Men's Guide to Leading in Salsa Dancing

I have compiled the following list of pointers for leads (men or women).  They aren't cardinal rules, but not a bad idea to follow them if you don't come to salsa with your own set ideas (and even if you do, for that matter!):

1. Remember that rejection is not a personal attack (see The Art of Getting Rejected), and that it is not about you.  Be bold, act as if this is the last night you'll ever get to dance. And hey, in Eugene, you never know when the club is going to close down, so it very well might be (slight exaggeration, I know). So ask that person you've been eyeing out on the dance floor. 
   
   
2. Salsa dancing is about fun.  I know it often feels like we have to prove our worth out there by demonstrating the number and complexity of the moves we know, but if we get so hung up that that we forget to have a good time, what's the point?  Flirt with your partner in a non-creepy way. If you ain't smiling and/or you ain't feeling the music, there is likely a problem.
   
   
3. When the dance floor is crowded use small steps and be aware of the dancers around you.  This means keeping in mind that big moves aren't appropriate and keeping your follow safe from smashing into other couples.  Remember that women often wear shoes with exposed heels and toes, so the lead should take responsibility for making sure s/he doesn't move the follow into a spot where she'll get stepped on. 
   
   
4. When considering wether or not to do physically strenuous moves such as dips, be aware of the physical capabilities/limitations of the follow and the comfort level between you two.  Some people have had accidents that limit their ability to do these moves and/or they may just not want to do them, so don't go flinging the follow between your legs unless you can tell it's OK (and then only with caution).  I know more than one follow who has been injured by leads simply because they decided it was time to do "neat move X" and did it without warning and/or badly.
   
   
5. As an addendum to #4, don't rip the follow's arms out of their sockets.
   
   
6. Lead at the level your follow can handle.  If you're Mr. Fancy Moves, that's great, but don't embarrass your follow by repeatedly trying to lead moves s/he hasn't gotten 2 or 3 times in a row.  If you want to teach someone a new move it's good protocol to wait until the dance is done, then very humbly ask if s/he would like you to show him/her the move(s) you were trying to do.  Keep the ego in check, in other words.
   
   
7. This isn't a big problem in Eugene, but if your partner doesn't know a lot of salsa solo steps ("shines"), then don't leave them hanging for 5 minutes while you show the world your fancy pancy steps.  A few cool tippy-toe moves is adequate, then come back to your partner who is depending on you to lead.

So, there you go.  If you read this and think i've missed something, let me know and I'll update this list.