Mindfulness in Leadership - Institute of Coaching

Mindfulness, Leadership & the 4-Factor ModelGordon Spence PhD & Michael Cavanagh PhDCoaching Psychology UnitUniversity of SydneyHarvard Coaching Conference25 th September 2009

Acknowledgements• Dr Paul Atkins & Dr Tony Grant (CIs)• ARC Linkage Project research team:– Kate Wisdom & Nickolas Yu (industry reps)– Sean O’Connor Connor, Helen Parker– Campbell MacBean, Andrew Wu, Vanessa Tripp, Anna Booy,Ingrid Studholme, & Doug MacKie (coaches)• Dr Jennifer Garvey-Berger• 231 participants (& counting!)

Outline• Project overview• The 4-factor leadership model• 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-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 clientfacing, engaged g and healthy workforce in high stresssituations• People attracted to organisations for pay, conditions,anticipated satisfaction but leave primary because of poorquality 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, post, 12-month follow-up.5

Research goals1. Develop a method of enhancing engagement, retention,productivity it and satisfaction in high h stress workplaces2. Develop instruments that help us identify and developleaders and staff3. Assess the impact of coaching over and above training.6

The 4-factor modelPerspective-Taking Capacity (PTC)MindfulnessPurposePositivityCavanagh (2007)

Factor #1: Perspective-Taking Capacity• Critical meta-skill for leadership• Ability to understand, critically consider & integratemultiple competing perspectives to guide action(Cavanagh, Atkins, Grant, Spence, 2006)• The ability to take a perspective that makes sense ofwhat is going on in oneself, others & the system

Factor #2: Mindfulness• Emphasises importance of self-awareness to purposefulaction• The ability to observe the present momentdispassionately• Helps us see our own process & respond intentionallyrather than reactively• Assists self-regulation by providing “moments of choice”

Factor #3: Purpose• Emphasises the directional/inspirational aspects ofleadership• Good leaders are typically solution-focused; they willlearn 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 towardvaluable goals, committed & proactive

Factor #4: Positivity• Emphasises socio-emotional aspects of leadership• Ability to create expansive, emotional spacescharacterised by positive interpersonal dynamics (e.g.hearing & being heard, getting & giving quality feedback)that foster engagement, effort & growth• Involves embracing complexity & understand theemergent properties of complex systems

Types of development

Types of developmentHorizontal development• Involves expanded our existing skill sets• A quantitative change• E.g. Learning how to give feedback in a positive fashionVertical development• Involves expanding understandings & perspectives• A qualitative change• E.g. Recognising the impact that good feedback has on the systemHorizontal development often supports vertical development. AsHorizontal development often supports vertical development. Aswe practice & master new skills we can begin to see the limitationsof existing understanding & perspectives

Importance of Mindfulness to growth• Leaders continually encounter situations that are laced withtension & paradox• Resolving these tensions requires a bigger perspective• Being mindful helps us engage with the tension & not bereactive to it• Engaging the tensions enables new perspectives to emerge• We can begin to see things previously missed, overlooked oravoided

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

Mindful leaders “build bridges”• Different perspectives (or worldviews) can often seem likeimpossible chasms• When leaders engage others perspectives - so as tounderstand together - possibilities abound• This is how we build bridges!• Before we under-stand we don’tknow where to step!

The positive role of tension• Tension is critical in building bridges• Once we understand the tensions that we both see in thesituation, we can use these tensions as the structuralcomponents of the bridge• No tension, no bridge – it collapses!• Best approached through dialogueprocesses that allow people thespace & time to “think together”• When done well dialogue issynthetic, creative & respectful;when done badly it is additive,repetitive & polite

Non-judgmental awakeness• Mindfulness can help us be in the tension without beingreactive• As soon as we start suppressing, controlling, avoiding orforeclosing on the tensions we are taking up reactive positions& bridges start t collapsing!• We need to get more comfortable with discomfort• Mindfulness is a state of non-judgmental awakenesscharacterized by openness & acceptance of moment-tomomentexperience• It is engagement with experience not attachment toexperiences (experiences are events, experience is a process)

What role does coaching play in all this?Supporting vertical development• Coaching can provide leaders with the scaffolded d supportneeded to develop bigger perspectives– a reflective “space” in which they can approach tensions safely todiscover new pathways forward• Notice our embeddedness in existing perspective & thelimitations that creates• Making object that to which we are subject is the developmentalprocess (Kegan, 1994)

What role does coaching play in all this?Supporting horizontal development• Seeing things differently requires doing things differently• Coaching can help us develop the skill sets needed to supportthe enactment of our new perspectives− scaffolds current development & thickens the base for futuredevelopment• 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, & noticingothers responses to change (in non-judgmental ways)

Case: “John”• Aviation industry - financial controller, male, late 30s• Highly competent, perfectionistic, achievement oriented,pacesetter• Wanted to create high performing team, empower & developothers through coaching, reduce stress• Dominant frame – business/commercial (i.e. sees leadershipthrough efficiency/profitability lens)• Subordinate frame – individual id needs (i.e. seeing leadershipthrough lens of human nurturance & growth)• Tendency to go into cocoon-like state; discouraging toothers; fearful f of interrupting ti him – less likely l to approach

Incorporation & transformationBigger, expandedperspectiveLeadership is aboutcreating value for allstakeholdersNow there is a horizontal taskto thickened the base & makethis perspective real in theworld through the use ofappropriate communicationskills, etc.Perspective ABusiness framePerspective BIndividual needsframe

Summary & conclusions• Leadership is about perspective & practice− PTC− Mindfulness− Purpose− Positivity• Both horizontal & vertical development needed• Mindfulness helps us in both tasks

Mindfulness, Leadership & the 4-Factor ModelThank you for listening.Questions?gordons@psych.usyd.edu.auHarvard Coaching Conference25 th September 2009