Leaders can increase their capacity to lead in a complex world as they naturally gain psychological maturity. This can be described as a journey that can take over 20 years and one that most leaders will never fully complete due to their conditioning, fears and habits. Yet organisations are in desperate need of leaders who have made substantial progress along their journey of development in order to be successful in today’s uncertain and complex operating environments.
The journey is characterised by development in the leaders’ cognition, emotional intelligence, and values. To accelerate their progress leaders need a map of the terrain and to plan their route. Fortunately, pioneers such as Robert Kegan, Jane Loevinger, Susan Cook-Greuter, and Bill Torbert have already gone ahead and mapped the terrain for leader development. Whilst each of these pioneers has mapped a different aspect of the terrain, combined they form the Leadership Capacity Framework comprising of seven stages.
As different types of development are required to accelerate progress at each stage it is important to determine where the leader is on their journey. This is achieved through using psychometrics such as the Cognitive Process Profile, Motivational Profile, and Value Orientations, and techniques such as ‘Sentence Completion Tests’ and ‘Subject-Object Interviews’.
Leadership Capacity Framework
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Level 1 – Power These leaders see the world in terms of survival of the fittest and are driven by a need to win at almost any cost. Level 2 – Inclusion Feeling included and being part of the team enables these leaders to work at their best. They provide the social glue within organisations. Level 3 – Competence These leaders are highly driven to assert themselves through their expertise. They tend to rely on data and logic to influence and gain support for themselves and their ideas. Level 4 – Delivery The desire to achieve their own, team and business objectives by utilising their strengths and fulfilling their potential is a huge driver for these leaders. |
| Level 5 – Clarity At this level leaders are driven by their desire to gain clarity through adopting a variety of perspectives Level 6 – Service These leaders have the ability to view issues as relative to a wider system and see constraints and peoples’ perceptions as transformable. Level 7 – Chairmanship The rare ability to view themselves, the situation, the business and society simultaneously, from an external perspective, is a characteristic of leaders at the end of their journey. |
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Not all leaders will need to accelerate their development. If their level of leadership capacity is aligned with the level of complexity then they are likely to be in ‘flow’ and delivering their best work. However, if leaders want the privilege to lead the organisation in this uncertain and complex world then they have the responsibility to accelerate their development.
Contact us to find out how we can accelerate the develop of the leaders in your organisation.
