Three Distinguishing Characteristics of Elevated Leaders (and a common factor hinders one’s ability to possess these characteristics)
An “Elevated Leader” is a leader that operates with a high degree of cognitive and emotional sophistication. They have developed themselves to the degree that they are in the highest adult development level (research has found that only 1% of people and 8% of leaders operate here). Most prototypical great leaders—leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Martin […]
How Past Trauma Affects Leadership Quality
We want better leaders and we want to become better leaders. Unfortunately, commonly referenced statistics suggest that the majority of leaders are falling significantly below expectations. Improving our leadership and that of others should be a priority. In this series I am going to make a bold claim that I believe is key to transformationally […]
How Knowing about ADHD Helps Us Understand the Value of Vertical Development
Recently, my daughter was diagnosed as having ADHD-I. As my wife and I have been learning about ADHD-I, my wife has been wondering whether she has ADHD-I. In my research, I have found that ADHD-I commonly goes undiagnosed, and this is particularly the case for adult women. ADHD-I is attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-inattentive. It is one of […]
The Difference Between Great and Bad Leaders is Smaller than I Thought
I want to share one of my biggest learnings that I have had over the last several months of doing deep vertical development work with a variety of executive teams. This work has involved doing 360’s and a coaching exercise that facilitates a deep introspective dive designed to help people uncover their subconscious fears, mental […]
The Four Practices Necessary for Vertical Development
What is Vertical Development? Vertical development is the process of upgrading our own internal operating system so that we operate in more cognitively and emotionally sophisticated ways. It is the process by which we become better. Vertical development is necessary for the improvement of the following characteristics, which I believe we should all aspire to: […]
Heat Experience: A Necessary Prerequisite to Vertical Development
Heat experiences are events or situations that cause one to question their current mental models and ways of thinking.
Recognizing People Operate on a Continuum from Asleep to Awake
While we probably agree that people operate somewhere along the continuum from asleep to awake, do you think people are self-aware about the degree to which they are awake?
Why Organizations Need Vertical Development
Organizations are increasingly recognizing that the complexity of the world their leaders are facing exceed their abilities to effectively navigate this complexity. The consequence of this is that most leaders are operating at a leadership deficit, with consequences that include exhaustion, burnout, turnover, and poor decision making.
Trauma & Leadership – Part 4 – The Limiting Impact of Trauma
In this series, I am making a bold claim that I believe is key to transformationally elevating our leadership effectiveness. The claim is: Leadership ineffectiveness is rooted in leaders’ trauma If this is true, it has a very powerful implication: In order to help leaders significantly transform, we need to help them heal from their […]
Trauma & Leadership – Part 3 – What are the Secondary Consequences of Trauma?
In this series, I am making a bold claim that I believe is key to transformationally elevating our leadership effectiveness. The claim is: Leadership ineffectiveness is rooted in leaders’ trauma If this is true, it has a very powerful implication: In order to help leaders significantly transform, we need to help them heal from their […]
