Inspiring leadership (summary): the shift from playing not to lose to playing to win
Part 8. Recap of the series and how to use Leadership Circle Profile for your development
Welcome to the final part of the “Inspiring leadership” series. Here, I will summarise key elements of the past seven articles. You can use it as a guide before taking deeper dives into longer articles most relevant to you.
As a reminder, I set out to write this series with several goals:
to inspire you to continue growing and to get better at mastering leadership
to offer a map for personal and professional development that you could use for years to come
provide you with options and examples of how to be proactive in your own development for more effective leadership
To ‘map the territory’ for leadership development, I used the Leadership Circle Profile® (LCP) as a robust framework that helps us become aware of the most common types of leadership behaviours that either support or get in the way of effective leadership. Another reason I chose to use LCP is that it allows us to dive deeper and understand the beliefs and assumptions that drive such leaders’ behaviours. Since challenging one’s assumptions and outdated beliefs is one of the best ways to elicit positive lasting change (this is when deep, powerful and transformative work of coaching leaders is done), I love that this tool allows us to look at several elements, all interlinked together: beliefs, behaviours, leadership effectiveness and business results.
Previous articles from ‘Inspiring Leadership’:
Part 1. Introduction to the series
Part 2. Introduction to the Leadership Circle Profile (LCP) as a map towards effective leadership
Part 3. A first look at your LCP results
Part 4. Definitions of 29 Reactive and Creative leadership dimensions of the LCP
The map for leadership development: from Reactive styles to Creative competencies
Every leader's journey involves developing skills that help them function effectively within their organisations and societies. These skills - represented by the Reactive dimensions in the Leadership Circle Profile - have served us well, helping us gain acceptance, recognition, and promotion.
Above: Creative competencies correlate with higher leadership effectiveness compared to Reactive styles. Source: here and throughout the series: Leadership Circle.
At the same time, you can see from the aggregate profiles compared below - the top 10% of most effective leaders complement the Reactive styles with well-developed Creative competencies. Competencies that allow them to navigate complexity, such as working with various stakeholders and managing competing priorities, with greater patience, groundedness and choice.
Above: aggregate leader profiles with bottom 10% and top 10% performing businesses
From the above comparison, the message is very clear:
If you want to be a more effective leader - work on your Creative competencies and reduce reliance on Reactive habits.
This journey to master leadership isn't just about becoming more effective as a leader - it's about developing as a human being. The concepts we've explored apply to anyone wanting to navigate the complexities of life and be a more effective person, be it a business partner, a life partner, a parent or anyone who is in relationships with other people.
Leadership and adult development: a natural progression
One of the powerful aspects of the Leadership Circle Profile is how it aligns with stages of adult development - a set of theories that helps us make sense of how we can develop in order to better navigate the nuances and complexities that life brings to us.
Leadership Circle Profile and stages of Adult Development
A quick introduction to the stages of Adult Development
As adults, we progress through developmental stages, each characterised by increasingly sophisticated ways of making meaning of our experiences:
Egocentric Mind: At this early stage, we're primarily focused on our own needs and perspective.
Socialised Mind: Here, we learn to internalise the expectations, values, and beliefs of our social groups. This is where the Reactive dimensions develop as we learn to conform (Complying), stand out (Protecting), and achieve (Controlling) according to social norms.
Self-Authoring Mind: At this more advanced stage, we develop an internal authority that allows us to evaluate and select among competing values and expectations. For example, do I want to do what’s expected of me or do I want to challenge the status quo, while considering the risks? This questions take place in Self-Authoring minds, as Socialised (Reactive in the LCP) mind usually goes back to meeting expectations of others rather than managing them well. This is where Creative competencies emerge as we learn to lead from our own center, while considering expectations of others, rather than being defined by external expectations.
Self-Transforming Mind: The most advanced stage involves recognising the limitations of our own perspective and integrating multiple viewpoints. This aligns with the highest expressions of Creative leadership, particularly in Systems Awareness.
Research by developmental psychologists Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey at Harvard University suggests that most of the adult population operates primarily from the Socialized Mind (aligned with Reactive tendencies), while a minority function predominantly from the Self-Authoring Mind (aligned with Creative competencies), and only around 1-5% reach the Self-Transforming Mind, with the remainder in transition between stages (Kegan & Lahey, 2009).
William Torbert's research with Global Leadership Profile further supports these findings, showing that leaders at later stages of development are more effective at navigating complex organisational challenges and leading transformational change (Torbert et al., 2004).
The Leadership Circle's own research, drawing on data from over 460,000 leaders, demonstrates that those who score higher on Creative competencies show 50-100% better business results than those primarily operating from Reactive tendencies (Anderson, 2016).
This helps explain why developing from Reactive to Creative leadership is both challenging and powerful. It represents not just learning new skills but advancing to a more sophisticated stage of adult development - a transformation in how we make meaning of our experiences and relate to the world around us.
Real stories of leadership development (with some help from executive coaching)
Throughout this series, we've explored three primary Reactive patterns that can contribute and at the same time constrain leadership effectiveness. Each reflects a different set of strategies that needed an upgrade if people in the examples below were to get to the next level.
Martin’s leadership journey: from “I want to be liked” to “I’d like to be respected”
"I don't want to come across as too pushy..." "I'm delaying a tough conversation I'm supposed to have..." "I don't want to move forward until every single person is on board..."
These thoughts reflect the Complying dimension - seeking security and worth by meeting others' expectations. While good relationships are essential, being dictated by them can paralyse decision-making, which comes at high costs for whole organisations.
Meet Martin, a client I worked with a couple of years ago. Holding a senior leadership role, Martin was hitting the limits of his Complying beliefs: “I want to be liked.” This came through as he needed to make a strategic change in his department, but was stalling. As long as he was holding on to this belief, or a strong desire to be liked, he would continue to hesitate to bring the necessary change. The executive team started to notice it and while everyone loved Martin as a person, he was running out of time to deliver. It took some work, but upgrading the belief from “I want to be liked” to “I’d like to be respected” allowed him to transition to a place where he could tolerate more interpersonal discomfort and make the needed changes.
The journey forward isn't about abandoning our care for relationships - it involves working on ways of relating that are based on a stronger set of values, like believing in healthy disagreements (values of trust, honesty and diversity of perspectives) and a commitment to work towards achieving results.
Above: two pathways that allowed Martin to expand into Creative competencies. A developmental move from one’s Pleasing style towards either Collaborating or Achieving Competencies will generate, over time, stronger results.
David’s challenge: “I have to do it all myself” (Controlling in the Reactive)
"If I don't do it myself, it will not be of the needed quality." "I'm working long hours, but I don't know how to change that." "I know I'll benefit from letting go, but I don't trust them to get the same results."
These statements reflect the Controlling dimension - establishing security through task accomplishment, achievement, and control. While drive and high standards are valuable, they can limit team development and sustainable results.
Think of a football coach who jumps onto the field to score a goal themselves versus one who develops their team's capabilities. The first approach might work short term, but it fails to build capacity for long-term success.
This is exactly what David, who worked as a CFO, expressed in frustration in our first coaching session. Fortunately, it was enough frustration for him to be ready to seek a change and he was willing to look at himself, rather than blame others. He needed to step out of a loop that caused him to see less of his daughters, to be annoyed with such high demands from the organisation. By asking “What can I do differently?” he was able to become proactive in bringing a new way of operating for himself and his team.
To make this change possible, we uncovered two deeper-seated beliefs that said “I have to be busy” and “I have to be the best”. We never take away a belief that has served us until now. Instead, we add options to it, and once the new versions are tested and bring the first good results, a person can start reducing their reliance on the old ways that worked (until now). While each person has a different set of values, David was able to tap into wanting to create a high-performing team (this spoke to his value of being the best), but spreading that energy from ME to WE. We also worked on accepting the idea that at the CFO level, he also got paid to think strategically and change systems, not only to solve problems in a reactive style.
Above: the three pathways that connected to David’s values and allowed for authentic expansion and change towards Creative Competencies
The journey towards higher effectiveness for leaders high in Controlling is not about abandoning high standards but refocusing energies towards achieving results through vision, strategy, and empowerment, rather than personal heroics (being unable to let go and reducing the team’s morale in the process isn’t heroic after all).
If you’re curious, look up how Michael Jordan had to go through a similar developmental journey (thanks to the guidance and challenge from their team coach) from being a star player to helping the whole Chicago Bulls become a winning team.
My own developmental opportunity: a critical thinker's blind spot (Protecting in Reactive)
The Protecting dimension represents establishing security through withdrawal, critical thinking, or superiority. Such muscles often come with incredibly strong analytical skills. While these are very valuable, they can create distance and disengage us from essential connections when we work in interdependent environments.
I shared in the seventh article how my tendency to withdraw into quiet analysis, when facing problems, unintentionally created tension in my team. When my assistant pointed out, "When problems arise, you become quiet and stop talking. The atmosphere becomes tense. They think they've done something wrong because you seem annoyed. The mood in the team changes.", I knew I wanted to create a different way of working through challenges.
This feedback was eye-opening. My intention was simply to think through problems, but the impact was creating uncertainty in my team. The journey forward isn't about abandoning analytical abilities but complementing them with self-knowledge, courage, and a broader perspective.
Leaning into Authenticity created pathways for me to say: “I’m not yet happy with results and I think we can do better (Achieving). I usually come up with good ideas when I have a few minutes to think on my own - please do so as well. And when I come back, let’s all discuss how to best move forward.” (Collaborator)
Above: my assistant helped me become more aware of interpersonal intelligence (impact of my distancing on the team). Leaning into Authenticity and Collaborator created opportunities for improved energy and team spirit to achieve great results together.
Reactive styles and Creative Competencies in the LCP: a summary
As I wrote earlier, Creative competencies in the Leadership Circle Profile aren't about replacing our Reactive skills but expanding beyond them and eventually reducing dependence on Reactive styles only. They represent a more balanced approach to leadership that allows us to navigate complexity with greater nuance and choice.
Below is a quick recap of the definitions of the summary dimensions in both Reactive and Creative competencies.
Reactive Styles in the LCP (summary dimensions):
Complying: measures the extent to which a leader gets a sense of self-worth and security by complying with the expectations of others rather than acting on what he/she intends and wants.
Protecting: measures the belief that the leader can protect himself/herself and establish a sense of worth through withdrawal, remaining distant, hidden, aloof, cynical, superior, and/or rational.
Controlling: measures the extent to which the leader establishes a sense of personal worth through task accomplishment and personal achievement.
Creative Competencies in the LCP (summary dimensions):
Relating: building relationships that bring out the best in others through connection, collaboration, team development, and interpersonal intelligence.
Self-Awareness: cultivating ongoing professional and personal development through selfless leadership, balance, composure, and continuous learning.
Authenticity: relating to others in a courageous, high-integrity manner by walking your talk and addressing difficult issues directly.
Systems Awareness: focusing on whole-system improvement through concern for the greater good, sustainable productivity, and systems thinking.
Achieving: offering visionary, authentic leadership through strategic focus, purpose, results, and decisiveness.
For full definitions of each of the 29 Creative and Reactive dimensions, see this post.
Self-perception versus how others experience us (or the purpose of doing 360 assessments)
Since leadership is an interdependent endeavour, a valuable aspect of the Leadership Circle Profile is its ability to highlight discrepancies between self-perception and how others experience our leadership through 360 assessments (where your peers, your boss/manager/leader and your direct reports get to answer the same questions about you as you did). These insights can be both empowering and uncomfortable, and provide valuable opportunities for growth.
An example of an LCP 360 that shows a mismatch between self-perception and how others experience them as a leader. Here, the person felt they were much stronger in Authenticity, Self-Awareness and Relating with others compared to how their colleagues experience them.
As I shared from my own experience, discovering that my perception of my leadership style differed significantly from how others experienced me was both surprising and liberating. It helped me recognise patterns of undervaluing myself and being overly cautious in some areas while inadvertently creating tension in others.
This kind of self-awareness is crucial for leadership development. Without accurate feedback, we risk either underutilising our strengths or remaining blind to the impact of our limiting behaviours on others. The pathway to more effective leadership requires both honest self-reflection and openness to others' perceptions.
From beliefs to behaviours to results
I’ve seen numerous times in my coaching sessions how the effectiveness of a leader, or any person, is impacted by their behaviours. What many people don’t realise is how deeply held beliefs drive these behaviours, which is why deep coaching work is done when we get to look at these beliefs and stretch them to be less rigid, to include more options and to choose from options most suited to the particular situation. Such beliefs often sit just underneath our awareness and can be detected via our comments (which is why I pay so much attention to the words my clients use and to the self-talk that comes through in our sessions), our beaviours (observable ourselves, or known to use via feedback from others) and assessment results - which is where the LCP comes in.
What’s next? Your leadership development journey
So where do you go from here? Although leadership development has common themes, how we get better is different for each person. The Leadership Circle Profile offers a map, but you need to apply it to your context.
Here are some suggestions for continuing your development journey:
1. Choose your focus areas: Based on your LCP results (or your reflection on the concepts in this series), identify 1-2 areas for focused development. This might involve strengthening a Creative competency, reducing reliance on a Reactive tendency, or a combination of both.
2. Examine and update your beliefs: What internal assumptions might be driving your current behaviours? How might you update them to support more effective leadership? For example, shifting from "I need to be in control to ensure quality" to "My team can achieve quality results with guidance and support." Some beliefs sit just below our awareness, so asking someone to help you become more aware of them could be a wise investment.
3. Practice new behaviours: Based on your updated beliefs, consciously practice new behaviours that align with Creative competencies. This might involve delegating tasks you would typically handle yourself, speaking up authentically when you would normally remain silent, or taking time for reflection when you would normally stay in action mode.
4. Partner up and get support: Leadership development does not have to be a solo journey. Seek confirmation of desired change from colleagues, ask people you trust to be your accountability partners and consider working with a coach.
5. Reassess periodically: Consider reassessing your leadership periodically to track your progress and identify new areas for improvement.
To conclude the series
My wish is that these articles have provided you with insights, ideas and practical guidance for your ongoing growth as a leader and as a human being.
Remember that leadership development is a journey that consists of inspiration, a desired destination, some detours and dedication on your part. In addition, like in any journeys, you will have sunny and rainy days, perhaps even seasons of good results followed by some tough ones. During tough periods, it is easier to default to Reactive. But that’s when slowing down and connecting to your values, your good nature, will be most important. By developing your Creative competencies while maintaining healthy access to your Reactive skills, you can increase your effectiveness, achieve sustainable results, and inspire others to grow alongside you.
This is the essence of inspiring leadership - not just achieving results yourself but creating conditions where others can thrive and develop their own capabilities. As you continue your leadership journey, I wish you to find both fulfilment in your own growth and satisfaction in the positive impact you have on others. And perhaps we will even get a chance to work together. Whenever you feel ready - reach out.
A reminder:
For higher accuracy using the Leadership Circle Profile for your own development, consider:
Completing the free LCP Self-Assessment on Leadership Circle's' website.
Getting in touch if you want a full 360 LCP+debrief (I'm a certified LCP practitioner).
Want to work on your leadership together?
Book a free 30-minute Chemistry Session
This is a great to experience coaching with me and see if we'd make a good team.
You'll walk away with valuable insights while I contribute to your life through a brief coaching conversation. We can also address any logistics questions during our call.
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Footnotes:
Bob Anderson: Leadership Circle and Organizational Performance, LC Whitepaper series
Kegan, R. and Lahey, L. (2009). Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization
Torbert, W. R., et al (2004). Action Inquiry: The Secret of Timely and Transforming Leadership.
Anderson, R. and Adams, W. (2016). Mastering Leadership: An Integrated Framework for Breakthrough Performance and Extraordinary Business Results.
More from Inspiring Leadership series:
