riverdance for six years as a soloist and
dance captain of an extremely talented and moti-
vated group. We performed at Radio City Music
Hall, on Broadway, at NBA games, and on stages
around the world.
Having become a leader in the tap com-
munity, I was made national spokesman for
SóDança, a professional dancewear company.
Since I was chosen for my expertise, I appreci-
ate the opportunity to try out their tap shoes and
offer ideas to make them even better. I’ve even
gotten the chance to help design a pink shoe that
represents my daughter. I met my wife when cho-
reographing her tap number for the Miss America
Pageant, so I have dance to thank for the two
most important ladies in my life.
In an effort to enhance and develop tap
opportunities for aspiring dancers, I helped to cre-
ate Speaking in Taps, a preprofessional company
designed to teach youth, as well as Tap2You, a
program that offers classes and tap competitions
(which I started with a business partner, Derick
Grant). Through all these endeavors, I strive to
emphasize the rhythm, musicality, and timing of
tap with a strong focus on performance and edu-
cation. I hope to inspire others to do what I did:
jump feet first into a dancing career.real communicator