Levels of Leadership Development

The distinction between more common types of horizontal, skills-based leadership development and increasingly necessary, vertical, capacity-developing experiences for leaders is increasingly important. The vertical development process must be vertical both ways, or else it is mere sham and delusion – mere talking of a new talk. It is not merely a matter of developing ‘altitude’ or ‘headroom’ – a new awareness of contexts, uncertainties, and possibilities – a more panoramic view. It is also a matter of transforming one’s embodied, conversational processes in our on-the-ground, moment-to-moment organizing actions of each day.

Our GLP measure, of which of the seven leadership action-logics a client currently works from, does not merely result in a label we authoritatively pin on the client from on high: instead, the process invites the client to do his or her own leadership action-logic diagnosis.

The benefits of the GLP lie not only in the insights provided to both individuals and organizations but in the nature of the process; respectful, inviting and adult-to-adult.

The approach creates movement because it actively engages individuals and groups. Development to the later action-logics cannot be taught from the top down or the outside in, but rather requires a person’s deepest motivation and most inventive strategising to blossom. We actively support this process drawing on our extensive experience in the research, leadership and organisational transformation.