Integral Leadership: Growing Up Pt. 2
Stages of Adult Development
Hello again my friends!
How is your Waking Up and Growing Up going for you so far? Have you tried any of the practices? Leave a comment below and let me know how your integration is going.
This week we are going deeper with Growing Up by exploring Robert Kegan’s Theory of Adult Development.
Kegan has been studying the complex and multidimensional ways that adults learn and develop for over 50 years, and in that time he has discovered that while there are many educated people over the age of 18 in the U.S., only about 42% of them are at a stage of psychological maturity that one can call “adulthood.”
That means that over half (58%) of people with college degrees in the U.S. are psychological adolescents, with what Kegan refers to as a “Socialized Mind.”
Which is why it’s so important for leaders to prioritize their Growing Up.
Growing Up is not about accumulating knowledge or degrees.
It’s about transforming how you perceive yourself, others, and the world around you. It’s about evolving the way you make meaning of your experiences.
And Kegan’s theory gives us a map to understand this territory.
Stages of Adult Development
A quick caveat to mention that this is a simplification of a rich and nuanced theory that people spend their entire lives studying, and I bow to the academic lineages that steward this work.
And, the scope of this blog is to attempt to make this accessible, so here we go.
Kegan identified five stages (or "orders of consciousness") through which adults typically progress. New research is indicating the emergence of a sixth stage which I have also included.
Stage 1: Impulsive Mind
Common in young children, where thinking is centered on immediate experiences and impulses.
It is uncommon for adults and leaders to have their center of gravity in this stage, so for the sake of brevity we are going to move onto…
Stage 2: Imperial Mind - The Egocentric Self
Seen in older children, adolescents, and some adults, characterized by self-centered thinking in which relationships are transactional. Other people are merely tools to use to get needs met.
Another characterization of this stage is a concrete understanding of rules and expectations. For example, a person with this stage as their center of gravity will follow traffic rules not because they care about the rights of others, but because they do not want to pay a penalty when caught.
At this stage, I am aware that I have needs and I will do anything to get them met. I am not yet aware that you might have other, competing, or different needs than me, therefore they are not important to me.
The developmental task of this stage is to give up my egocentric agenda in order to become a functioning member of society.
Research suggests that 15% of adults do not fully make this transition and operate in the world as an egocentric self. Leaders at this stage tend to be very controlling. Employees at this stage tend to play out the drama triangle in their roles. Organizations that operate out of a culture organized at this level are dictatorial and oppressive.
Stage 3: Socialized Mind - The Reactive Self
Typical of many adults, where individuals internalize the expectations and norms of their social groups and prioritize relationships and social harmony at the expense of authenticity.
This is when I become a social chameleon, able to shape shift depending on the people I am around, all in an effort to manufacture belonging. It is superficial, meaning the belonging only exists on the surface, and only so long as I maintain the status quo of what you are expecting of me.
At this stage, I believe I am my work, my social circle, my ideas, and my relationships. I am defined from the outside-in, which not only limits my effectiveness as a leader but also my sense of true fulfillment in life. Instead of my energy being used toward creating things that are a reflection of my true self, I use my energy to maintain an image of what I think others want to see.
The developmental task at this stage is about self-discovery and authenticity. Learning to listen to the call of my soul, to discover and embody my values and purpose, and to be courageous in living in alignment with my truest, deepest self, even if it means some of my relationships fall away.
Unfortunately many adults never actually reach this stage.
Leaders at this level usually no longer function as dictators; they often care deeply about the employees they manage. The organization is hierarchical and efficient. Employee input is solicited, but decision-making and creative expression is still vested in the top. Leadership is often humane but lacks the capability of broadly sharing power.
Stage 4: Self-Authoring Mind - The Creative Self
Individuals at this stage develop their own sense of identity and values, becoming more self-directed and able to critically evaluate social norms.
Making the leap to an independent, authentic self is a radical shift in consciousness for adults. When we make the decision to follow the path of our soul, we realize that it comes with disappointing others’ expectations of us.
Only 25% of adults in our culture complete this journey, and helping leaders make this transition from the reactive self to the creative self is core to what I do with my clients.
The ultimate tension of this stage is safety vs. purpose. What are you willing to risk for full aliveness? What aren’t you willing to risk?
At this stage, I have to let go of how I have come to define myself in order to discover the true self beneath all the socialized programming and dysfunctional patterns of self-preservation and defense. For the first time, I am defining myself from the inside-out, and my energy is directed towards actions that reflect my inner sense of purpose.
As I begin to see and experience the power, creativity, freedom, and satisfaction of living from my own deep center, I also value and encourage that in others. Relationships become a source of enrichment, where we get to co-create outcomes that matter to us, collaborate on a shared vision, and co-conspire to bring each other’s genius out.
Here we find true belonging, where my deepest self and your deepest self meet to create together.
Leaders at this level naturally share power, not because they are putting in effort to let go of control, but because they know they have more to gain by sharing it together. Development of the self and others is prioritized and rewarded, and creativity and decision making is embedded within the organizational culture.
Stage 5: Self-Transforming Mind - The Integral Self
The rare stage where individuals can integrate multiple perspectives and are open to continuous learning and transformation.
At this stage, I move from the knowing that “I am a whole, complete, creative self that plays and creates with other whole, complete, creative selves,” to the realization that I am actually not a single self, but many selves. As such, I am constantly updating, questioning, and reorganizing the filters I use to perceive myself, others, and the world around me, as well as how I make meaning of my life.
There is an old saying that you can never swim in the same river twice, because the water is always flowing. The same is true with our identities. We are a shifting, changing, evolving, learning being and we are never the same self as we were just a minute ago.
This means that I give myself permission to let go of an image of completeness and allow myself to embrace the shadow elements of myself that I have repressed or kept hidden. This is when true integration of all the selves begins.
Seeing the self as a rich ecology of discord and harmony opens me to the richness and complexity of the workplace and the world.
Only 1% of the population ever reaches this stage, but the good news is that 14% of the population is on its way to this stage.
Leadership at this stage is community focused and systemic. The legacy of leadership has less to do with individual accomplishment and more to do with supporting the development of the organization to meet the complex needs of the community system. The vision becomes wider, aiming for global impact and benefitting all beings and the planet. The purest form of servant leadership.
Stage 6: The Sacred/Unitive Self
Research strongly suggests that spiritual practices such as meditation and contemplative prayer accelerate the development through the stages we’ve already covered. What is clear from experience and research is that level 6, the Sacred/Unitive Self, seldom, if ever, develops without a long-term spiritual practice.
Up until this point, the self has largely identified within the body-mind of the individual. At this stage, we release our identification with what we call “me,” and realize that we are soul in relationship with the divine.
I am the universe, the divine, Spirit, Source, whatever you want to call it.
And all that development that I have gone through up until this point has ripened me so I can be an agent for the divine in the material world. I deploy my integral self towards radical world service. I am in service to Life’s purpose, creating more life through me.
Sound familiar? This is why Growing Up is so important if we are going to do anything with the spiritual wisdom we gained from Waking Up.
For a deeper dive on these stages and their correlation to leadership and organizational effectiveness, I highly suggest you read Bob Anderson’s white paper titled, The Spirit of Leadership, and Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey.
Developmental psychology is where I got started with leadership coaching. In 2017 I became a certified Leadership Circle Profile administrator and coach, which is an elegant assessment and tool to support leaders in making the change from reactive to creative, or to explore elements of the creative mind that they have yet to develop. It is one of my most joyful offerings.
If you find yourself longing to explore this together, schedule a consultation to get started.
Growing Up and Purpose
Last year I published a post about why you need to grow up in your leadership practice. In it, I explored how our sense of purpose evolves as we develop and mature.
As you’ll remember, our perceived reason for existing changes as we move through these stages. The more mature we become, the more oriented we are toward serving larger and larger layers of the community.
But how does one actually go about creating social change as our sense of purpose expands to include radical world service?
Next week, we are going to dive into another development theory, in which we will explore how communities and cultures grow up together as the consciousness of the individuals mature.
If Kegan’s adult development theory is the map for individual maturation, then Spiral Dynamics of the map for cultural maturation, and will give us insights as to how to steward cultures along this evolutionary path.
Until then, may this work serve all beings, everywhere.
Soulful blessings,
Emily
A little more on the Leadership Circle Profile…
The Leadership Circle Profile 360 (LCP 360) is a leadership assessment tool that is used to help leaders understand their leadership strengths and areas for development. It is designed to provide feedback on a leader's performance from multiple perspectives, including self, boss, peers, direct reports, and other colleagues.
The LCP 360 is based on the Leadership Circle Model, which identifies two primary leadership domains: Creative Competencies and Reactive Tendencies. Creative Competencies include skills and behaviors associated with effective leadership, such as strategic thinking, collaboration, and integrity. Reactive Tendencies include less-effective behaviors, such as defensiveness, arrogance, and avoidance.
The LCP 360 assessment measures a leader's behaviors across these two domains and provides a visual representation of the results in the form of a Circle Graph. The Circle Graph provides a comprehensive view of the leader's strengths and weaknesses, as well as the relationship between the Creative Competencies and Reactive Tendencies.
The Leadership Circle Profile 360 is built upon several theories and models of leadership, including:
Transformational Leadership Theory: This theory suggests that effective leaders inspire and motivate their followers to achieve higher levels of performance by creating a vision and empowering them to work towards it.
Systems Theory: This theory suggests that organizations and their leaders are part of a complex system, and that changes in one area can have ripple effects throughout the system.
Adult Development Theory: This theory suggests that individuals develop through a series of stages, and that leaders who have advanced to higher stages of development are more effective in complex and dynamic environments.
Integral Theory: This theory suggests that effective leadership requires a holistic perspective that integrates multiple dimensions of human experience, including cognitive, emotional, interpersonal, and spiritual.
The Leadership Circle Model, which underlies the LCP 360 assessment, integrates these and other theories into a comprehensive framework for understanding and developing effective leadership. It emphasizes the importance of both cognitive and emotional intelligence, as well as the need for leaders to develop a deeper sense of self-awareness and to recognize the impact of their behaviors on others.
The LCP 360 assessment is often used in coaching and development programs to help leaders identify areas for growth and create action plans to improve their leadership effectiveness. It can also be used in talent management and succession planning to identify high-potential leaders and areas for development.
You can learn more about the tool, it's theoretical underpinnings, and validation effects on their website.
