Thu, 25 August 2016 | By Lisa Graham

FROM SEPTEMBER'S RECRUITER MAGAZINE

Lisa Graham, director E1EW, offers insight into a potential role for Len Goodman, who recently announced he is to leave as head judge of the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing TV show

“Len’s current role is a far cry from his first career path as an apprentice welder. However, he has managed to transfer those valuable first skills into an amazing career in dancing.

Now you are probably thinking, what skills a welder can bring to bear in the world of judging dance?

The first skill that comes to mind is attention to detail.

A nice tidy weld joint will demand the same level of detail as any cha-cha-cha. Get your
feet in a muddle and you will trip up, just as a bad weld will cause everything to fall apart.

His ability to come up with the time-honoured cutting phrases will have been a skill first honed in the workshop.

From saying “If you have to grind your weld to make it look good you are a grinder not a welder”, to the Strictly comments of “you have more rise and fall than an auctioneer’s gavel” all trip off the tongue in the silky manner of a top judge, confident in his feedback and his appreciation of quality.

Whether it is on the dance floor or on an engineering jig in a workshop, if it’s good enough for Len it will get a SEVEN!”

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