If you’ve ever used a web browser user, you’ve probably been faced from time to time with an unexpected crash, causing all your open tabs to close. If you’ve ever experienced this with Mozilla Firefox, you’ve probably had to smile at the power of their very disarming error message, which displays on the screen in big, bold letters: “Well, this is embarrassing.”

A colleague and his wife were invited to an important company affair, a dinner party. His wife was seated next to one of the key people at the dinner. She later said to her husband: “What a bore! I didn’t say two words all night; all he did was talk about himself.”

The business world is rife with the unexpected, including uncomfortable and awkward “moments of truth” that occur at the worst possible time.

The metaphor of dancing partners is perfect for real relationships—the kind that are based on authenticity, openness, and trust. It conjures up images of give and take, synchronization, graceful movement, and being in step and in tune with one another.