Mi df l Mindfulness, L Leadership d hi & th the 4 4-Factor F t Model M d l

Gordon Spence PhD & Michael Cavanagh PhD

Coaching C hi P Psychology h l U Unit it University of Sydney Harvard Coaching Conference 25th September 2009

Acknowledgements
Dr Paul Atkins & Dr Tony Grant (CIs) ARC Linkage Project research team:
Kate Wisdom & Nickolas Yu (industry reps) Sean OConnor O Connor, Helen Parker Campbell MacBean, Andrew Wu, Vanessa Tripp, Anna Booy, Ingrid Studholme, & Doug MacKie (coaches)

D Dr J Jennifer if G Garvey-Berger B 231 participants (& counting!)

Outline
Project overview Th 4-factor The 4 f t leadership l d hi model d l Mindfulness, development & leadership The role of coaching Case example Conclusions

Leadership in High Stress Workplaces

Australian Research Council Linkage grant ($3.5mil) 2 partner organisations (both Sydney Sydney-based) based)
Large law firm Area health service (public)

135 participants per organisation over 3 years (n=270) Major challenge of both organisations is to maintain a client g, engaged g g and healthy y workforce in high g stress facing, situations People attracted to organisations for pay, conditions, anticipated satisfaction but leave primary because of poor quality relations with others (usually the boss) (Gallup, 2006)

Study design
Randomised controlled study 270 participants - 6 cohorts over three years 3 conditions
Training alone Training plus coaching Control

Measures pre pre, post post, 12 12-month month follow follow-up. up

Research goals
1. Develop a method of enhancing engagement, retention, productivity d ti it and d satisfaction ti f ti i in hi high h stress t workplaces k l 2. Develop instruments that help us identify and develop leaders and staff 3. Assess the impact of coaching over and above training.

The 4 4-factor factor model

Perspective-Taking Capacity (PTC)

Mindfulness

Purpose

Positivity

Cavanagh (2007)

Factor #1: Perspective-Taking Capacity

Critical meta-skill for leadership Ability to understand, critically consider & integrate multiple competing perspectives to guide action (Cavanagh, Atkins, Grant, Spence, 2006) The ability to take a perspective that makes sense of what is going on in oneself, others & the system

Factor #2: Mindfulness

Emphasises importance of self-awareness to purposeful action ti The ability to observe the present moment dispassionately Helps us see our own process & respond intentionally rather than reactively Assists self self-regulation regulation by providing moments moments of choice choice

Factor #3: Purpose

Emphasises the directional/inspirational aspects of l d hi leadership Good leaders are typically solution-focused; they will learn from the past but will be oriented towards the future & building solutions Leaders move towards goals they consider worthwhile, which means their behaviour is typically directed toward valuable goals, committed & proactive

Factor #4: Positivity

Emphasises socio-emotional aspects of leadership Ability Abilit t to create t expansive, i emotional ti l spaces characterised by positive interpersonal dynamics (e.g. hearing & being heard, getting & giving quality feedback) that foster engagement, effort & growth Involves embracing complexity & understand the emergent properties of complex systems

Types yp of development p

Types yp of development p
Horizontal development
Involves expanded our existing skill sets A quantitative change E.g. Learning how to give feedback in a positive fashion

Vertical development
Involves expanding understandings & perspectives A qualitative change E.g. Recognising the impact that good feedback has on the system Horizontal development often supports vertical development. As we practice & master new skills we can begin to see the limitations of existing understanding & perspectives

Importance of Mindfulness to growth

Leaders continually encounter situations that are laced with tension & paradox Resolving these tensions requires a bigger perspective Being mindful helps us engage with the tension & not be reactive to it Engaging the tensions enables new perspectives to emerge We can begin to see things previously missed missed, overlooked or avoided

Developmental challenges
Significant leadership challenge : Being able to incorporate multiple perspectives (often competing) into a bigger picture In so doing we transform them & open up new pathways to change This requires us to sit comfortably with the tension that arises from this ambiguity, uncertainty and/or confusion Place of ambiguity Highly aversive for some; can lead to attempts to avoid unpleasant streams of consciousness
Experiential avoidance (Hayes et al, 1999)

Mindful leaders build build bridges bridges

Different perspectives (or worldviews) can often seem like impossible chasms When leaders engage others perspectives - so as to understand together - possibilities abound Thi This i is h how we b build ild b bridges! id ! Before we under-stand we dont know where to step!

The positive role of tension

Tension is critical in building bridges Once we understand the tensions that we both see in the situation, we can use these tensions as the structural components of the bridge No tension tension, no bridge it collapses! Best approached through dialogue processes that allow people the space & time to think together When done well dialogue is synthetic, y , creative & respectful; p ; when done badly it is additive, repetitive & polite

Non judgmental awakeness Non-judgmental

Mindfulness can help us be in the tension without being reactive As soon as we start suppressing, controlling, avoiding or foreclosing on the tensions we are taking up reactive positions & bridges b id start t t collapsing! ll i ! We need to get more comfortable with discomfort j g awakeness Mindfulness is a state of non-judgmental characterized by openness & acceptance of moment-tomoment experience It is engagement with experience not attachment to experiences (experiences are events, experience is a process)

What role does coaching play in all this?

Supporting vertical development Coaching C hi can provide id l leaders d with ith th the scaffolded ff ld d support t needed to develop bigger perspectives
a reflective space in which they can approach tensions safely to discover new pathways forward f

Notice our embeddedness in existing perspective & the limitations that creates Making object that to which we are subject is the developmental process (Kegan, 1994)

What role does coaching play in all this?

Supporting horizontal development Seeing S i thi things differently diff tl requires i doing d i things thi differently diff tl Coaching can help us develop the skill sets needed to support the enactment of our new perspectives
scaffolds current development & thickens the base for future development

Mindfulness is an important skill set for change It helps us notice how we think, feel & react to change, generate & remain aware of our intentions to change, & noticing others responses to change (in non non-judgmental judgmental ways)

Case: John John

Aviation industry - financial controller, male, late 30s Highly competent, competent perfectionistic, perfectionistic achievement oriented oriented, pacesetter Wanted to create high performing team, empower & develop others through coaching, coaching reduce stress Dominant frame business/commercial (i.e. sees leadership through efficiency/profitability lens) S Subordinate b di t f frame individual i di id l needs d (i (i.e. seeing i l leadership d hi through lens of human nurturance & growth) Tendency to go into cocoon-like state; discouraging to others; th f fearful f l of fi interrupting t ti hi him less l lik likely l t to approach h

Incorporation & transformation

Bigger, gg , expanded p perspective

Leadership is about creating value for all stakeholders

Now there is a horizontal task to thickened the base & make this perspective real in the world through the use of appropriate communication skills, etc.

P Perspective ti A
Business frame

Perspective B
Individual needs frame

Summary & conclusions

Leadership is about perspective & practice
PTC Mindfulness Purpose Positivity

Both horizontal & vertical development needed Mindfulness helps us in both tasks

Mi df l Mindfulness, L Leadership d hi & th the 4 4-Factor F t Model M d l

Thank you for listening. Questions?

gordons@psych.usyd.edu.au
Harvard Coaching Conference 25th September 2009