Leaders and Their Meaning-Making Systems
Caroline van Frankenhuyzen, program maker at De Baak, talks to Elaine Barker and Nick Owen, trainers of the ‘Leadership Development Profile.’
By Petra Baars
"In today's complex world, it would be an illusion to think that there is only one answer to a problem. A 'one-size-fits-all' approach doesn't work; we need to connect with diversity and complexity." Elaine Barker and Nick Owen think this is possible by understanding that people view their existence in different ways. The ‘Leadership Development Profile’ describes seven profiles that are linked to behavior and meaning-making: opportunists, diplomats, experts, achievers, individualists, strategists, and alchemists. Good leaders have a good idea of their own meaning-making and of the meaning-making of others.
Understanding where your thinking comes from is a tricky business
Caroline van Frankenhuyzen wonders what effect the model has.
Elaine: It’s about helping individuals make their thinking more visible. Understanding where your thinking comes from is a tricky business. The model makes you realize that there are gaps in our thinking. People begin to notice that they don’t have a complete truth, that they are missing strategies or ways of addressing a problem. And that opens their awareness to the possibility of a greater scope for how they might act in the future and how others might act in a very different way, but in a way that contributes to the strategy and to the solution.
We can agree to disagree and work together
Nick: I’d like to add that the model is about exploring what it means to be a leader rather than simply leading. It’s an inward journey, the recognition of who I am, what I contribute as a leader, and how I encourage leadership in others. Once the inward journey has been completed, the knowledge is externalized and you recognize that everyone contributes in a different way. You learn to understand where others are coming from, and where you are coming from. For me, the basis is achieving a respectful communication in which we might not all agree, but in which we can agree to disagree and can develop an open and inquisitive way of working together so that the agendas we carry forward into the future are shared ones.
Intercultural model or just Western ideals?
Caroline: Does thinking have anything to do with a person’s intelligence? How Western is the model? Is it intended for Western society, or is it more an intercultural model?
Nick: People manifest different kinds of intelligence in many different ways. The development framework enables you to recognize the different ways in which people contribute: their thoughts, their feelings, their emotions, and how they deal with reality. The intercultural aspect of the model is that it works with containers, namely the ways in which we construct reality, our “what is.” It’s not about believing in one set of politics or one way of doing things culturally. It’s about how you construct your understanding of the best way of conducting your life within the social, political, and economic conditions. You learn to recognize similarities and differences in yourself and others in a way that opens up the possibility of debate and communication rather than close it. I’ve used the framework with people of different cultures very positively.
Elaine: The model was developed in the States. A lot of the work was done with students and through research. I’m always concerned about universal principals being embedded in Western ideals. If this is the case, we can be sure it’s an international phenomenon. People also think that exploring their thinking is a great way to start a conversation. The model shows that there may be more than one truth, and engages people in that process. In my experience, it really gets people engaged.
Change and transformation
Caroline: You developed a test to measure where a person stands in the model and what their way of thinking is. Is it possible to change your inner self?
Nick: I think it’s important to recognize that wherever we are is probably where we should be. Most changes people go through happen on a horizontal level of the model: how do I improve what I’m currently doing? But there comes a time that the conditions in which we live become increasingly complex and we find that our current strategies are no longer able to deal with increasing complexity. And then we have to find a different way if we want to survive. We need to transform, be more complex in our thinking, see wider systemic processes, and make deeper sets of meaning. Quite often we notice our transformation at a later stage, after we’ve changed. Some people stay where they are most of their lives because they don’t need to change, while other people change quite quickly.
The grid in the oyster and the oil in troubled waters
Caroline: What do you try to do with people in a three-day workshop?
Nick: Two metaphors: one is to be the grid in the oyster, and the other to be the oil in troubled waters. So, chew on that paradox!
Elaine: I try to get alongside the individuals and be with them wherever they are. Have conversations with them, help them illuminate their interpretation of things, and find out what suits them best. I also try to find out if they have trouble acclimatizing - they might feel frustrated, confused, or unsettled about things. The framework can help illuminate that frustration. They don’t necessarily have to move on to the next stage for a solution. I want to help people explore their curiosity about themselves.
What was the most valuable training you had?
Caroline: What was the most valuable training you had for yourself?
Elaine: I think working on the leadership development framework and learning to assess it. It took me years to get comfortable with the process and learn to understand other people and their responses. There is such a wide range of answers to fundamental questions. One of my drivers is to understand myself and what it means to be somebody else. It is fulfilling to work in such an environment.
Nick: We don’t stop developing at the age of 18. The development process continues throughout our life. This and other models I’ve studied have enabled me to realize that conflicts can be much better understood. One of the things that changed me was a particular day at school. I was 18, and my teacher was giving us a lesson in Greek history. I said: “Sir, are you sure that’s right?” He said: “How would you know?” I said: “I read it in the book last night. It’s on page 63.” “Good, I’m only at page 56,” he said, “You give the lesson.” That moment of transfer of power was a catalyst in my life, a transformation recognizing that, above all, change starts from within.
Experiences in different countries
Caroline: What did you experience when you used this model in other countries?
Elaine: I've worked in Egypt, Tunis, America, and have met people from all over the world. People work with the model differently, but I can’t say what exactly the difference is. They all have an understanding of what it is to explore their inner selves, what it means to be a leader, or to work in an organization in which people interact with others. That is a common language. They have different stories, but essentially they are exploring the same thing: What does it mean to be me, and what does it mean to be me in a world with others?
Nick: I work in different contexts - business and education - in different countries. The model and our way of working with it was understood pretty well and recognized as relevant. A good example of how you can use it comes fromJohannesburg, the poor blacks watched, which, in metaphorical terms, is about living in a jungle, a “dog-eats-dog” world. I think that recognizing where people come from in terms of how they make meaning and how they construct reality is a lot more useful then seeing what’s on the outside. This made a big impact on recognizing how change could actually happen at a specific level of society.
Nick Owen
Nick Owen is director of Nick Owen Associates Ltd., a London based professional development and learning organization. Nick has pursued successful and eventful careers as a writer, journalist, educator, professional actor and theater director. He also has many years experience facilitating transformational change among business and education professionals and their organizations. He was recently visiting lecturer at the INSEAD/CEDEP business school at Fontainebleau, France, and is currently an Associate Lecturer at de Baak Management Centrum in the Netherlands.
Elaine Barker
Elaine Barker holds a master’s degree in psychology and is completing her doctorate in mentoring high-potential leaders. Her experience is built on years of research, which she continues to carry out with Bill Torbert and Susann Cook-Greuter. She is a Senior Adviser at Harthill.