The success of managers cannot be explained by different leadership philosophies, personalities or management styles. Rather, it is due to their inner «logic of action» – how managers assess their environment and react when their decisiveness or reliability is required. And yet relatively few managers try to understand their own logic of action, let alone change it.
If leaders take the time to better understand and learn from their own personality and personal development, they can not only improve their skills but also positively influence their performance in the company.
Applying the 7 transformation levels of leadership
| Action logic in % | Characteristics |
|---|---|
| Alchemist 1% | Generates social transformation. Integrate material, societal and social transformation. |
| Strategist 4% | Generates personal and organizational transformation. Peer support. Vigilance and vulnerability are essential leadership elements. |
| Individualist 10% | Interweaves competing personal and company action logics. Works with tensions. Creates unique structures to resolve gaps between strategy and performance. |
| Achiever 30% | Meets strategic goals. Effectively achieves goals through teams; juggles managerial duties and market demands. |
| Expert 38% | Rules by logic and expertise. Seeks rational efficiency. |
| Diplomat 12% | Avoids open conflict. Wants to belong; obeys group norms; rarely rocks the boat. |
| Opportunist 5% | Wins any way possible. Self-oriented; manipulative; «might makes right». |
Changes and transformations can only be achieved from the level of the «individualist». Why is this so?
«Individualists» have realised that they can only change themselves. They question their own patterns, release obstructive assumptions and behavioural patterns and empower their employees to get moving themselves. “Invididualists” use conflicts and tensions as strenghts. They do not try to achieve consensus, but work with different points of view in a way that they can get to higher ground together. If you want to experience how this works, participate in the following breakout session.
Breakout sessions (30 minutes)
You are an achiever. Recall a project you are struggling with. Present this project to the group and find a solution to the current problem. In each group there are:
- Opportunist
- Diplomat
- Expert
- Achiever
All four play their roles according to the leadership types mentioned above. After fifteen minutes, the achievers receive another impulse and do the exercise a second time with her group. Discuss now together:
- What was different the second time?
- What influence did this have on the solution?
Source
Rooke, D. and Torbert W. R. (2005):
Seven Transformations of Leadership. Harvard Business Review. April 2005.
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