L E A D E R S H I P I N S T I T U T E

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Part I: Introduction........................................................................................................................................................................1
Part II: Performance States ............................................................................................................................................................3
States vs. Stages .............................................................................................................................................................3
Performance States ........................................................................................................................................................4
Performance Demands ..................................................................................................................................................4
Part III: The Black Box of Leadership Development.....................................................................................................................5
Part IV: Discovering the Secrets of the Black Box ........................................................................................................................8
Multiple Intelligences As Developmental Lines ...........................................................................................................9
Cognitive......................................................................................................................................................................12
Intrapersonal ................................................................................................................................................................13
Interpersonal ................................................................................................................................................................15
Ethical ..........................................................................................................................................................................17
Physical........................................................................................................................................................................19
Spirituality....................................................................................................................................................................21
Other Important Developmental Considerations ........................................................................................................23
Part V: Integral Practice ..............................................................................................................................................................24
Enhancing Performance States ....................................................................................................................................24
Developing to Progressively Higher Stages.................................................................................................................24
Practice As Its Own Reward ........................................................................................................................................25
Examples of Practices ..................................................................................................................................................25
Integral Practice Design...............................................................................................................................................27
Part VI: Resources.......................................................................................................................................................................28
Part VII: Review Questions .........................................................................................................................................................29

2004, 2005 STAGEN LEADERSHIP INS TITUTE , IN C. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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 L E A D E R S H I P I N S T I T U T E

PART I: INTRODUCTION

There is a kind of renewed hero whom many of us Individual Individual

admire: the man or woman who possesses the ability to Mindset Behavior
achieve impressive and satisfying results, not just once or Perspective Perspective
twice but repeatedly, consistently. These people have
always been with us. They are superior managers,
successful entrepreneurs, and accomplished salespeople. Individual Individual
They have also seemed apart from us, seen in ways that Capacities Performance
identify them as somehow different. Peak performers are,
by common agreement, exceptional. To these people,
going through the motions is anathema. From them you
hear precious little talk of settling for a comfort zone
where you try (but not with all your energy) and achieve Culture Systems
(but not all your dreams). They face at least as many
obstacles as other people, and go through at least as
many rough times. It would be deeply surprising,
however, to hear that any of them stopped. No matter
how rough it gets, no matter how great the assault on
body and mind, peak performers always feel they can do
something. Invariably, they move on. We are not
speaking of super humans but of human beings like you context that honors the full spectrum of human performance, they
and me, whose working environment may be less than contribute to both individual and group performance in
ideal, who struggle with personal shortcomings. These
people focus on transforming the inevitable stumbling increasingly powerful ways.
blocks into stepping-stones. As they progress, they
improve their companies and themselves. They trust that In terms of the Four Quadrant Model developed by Ken Wilber
in the end they will make it. More often than not, they and the Integral Institute, this module focuses primarily on
1
do. Charles Garfield
individual performance (upper right quadrant in the diagram
Sustained high performance is one of the most hotly above) and the interior influences of such (upper left quadrant). In
2

pursued goals in business, and one of the most elusive.
Literally hundreds of approaches are currently available,
with new ones showcased on bookshelves each month.
All business schools teach how to encourage high
performance as well as various means of measuring its
results. These methods and means have merit, so why
does consistent high performance remain so elusive?
Pay-for-performance, pursuit of excellence,
balanced scorecard, and good to great efforts are
well intended and useful. They do not, however,
account for the full intelligence and capability spectrum
of any given individual or organization and thus have not
delivered on their promises. Though these approaches
are limited, once they are reframed within an integral
organizations, these activities occur in the context of culture
(lower left) and systems (lower right). Other Stagen modules
explore human capacity in the broader context of organizational
culture, interpersonal interaction, and teamwork (lower left), and
3
organizational structure and systems (lower right).
Peak performance can be defined as the superb
execution of highly developed skills resulting in
consistent high achievement.
Many people have talent whether they are professional athletes,
innovative entrepreneurs, driven salespeople, efficient managers,
or inspiring leaders. Talent is necessary, but insufficient; beyond
natural aptitude, the key to peak performance lies in consistency.
Those rare individuals able to execute their skills at elite levels
seem to be able to perform at peak, on demand.

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For both athletic and business peak

performers, success requires more than
talent. Those exhibiting true greatness have
developed themselves above and beyond the
parameters of their primary talent.
Tiger Woods is a world-class peak performer. Is this a
result of his 300-yard driving? Is it his near-flawless
putting?
While these talents are extremely useful, they are not
what produced a world champion, as his competitors
also possess these skills. In interviews, those who have
played with Woods at his peak all point to his most
crucial attribute: laser-like focus and unwavering
concentration. Woods has balanced and integrated the
physical mastery of his
sport with equally
remarkable skill in the art
of attention mastery, a
key capacity associated
with cognitive
development (discussed
later in this module).
Armstrongs highly developed
intrapersonal capacities of self-
awareness, achievement drive, and
state management enable him to
access the zone and sustain this
state with a stability his opponents
are unable to match. This ability
allows him to stay calm under pressure, remain unaffected by
race stress, and outstrategize his less developed competitors.
Learning Asset: Lance Armstrong video clip (5 minutes)
What makes Steve Jobs and Bill Gates peak performers? Is it simply
their extraordinary IQs or something surpassing even the keenest
intellects? Steve Jobs matched imagination and revolutionary
thinking with a highly developed business acumen and charisma
to become the driving force behind Apple, the worlds most
innovative computer company. Bill Gates vision, innovative
thinking, and marketing prowess were as critical to his success as
was his legendary technology genius. Peak human performance
results from the interplay, exchange, and integration of several
interconnected skills. The synthesis of these skills enables the best
of the best to deliver consistent high performance whether in

Learning Assets: competition, in the boardroom, or in closing the big sale. Human
Into the Zone U.S. News & World Report article performance results from the conscious, coordinated, creative
Tiger Woods video clip (5 minutes)
interplay of dozens of interdependent systems and skill sets. This
Lance Armstrong, the 2002 Sports Illustrated Sportsman module provides a simplified yet comprehensive model of peak
of the Year, won the Tour de France for a sixth performance within an accessible, user-friendly package.
consecutive year after his battle with testicular cancer.
What allowed this man to beat incredible odds, both on
and off the bike, and to demonstrate true peak
performance? The indisputable answer is his mental
toughness.

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PART II: PERFORMANCE STATES

Part I of this module defines peak performance as the

superb execution of highly developed skills resulting in Stages of Skill Development: Tiger Woods
consistent high achievement. To understand the roots of
performance, this definition can be broken into two Stage 3 High

component parts: superb execution and highly developed

skills. In this section, we introduce key definitions
Stage 2 Medium
associated with skill development before moving on to an

Golf Skills
in-depth exploration of the factors leading to superb
execution. Stage 1 Low

STATES VS. STAGES

Examining the distinction between states and stages is
concerned, it is generally impossible to go from stage one
critical to understanding superb execution. First, lets discuss
4 directly to stage three, as advancing to stage three requires
stages.
going through (transcending and including) stage two.
Stages of Skill Development
Stages of Development and Levels of Proficiency
An elite athlete is an illustrative example. Tiger Woods golf
Again using Tiger Woods as an example, his early stage of golf
skills are easily seen as representing an exceptionally high
skills exhibited while still in high school and ranked as an
stage of development. This stage results from more than 20
amateur could be described as a low level of proficiency.
years of practice and refinement. (See illustration above
At his next stage of development, his skill could be described
right.)
as a medium level of proficiency. His current stage represents
Stages of development unfold over time, each a high level of proficiency.
subsequent stage transcending yet including the
skill sets associated with all prior stages; this Stages emphasize the durational aspect of growth, while levels
principle is illustrated by observing the emphasize particular capacities and complexities that unfold
progression of development relating to any over time. For purposes here, stages and levels are treated as
individuals highly developed abilities.
synonyms. However, to adequately understand human

Examples include any complex and demanding skill, such as performance, it is critical to draw a sharp distinction between
learning a foreign language, playing a musical instrument, or stages and states.

mastering an athletic activity such as martial arts or snow

skiing. Over time and with practice, each new set of skills
combines with previous ones to form new, more complex
competencies.

Stages unfold sequentially and chronologically. Common

sense tells us that where developmental stages are

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PERFORMANCE STATES Performance States: Tiger Woods

Performance states are both distinct from and unrelated to
the stages of skill development. Tiger Woods is a good
Physically Physically
example. Tiger has achieved a high developmental stage. resourceful but unresourceful but
mentally unfocused mentally focused
That on one day his performance is stunning and on another = Average = Average
Performance Performance
day average, or even poor, demonstrates the relative Physically
resourceful and
transience of states over stable stages. mentally focused
= Peak
Performance
Regardless of a persons level of skill (e.g., low, medium, or
high), their current state of body and mind will determine
how effectively they are able to execute those skills. Physically
unresourceful and
mentally unfocused
State is short for neurophysiological state. Medical science = Poor Performance

and various branches of psychology recognize that a

competitors. In comparison, most organizational leaders spend
humans capacity to perform a task is largely a function of
very little time systematically training and conditioning their
their current neurological/psychological state (e.g., brain
body and mind, yet are expected to perform at high levels for
waves, neurochemistry, thinking patterns, attitudes,
eight to twelve hours per day.
emotions) combined with their physiological state (e.g.,
strength, energy level, fatigue, tension). This explains how Loehr and Schwartz also note that most athletes enjoy a

peak performers can dazzle one day and disappoint the next. lengthy off-season each year for rest, healing, renewal, and

(See illustration on this page.) Average performance results growth, allowing them to enter the next season (period of high

when either mind or body is in an unresourceful state. Poor performance demands) in an optimal performance state. By

performance results when both mind and body are in contrast, most leaders off season amounts to a few weeks of

unresourceful states. Peak performance results when mind vacation each year. Leaders can draw some useful lessons

and body are simultaneously in resourceful states. from athletic high performers. Once leaders learn to
distinguish between their own increasing stages of
PERFORMANCE DEMANDS
development (levels of proficiency) from their present-moment
Sports psychologists Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz claim that
state of body and mind, they can, through training and
the performance demands faced by leaders in their everyday
practice, employ methods to better manage and leverage those
work environments dwarf those of professional athletes. In
performance states. A state management key, as shown by
The Power of Full Engagement, Loehr and Schwartz show
professional athletes, is to monitor and cultivate optimum
that professional athletes spend 90% of their time training in
states through the intelligent application of renewal and
order to perform 10% of the time. Their lives are organized
conditioning activities. These activities can be incorporated
around practices that enhance, sustain, and renew their body
into weekly routines and can be scheduled each week during
and mind, enabling them to enter into and remain in high 5
the Weekly Focusing Process.
performance states longer and more consistently than their

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PART III: THE BLACK BOX OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Jim Collins, author of the best sellers Good to Great and
Built to Last, is a management researcher and former
faculty member at the Stanford University Graduate
School of Business. Collins and his research team
identified the six common traits
(and practices) of elite companies
that made the leap from good to
great results and sustained those
results for fifteen years. After the
good to great leap, these
companies generated cumulative
common stock returns that exceeded the market by an
average of seven times in fifteen years better than twice
the results delivered by a composite index of the worlds
greatest companies (including Coca-Cola, Intel, General
Electric, and Merck).
One of the most important of the six factors that
distinguished the good to great companies was that
these companies were helmed by highly developed
leaders during their transition period.
All fields have their best and brightest. Collins research
is unique in that it directly correlates the growth and
profitability of well-known great companies to each
organizations individual leadership performance. Collins
identifies these highly proficient leaders as Level 5
leaders. While the good to great companies in the
study had Level 5 leaders during their transition; the
absence of Level 5 leaders was a consistent pattern
among the not-so-great comparison companies.
An ongoing question related to high-performance
leadership derives from the nature vs. nurture debate:
can high performance be taught, or are people born with
the necessary talent? To rephrase:
HUMAN PE RF ORMANCE MODULE
L E A D E R S H I P I N S T I T U T E
Does leadership capability develop,
or are you born with it?
Leadership, like every other application of intelligence to action, is
far more multifaceted than this simple question suggests.
Leadership performance, like other human endeavors, is a mix of
innate capacity combined with progressively complex stages of
development that result from long-term training and practice.
In a widely read Harvard Business Review article titled Level 5
Leadership, Collins speculates on this question: Of 1,435
companies that appeared on the Fortune 500 since 1965, only 11
made it into our study. In those 11, all of them had Level 5 leaders
in key positions, including the CEO role, at the pivotal time of
transition.
Collins continues, My preliminary hypothesis is that there are two
categories of people: those who dont have the Level 5 seed within
them, and those who do. The first category consists of people who
could never in a million years bring themselves to subjugate their
own needs to the greater ambition of something larger and more
lasting than themselves. For those people, work will always be first
and foremost about what they get: the fame, fortune, power,
adulation, and so on, rather than about what they create or
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contribute. The great irony is that the animus and UL UR

Individual Individual
personal ambition that often drives people to become a
Interior, Intangible Exterior, Tangible
Level 4 leader stands at odds with the humility required Capacities Behavior

to rise to Level 5. Collins Black Box Level 5 leadership

of leadership (empirically observed
While Collins speculates that some people lack the development behavior seen in
Collins research)
requisite capacities to reach the highest stages of
leadership performance, he postulates a second category
of leaders who do possess the potential that could be Good-to-great
6 company
developed to Level 5 under the right circumstances. performance
Collins methodology followed an empirical approach
LL LR
that emphasizes tangible, measurable, and objective
phenomena (the right-hand quadrants in the illustration
above right). This research shows the impressive,
If you want to learn about the stars, regardless of
statistically based financial performance that results from how good you are with a microscope, they will
leadership functioning at the highest stages of remain mysterious until viewed through a telescope.
development. But the dynamics of psychological Learning about a persons inner development requires
development, and therefore leadership development, was investigation with the appropriate tool. The perfect instrument to
(by Collins own admission) beyond the scope of his investigate what appears from Collins perspective as a black
work. 7
box is developmental psychology, with its emphasis on the
Our research, frankly, did not delve into how Level 5 upper left quadrant.
leaders come to be, nor did we attempt to explain or This module is primarily concerned with opening, unpacking,
codify the nature of their emotional lives. Our cataloging, and applying these ultimately not-so-mysterious
research exposed Level 5 leadership as a key component components of Collins black box.
inside the black box of what it takes to shift a company
from good to great. Yet inside the black box is another
the inner development of a person to Level 5 leadership.
(See illustration.)

In the same Harvard Business Review article, Collins

states, We would love to be able to give you a list of
steps for getting to Level 5 other than contracting
cancer, going through a religious conversion, or getting
different parents but we have no solid research data
that would support a credible list.

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What will be revealed, not even Collins can

COLLINS LEVEL 5 LEADERSHIP
currently explain: how to develop Level 5 HIERARCHY
leaders.
Level 5 Level 5 executive
With a working understanding of the dynamics of human
Builds enduring greatness
development, Level 5 leadership can not only be through a paradoxical combination
understood, it can be actively developed. A review of of personal humility plus professional will.
_________
Collins Level 5 Leadership Hierarchy is helpful (see chart
Level 4 Effective leader
on this page).
Catalyzes commitment to and vigorous pursuit
Collins explains, The Level 5 leader sits on top of a of a clear and compelling vision; stimulates
the group to high performance standards.
hierarchy of capabilities to be a full-fledged Level 5
_________
requires the capabilities of all the lower levels, plus the
Level 3 Competent manager
special characteristics of Level 5.
Organizes people and resources toward the effective
Most leaders recognize the straightforward sequence of and efficient pursuit of predetermined objectives.
_________
progressively more complex skills development, and
Level 2 Contributing team member
grasp how it applies to themselves and their staff. This
Contributes to the achievement of group objectives;
high-level, simplified conception is helpful as an initial
works effectively with others in a group setting.
orientation to the developmental nature of leadership _________________________
performance. Level 1 Highly capable individual

Collins simple model is a good pioneering effort that can Makes productive contributions through talent,
knowledge, skills, and good work habits.
be more powerfully applied and clearly understood with
a sufficient understanding of integral theory
specifically, the four quadrants (which delineate interior
and exterior, individual and collective dimensions),
multiple intelligences, and developmental lines. The
subsequent sections of this module reveal how Level 5
(exterior) behavior is clearly a result of a specific
combination of (interior) capacities that can be
developed to progressively higher proficiency stages
through judicious training and practice.

Learning Asset: Level 5 Leadership by Jim Collins (Harvard

Business Review article)

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PART IV: DISCOVERING THE SECRETS OF THE BLACK BOX

For over 50 years, developmental theorists have

investigated the interior dimensions (upper left quadrant)
of the human being. Three of the most important
researchers hail from Harvard: Robert Kegan
8
(subject-object theory) , Daniel Goleman (emotional
intelligence), and Howard Gardner (multiple
intelligences).

Howard Gardners groundbreaking theory of multiple

intelligences created a benchmark for understanding
human potential, paving the way for entire new fields of
study in human development, adult education, and peak
9
Many leaders anxiously strive for (tangible) high
performance.
performance while simultaneously neglecting or
Inspired in part by Gardners work, and using the four- ignoring the invisible (intangible) drivers that create
quadrant integral framework, the myriad approaches to high performance.
human performance can be assessed and evaluated. In todays ever-changing environment, fragmented, incomplete

Most approaches to peak performance are grounded in approaches to human performance and organizational strategy are
one or two quadrants while ignoring or even denigrating inadequate. Businesses can no longer afford these partial

the remaining dimensions, and the application of approaches. Integral leaders understand that achieving success in

Gardners work and an integral framework allows for all the (upper right) behavioral/performance dimension requires

aspects of human development to be recognized and cultivating excellence in relevant human capacities (upper left)
cultivated. that represent the interior origin of excellence.

Gardner and other researchers are convinced that much Most people are familiar with intelligence quotient (IQ) testing,
of the frustration that business in particular and society in developed 60 years ago to measure some aspects of cognitive

general experience today comes from the disjunction of development. IQ analyses predict with limited accuracy ones

these dimensions (typified by the four quadrants). potential to excel in mathematic, logic, and linguistic endeavors.

Gardner explains, We observe daily that only one kind Gardner separates IQ into two related but different forms of

of talent say, technological creativity is being intelligence. Linguistic intelligence is the ability exhibited in its

rewarded, and only one measure say, profitability in fullest form, perhaps, by poets. Logical-mathematical intelligence

the marketplace is being recognized. These indices are is logical and mathematical ability, as well as scientific ability.11
insufficient; other parts of the human spirit merit
recognition, respect, and veneration.10

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IQ testing was devised to predict how well students

would fare in school, though more recent research
consistently shows that IQ has little bearing on a persons
overall level of achievement, success, or happiness.
Gardner maintains that while these forms of intelligence
are important, they are no more important than other
variations of smart. He claims that society has
overvalued these aspects to our significant detriment; the
time has come to give attention to other important forms
of human intelligence.

Gardner divides human intelligence into

seven types, the first two being linguistic and
logical-mathematical. The remaining five
intelligence is self-explanatory. Gardner points to Leonard
types are interpersonal, intrapersonal, spatial,
bodily-kinesthetic, and musical. Bernstein and Mozart as exemplifying this sort of intelligence.12

Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to understand It is tempting to assume that not all kinds of intelligence are
other people with regard to their motivations, their relevant to business. This assumption is countered by the fact that
modes of operation, and how to work creatively and companies such as Microsoft and Agilent intentionally recruit
cooperatively with them. Successful salespeople, musicians for the musical intelligence that affords them a unique
politicians, teachers, and leaders all exhibit high degrees capacity for pattern recognition and an ability to compellingly
of interpersonal intelligence. While interpersonal engage groups of people.
intelligence is concerned with understanding, relating to, Learning Asset: Seven Kinds of Smart: Identifying and Developing Your
Multiple Intelligences by Thomas Armstrong (book)
and managing others, intrapersonal intelligence concerns
Tool: Multiple Intelligences Inventory (brief self-assessment)
itself with the internal, subjective dimension that
involves, understanding, relating with, and managing
oneself. MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
AS DEVELOPMENTAL LINES
Spatial intelligence is the ability to form a mental model Gardner acknowledges that his distinction of seven intelligences is
of a temporal world and to maneuver and operate using simply one of many valid ways to frame the various human
its contours. Gardner points to sailors, engineers, capacities. Gardners and others work in multiple intelligences
sculptors, and painters as examples of people with highly form the basis for a broader conception of human performance
developed spatial intelligence. Bodily-kinesthetic capability referred to as developmental lines. Developmental
intelligence is the ability to solve problems or fashion lines is a widely used convention that describes the many ways in
products using part or all of ones body. Surgeons, which humans develop progressively higher stages of proficiency
athletes, dancers, and craftspeople all exhibit highly along predictable pathways correlated with distinct human
developed bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Musical capacities. These capacities encompass Gardners multiple

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intelligences, but are broader. They include all

capabilities associated with any particular developmental
area (not just those explicitly identified as a form of
intelligence). Considering Gardners and other related Possible Integral Psychograph for
models, and correlating them with numerous well- Someone Like Bill Gates
High
researched and respected models of human
13
development , integral theory points to six human
capacities most relevant in the context of organizational
leadership:
Medium
Cognitive The ability, using mental constructs, to perceive,
learn, interpret, and decide.
Intrapersonal The introspective abilities used to derive
meaning and assign significance. These abilities are
associated with awareness and management of the inner Low
worlds of self, values, beliefs, and emotions.
Interpersonal The ability to effectively understand and
engage with others. It includes social awareness and
Cognitive

Intrapersonal

Interpersonal

Physical

Ethical

Spiritual
relationship management skills.
Ethical The ability to make decisions with consideration for
the needs and interests of others with the intention of
achieving the highest good.
Physical Awareness of and proficiency with the kinesthetic
dimensions of the self.
Spiritual The ability to access and employ wisdom in the
exploration of things of ultimate concern. Possible Integral Psychograph for
Someone Like Tiger Woods
Integral Psychographs
Different people have various levels of competency in High

different areas, and these variations can be illustrated

using an integral psychograph. A persons proficiency
level in each core capability can be graphed to designate
Medium
low, medium, or high. The six integral psychograph
examples provided here were selected as representation
of easily recognizable personality types.
Low
Cognitive

Intrapersonal

Interpersonal

Physical

Ethical

Spiritual

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More Integral Psychograph Examples

Possible Integral Psychograph for Possible Integral Psychograph for

Someone Like Ronald Reagan someone like a Nazi scientist

High

Medium

Low
Cognitive

Intrapersonal

Interpersonal

Physical

Ethical

Spiritual
Cognitive

Intrapersonal

Interpersonal

Physical

Ethical

Spiritual

Possible Integral Psychograph for Possible Integral Psychograph for

Someone Like Mother Teresa Someone Like Gandhi

High

Medium

Low
Cognitive

Intrapersonal

Interpersonal

Physical

Ethical

Spiritual
Cognitive

Intrapersonal

Interpersonal

Physical

Ethical

Spiritual

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COGNITIVE
Cognitive development refers to the discrete set of
abilities to learn, analyze, interpret, and make decisions
using ideas, concepts, and mental constructs. It includes
both Gardners essential linguistic and logical-
mathematical intelligences and other cognitive skills such
as problem solving, grammar, and perception.
Development along this line involves increasing levels of
14
proficiency in the following skills:

Perspective-taking
Strategic thinking
Ability to perceive complex situations accurately
Ability to learn and understand more complex concepts

cognitive level largely base their thinking and perception on

Levels of Cognitive Development
Low: Individuals with low cognitive development reason and logic, evaluating varying ideas for compatibility with

primarily think in concrete, rather than abstract terms. observable facts. Pattern recognition is more complex and abstract

They exhibit less facility with abstract thinking tasks such at this level; the person is more aware of direct causal

as comparing strategic options. Regarding strategic relationships and consequences. Such individuals can develop

thinking, people with low-level cognitive proficiency strategic, long-term perspectives, which they convert into tenable

may create a simple tactical plan of action, but likely plans containing fairly innovative strategies.

lack the abstract thought and innovative thinking needed High: A high cognitive level provides for a complex combination
to develop comprehensive long-term strategies. Accurate of reason, context, and intuition that integrates and synthesizes
self-reflection may be difficult, and introspection is thought operations and easily accommodates opposing
uncommon except after major setbacks from a heavy viewpoints. Those at this level assume complexity and ambiguity,
disappointment, failure, or loss. They may be unable to enjoy hearing alternative viewpoints, and welcome seemingly
reflect upon their own thought patterns and belief incompatible perspectives as an opportunity to gain deeper
systems and tend to perceive the world unambiguously in understanding. The increased complexity of their pattern
terms that match known rules. They are typically resistant recognition skills allows them to discern subtle relationships
to and have difficulty integrating information beyond simple cause and effect, and to intuit far-reaching
incompatible with their held views. Their thinking is consequences. Those at this level tend to exhibit great complexity
strongly affected by the opinions of authority figures. of thought and are able to design sophisticated yet elegant

Medium: People with medium level cognitive interdependent strategies.

development engage the rational mind in thought

operations performed on abstract objects such as
selecting strategies among many options. Those at this

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INTRAPERSONAL
The heart of intrapersonal intelligence is the human self-
reflective abilities that enable people to step outside
themselves and consider their lives objectively. It
involves the uniquely human propensity to want to know
the meaning, purpose, and significance of things. It
involves the awareness of the inner world of the self,
emotions, values, and beliefs. It includes the ability to
attune to immediate experiences, and to consciously
recognize perceptions, associations, and impressions.

Best-selling author Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., and

hundreds of other researchers have provided a powerful
understanding of human interactions in business through
Cultivating internal resources tends to increase ones resilience
their work in what has come to be called emotional
during genuinely difficult times. Collins credits this capacity in the
intelligence (EQ). Intrapersonal capacity is the
decision makers at Kroger for helping them generate cumulative
combination of what is called, in EQ terms, self-
returns that were 80 times better than those of their competitor,
awareness and self-management. Self-awareness refers
A&P, the largest retail organization in the world, between 1959
to the recognition of ones own internal states, 15
and 1973.
preferences, and intuitions. Self-management refers to the
The inability to separate ones wishes, hopes, and visions for the
ability to manage them. The skills associated with
future from the hard realities of ones actual circumstances can
intrapersonal capacity include:
cause otherwise brilliant business minds to make serious mistakes.
Accurately assessing ones capabilities
The inability to marshal internal emotional resources, or hope, in
Practicing emotional self-control
Being conscientious and reliable the face of difficult times can bring leaders to poor decisions based
Taking initiative with optimism on despair rather than a viable vision for constructive change.
Managing motivation and drive
Tolerating chaos and change
Adaptability and resourcefulness

Collins illustrates the power of intrapersonal

development with what he calls the Stockdale Paradox,
which is the ability to simultaneously retain faith (a left
quadrant) while retaining clarity about the facts (right
quadrants) surrounding an issue.

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Levels of Intrapersonal Development

Low: People with low intrapersonal development have
little or no familiarity with their interior landscape and
are likely to see other people and circumstances as the
cause of internal feelings. They are frequently confused
about and subject to their emotions, experiencing
them as something imposed from an exterior source
rather than recognizing them as internally generated.
They are unaware of fine distinctions between different
emotions and can typically neither name their own
current emotions nor identify their own triggers.

Because they perceive their feelings and emotions as

originating outside of their control, their self-management perceptions from the people and events that trigger those internal

skills are poorly developed. They meet adversity, threat, responses. They know their own strengths without becoming

or failure with instinctual, unconscious emotional arrogant, and recognize their limits without becoming defensive.

responses. They make decisions or act impulsively with They self-regulate their internal experience, remaining optimistic

insufficient thought about consequences. They often and resilient when facing difficulty. Their accurate self-assessments

overstate or understate their abilities, and tend to reject allow for both emotional versatility under pressure and flexibility

negative feedback. in the face of change. Failures or setbacks are viewed as feedback
and do not adversely effect their sense of self-efficacy. They take
Medium: People with medium intrapersonal
full responsibility for their performance without blame or shame.
development are generally more accurate in assessing
Such people handle frustrations, disappointments, and changing
their capabilities. They tend to have a good grasp of their
circumstances by innovating new approaches and creative tactics.
emotions and many of their emotional triggers. They
can recognize varying degrees of emotions and their Learning Asset: EQ Supplement

effects on thinking and behavior, rarely losing control of

them. Those at this level appreciate the value of
constructive criticism, which they receive with an open
mind and employ to enhance their own performance.
They tend to take responsibility for their performance,
making them generally reliable and trustworthy.

High: People at the high intrapersonal level tend to be

self-confident, optimistic, and emotionally resonant.
They intimately understand their own emotions and their
triggers, and clearly distinguish their internal feelings and

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INTERPERSONAL
These abilities involve understanding and engaging the
responses of emotional systems and using relational skills
to interact effectively with others. They include the ability
to understand what motivates other people, how they
work, and how to work cooperatively with them. This
developmental line encompasses the EQ dimensions of
social awareness and relationship management.

Interpersonal skills include:

Empathy
Ability to develop others
Organizational awareness
Communication
Persuasiveness
trust and may not be effective team players. They perceive most
Conflict management
interpersonal interactions as a chess game: What is he really up
Teamwork
to? How do I win? They are often unaware of others feelings,
In Working With Emotional Intelligence, Goleman makes
perceptions, and needs and tend to miss subtle verbal and
the persuasive business case for increasing emotional
nonverbal cues. Their inability to understand others leads to
intelligence capabilities. He aggregated competency
miscommunications, which add to their difficulty in influencing
models for 181 different positions drawn from 121
others. They can be strong individual contributors if working
companies and organizations worldwide, having
independently, but in a team scenario tend to have difficulty
combined workforces numbering in the millions. The
bonding outside a small circle.
results were astonishing: 67 percent two thirds of the
abilities deemed essential for effective performance were Medium: People with medium-level interpersonal development

emotional intelligence competencies.
The surprising bottom line of extensive
research is that emotional competencies
mattered twice as much as either IQ or job-
specific expertise. This held true across all
categories of jobs and in all kinds of
organizations.
Levels of Interpersonal Development
Low: People with low interpersonal capacity either
studiously avoid conflict or needlessly engage it. They
may be perceived as either overly aggressive or unable to
appropriately confront conflict. They inspire a lack of
are usually able to receive and make use of feedback,
acknowledge their own mistakes, and repair relationships.
Similarly, though they may miss subtle emotional cues from
others, they nonetheless encourage open communication and
freely share ideas while listening openly to others, especially those
within their circle of acquaintances and colleagues. Individuals at
this level have a greater ability to recognize emotional currents,
power relationships, and other group dynamics. They respect
diverse worldviews and can relate with people from varied
backgrounds and lifestyles. They rarely seek out conflict but can
manage it as it arises.

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High: People at the high interpersonal level build bonds

and cultivate a network of satisfying relationships,
making them highly skilled team players. They handle
conflict appropriately and smoothly, generating win/win
solutions whenever possible. They thrive on feedback
and on influencing others to develop themselves. Such
people have a high capacity for empathy, care, and
concern for other human beings and can sense their
perspectives and feelings, sometimes even when these
are not explicitly expressed. They tend to be highly
aware of emotional currents, power relationships, and
social dynamics, both in small groups and
organizationally. They are often highly adept at listening
and reading peoples body language, tone, and energy
levels. This enhances the speed and depth of their
understanding, and the quality and range of their
communication skills. Consequently, they can be both
highly inspirational and influential, and tend to be
excellent team players.

Learning Assets:
EQ Supplement
Working With Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
(book)
The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace by Daniel Goleman
(book)

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ETHICAL
This developmental line defines ones ability to make
decisions while considering the needs and interests of
others with an intention for the highest good. It bears
special emphasis in the current business environment.
Consider these headlines:

House Committee Questions Role of French Bank in U.N.-

Saddam Scandal
Fannie Mae Warns of Possible $9 Billion Loss
Audit: Newsday Overstated Its Circulation
CBS Apprehensive Over Rathergate Probe
Bostons $15 Billion Big Dig Is Full of Leaks
Bernie Goldberg: CNN Democrat Judy Woodruff on Suicide
Watch
Five Execs Convicted in Enron Barge Case
AP: DOD Warned About Halliburton Contracts
FBI Investigating Halliburton Contracts Levels of Ethical Development
Low: For those at the low level of ethical development, Right and
Each of these stories ran in November 2004. From 2001
good is determined by punishment and reward. Ethics involve
through 2003, the rise of corporate scandals contributed
mostly the art of mutual back-scratching, and right and wrong
to causing a significant drop in stock prices. The cost to
are interpreted in terms of the (often physical) power of those who
York States economy alone was $2.9 billion, and state
make the rules, offer rewards, or impose punishments. People at
tax revenues counted losses of $1 billion, while the state
this ethical level act to meet their own immediate needs without
pension fund plummeted in value by $9 billion. State
regard for the impact of their acts on others. They refrain from self-
comptroller Alan G. Hevesi said corporate scandals cost
serving behavior mainly out of the fear of negative consequences
New York City approximately $260 million in tax
and may not experience guilt even when their self-serving choices
revenues, and its pension fund almost $7 billion in value.
harm others.
The combination of bad news and bad behavior has
Medium: At the medium level of ethical development, decisions
created a crisis of confidence in Americas business
about the right thing to do are based on interpersonal concordance
community. Leaders have a responsibility to address
and law and order. Such people perceive there to be a right
ethical issues in skillful ways. Integral leaders may also
way to act, and are therefore loyal to the social order and behave
recognize an opportunity to leverage ethical
in socially sanctioned ways. They place high importance on
development as a unique competitive advantage.
upholding rules and conforming to group expectations. They tend
not to break rules and may experience guilt when doing so, even
when the infraction is unobserved.

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High: At high levels of ethical development, social

contracts and universal principles guide decisions. The
moral values and principles of those at this level
transcend and include those of conventional society and
various wisdom traditions. Individuals at this level make
ethical decisions stemming from intentions of fairness,
kindness, and beneficial practices that seek the highest
common good. Rather than rationalizing away their
shortcomings or mistakes or lapsing into unhealthy guilt
or self-loathing, they tend to allow themselves to be
shaped by the moment, in recognition that as leaders,
their responses shape the character of the organization.

Learning Assets:
Lives of Moral Leadership by Robert Coles (book)
Ethics for the New Millennium by the Dalai Lama (book)

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PHYSICAL
Physical development is the ability to solve problems or
achieve desired outcomes using ones body. Dancers,
athletes, surgeons, and craftspeople often exhibit high
physical development. The ability to monitor and
manage physical energy characterizes a crucial aspect of
this capability.

The skills associated with energy management include:

Body awareness
Stress management
Rest, recovery, and renewal

Leaders who cultivate this developmental line have

increased reserves of calm, self-control, balance, focus,
and generativity that can lead to significant bottom-line
bodily-kinesthetic intelligence as it is also known, involves an
results.
increasing recognition of and response to fatigue, bodily
According to Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr, DuPont, Inc.
maintenance, balance, and integrity. This includes ones abilities
reported a 47.5 percent reduction in absenteeism over a
to work with sources of stress, and to engage in necessary renewal
six-year period for participants in a corporate fitness
practices in a timely fashion.
program; these employees used 14 percent fewer sick
Levels of Physical Development
days. A study published in Ergonomics concluded,
Low: A person at the low level of development is driven largely by
Mental performance was significantly better in the
physical and/or emotional impulses. They tend to lack physical
physically fit than in the unfit. Fit workers committed 27
discipline and may be unable to distinguish physical needs (sleep,
percent fewer errors on tasks involving concentration and
hydration, healthy food, exercise) from one another or from
short-term memory as compared to unfit workers.
emotional needs. People at this level tend to have underdeveloped
Schwartz and Loehr also point to a study of 80 executives
body awareness, competency, coordination and physical fitness,
over a 9-month period that found that those exercising
leading them to practice unhealthy, uncontrolled habits such as
regularly improved their fitness by 22 percent and also
overeating and overdrinking. They tend to ignore body signals and
demonstrated a 70 percent improvement in their ability
fail to adjust eating and exercise habits, even in the face of high
to make complex decisions as compared with their more
blood pressure, diabetes, or other physical imbalances that
sedentary counterparts. The Union Pacific Railroad,
negatively affect their performance. While they may be highly
General Motors and the Coors Brewing Company all
productive for extended periods, workers at this level tend to be
found significant bottom-line returns on investment in
unaware of subtle signs of stress until it becomes incapacitating.
corporate fitness programs. Physical development, or

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Medium: At the medium level, people are generally able

to balance and care for their body and maintain its health
and vigor. They can correctly identify physical needs
such as sleep, hydration, healthful diet, and exercise, and
distinguish these from emotional needs. They notice and
consistently respond to their specific bodily cues. The
increase in their somatic (body) awareness and
competency allows them to stay physically nourished
and reasonably fit. At the medium level, the awareness
of stress and its source allows a more effective balance of
work and personal life. This includes the ability to
intersperse intense periods of exertion with frequent brief
rests and longer renewal periods as needed, providing
greater control over energy levels. This translates to
higher performance sustained over the long term.

High: People at the high level of physical development

Learning Assets:
use body awareness and discipline to deepen mental,
The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz (book)
emotional, and spiritual awareness through the alignment The Making of a Corporate Athlete by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
of these various dimensions. They use body sensations to (Harvard Business Review article)
The Future of the Body book by Michael Murphy
aid both their interpersonal and intrapersonal
intelligences. For example, they are able to identify gut
reactions, intuitions, or a hearts desire as both physical
sensations and as mental or emotional signals. Highly
developed individuals practice an ongoing physical
discipline that continually pulls them into higher
performance levels while significantly bolstering other
related capacities (e.g., martial arts, yoga, sports). People
at this level have greater influence over their energy
levels and can volitionally draw upon physical energy
without depletion. They know how to refuel through
intentional rest, relaxation, and renewal. The increased
physical awareness, control, and range they achieve
allow them to weather with little lasting impact situations
that would overwhelmingly stress others.

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SPIRITUALITY
This developmental line deals with the increasing
capacity to learn from and explore the sources of
meaning, purpose, and wisdom. Like other
intelligences, this capacity can be cultivated by
practices that foster a relationship with the inspiration
that speaks to ones highest purpose and deepest values
for the sake of obtaining human good and avoiding harm.

Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz tell the story of Cantor

Fitzgerald in The Power of Full Engagement. Cantor
Fitzgerald is a bond trading company whose
headquarters was near the top of the World Trade Center.
families and 950 children. These individuals, however, are not the
More than two-thirds of their 1,000 employees died in
sole beneficiaries. Along the way, write Loehr and Schwartz,
the attack on the building on September 11, 2001. The
Cantor Fitzgerald employees discovered previously untapped
companys computer systems and massive amounts of
emotional resources patience, compassion, and the ability to
data were destroyed, write Loehr and Schwartz, and it
uncomplainingly endure difficult makeshift working conditions.
was unclear whether Cantor itself could survive. The
Their commitment to a higher mission helped them to focus and
remaining employees were understandably shocked,
persevere Carl Jung once said that: True genius intrudes and
grief-stricken and in many cases traumatized What
disrupts. Those with sufficient spiritual development can seek and
allowed Cantors employees to move forward was
find inspired genius even in the worst disruptions.
tapping into a compelling sense of purpose. Efforts to
save the firm certainly served their own financial needs, Spiritual Development
but their cause became much greater. Within days, Low: A person at the low level does not usually have a strong

Howard Lutnick, Cantors chairman, announced that 25 sense of purpose in life (beyond survival and comfort). The person

percent of the firms profits earned during the next five at this level tends to take on the stories, beliefs, and observances

years would go to the surviving families of the employees that symbolize belonging to his or her immediate community. The

killed. This mobilized the remaining employees to fight imaginative processes underlying their mental constructs are

for a purpose beyond them. The survivors became a unrestrained and uninhibited by rational or logical thought, and

band of brothers, drawn together by the shared tragedy the associated symbols of their mythologies are taken literally. The

and the challenge ahead, resulting in an unprecedented circle of those deemed worthy of love and compassion is restricted

level of dedication. Since the founding of the Cantor to a small identifiable group, ranging from family to church (or

Fitzgerald Relief Fund three days after the attack, Cantor synagogue) to some collective of friends. While the person at this

Fitzgerald has provided more than $120 million in level may have a strong sense of service, the wish to serve is

financial support for the families and loved ones of the limited only to members of their limited circle. This stage is

658 victims. This assistance goes to more than 800 sometimes called egocentric.

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Medium: People at the medium level of spiritual

development tend to have strong senses of purpose in life
and make choices aligned with that purpose. They rarely
get off-track and are quick to align their life trajectory
with their deeper sense of calling. People at this level can
find something to be grateful for in most situations and
often feel connected to higher sources of wisdom and
compassion, regardless of whether they can articulate
their experience. They also have confidence and faith in
specific wisdom-tradition principles. While their beliefs
and values are deeply felt, they are subject to them.
Such people subjectively identify with the values and
beliefs rather than holding them objectively. This
subjectivity may make it impossible for them to consequently welcoming fellowship with all faiths as well as
appreciate the validity of other values and belief systems. with those who count themselves as non-religious. For these
Their sense of service expands beyond their immediate highly developed individuals, the qualities of love and compassion
group to include many others in their community or become encompassing as they feel the responsibility of service to
religious faith; e.g., all Christians, all Muslims, all all people. This stage is sometimes called worldcentric.
Americans, etc. This ethnocentric stance is evidenced by
Learning Assets:
the fact that these individuals deem members of their Essential Spirituality book by Roger Walsh
group (Americans, Westerners, Christians) worthy of love, What Really Matters in America book by Tony Schwartz
Golf in the Kingdom novel by Michael Murphy
care, and concern, whereas outsiders (e.g., nonbelievers,
foreigners, etc.) are not held in the same high regard. This
stage is sometimes called ethnocentric.

High: Those at the high levels of spiritual development

have moved beyond believing in words and ideas
about spirituality to actually understanding the essence
behind those concepts. These individuals embody
wisdom and demonstrate realization by a congruence of
internal experience and outward behavior. Complex
conceptualization that reconciles paradoxes within larger
constructs replaces the symbolic and concrete-literal
interpretations of earlier levels of development. Such
individuals tend to calm others simply by their presence
and experience a sense of interconnection with all life,

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OTHER IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTAL

CONSIDERATIONS
Awareness of multiple developmental lines (and their
various proficiency levels) provides leaders several points
of leverage. Examining ones particular level
configuration (to find leading and lagging lines) provides
options for leveraging strengths and enhancing or
augmenting shortcomings. If a leader (or a team member)
is low in a particular line, either proficiency can be
increased, or the team can be reconfigured with those
high in this line to offset the deficiency.

Creating an integral person is hard, but

creating an integral team is easy.
Ken Wilber

Learning to recognize others proficiency levels (high,

medium, or low) on specific developmental lines will
help leaders delegate effectively, establish accurate
expectations, and assemble high-performance teams.

A critical leadership responsibility is to cultivate an

environment where followers can tap more of their
potential and grow to progressively higher stages along
developmental lines. Leaders who are aware of followers
lines and levels can delegate projects and establish clear
goals for individuals and teams Additionally,
opportunities can be created for people to strengthen
16
certain capacities through participatory experience.

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PART V: INTEGRAL PRACTICE

When thinking of high performance, world-class athletes

naturally come to mind. Ask yourself, what is it that
athletes do above all else? The answer is train and
practice. Organizational leaders have relatively limited
amounts of time to use for their own performance
enhancement; they must maximize the results from their
actions. This section presents proven techniques to
dramatically increase leadership performance.

Once leaders can distinguish their own development

stages from their current body and mind states, they can
skillfully use methods for enhancing both. abundant empirical evidence that intrapersonal and interpersonal

ENHANCING PERFORMANCE STATES skill sets can be intentionally cultivated and developed.

Professional athletes cultivate optimum states through
intelligently applying conditioning and renewal activities.
Leaders can incorporate these kinds of activities into
weekly routines using the Weekly Focusing Process and
Peak Performance Practices Log. The Performance States
Worksheet can be used to determine which resourceful
states to increase and which unresourceful states to
decrease. Next, leaders can select and employ practices
from the Integral Practice List (or work with a coach to
come up with others) to enhance desirable states on an
ongoing basis.
Tools:
Performance States Worksheet
Peak Performance Practices Log
Recent research in the leading-edge field of integral practice has
developed remarkable insights into the nature of human growth
and development, including discovering specific methods that can
increase development by 300 percent or more over traditional
skill-building approaches.
A most remarkable research finding is that peak states can
accelerate ones development through progressively higher stages.
By intentionally cultivating high performance states, an individual
can operate with increasing success in a given skill area.
By repeatedly accessing peak performance states
through ongoing practice, the states can transform
into permanent traits; states becoming traits yields a
permanent vertical move to a higher stage.

Cross-Training Synergy
DEVELOPING TO PROGRESSIVELY HIGHER
STAGES World-class athletes cross-train. In The Training Of A Corporate

Developmental psychology and athletic sciences show Athlete, Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz write: In training athletes,

that training and practice help participants move through we have never focused on their primary skills how to hit a serve,

progressively higher competency stages in numerous skill swing a golf club or shoot a basketball. Likewise, in business, we

sets on various developmental lines. Daniel Goleman dont address primary competencies such as public speaking,

and dozens of emotional intelligence researchers supply negotiating or analyzing a balance sheet. Our efforts aim instead

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to help executives to build their capacity for what might

be called supportive or secondary competencies

Learning Asset: The Making of a Corporate Athlete Harvard

Business Review article

Cross-training refers to exercising the physical body in

diverse ways. Strictly physical cross-training is too limited
for our purposes. Cross-training as used here, refers to
integral cross-training, which involves exercising all
relevant aspects of oneself in order to meet and exceed
the demands of diverse circumstances. Integral cross-
training includes both the important physical capacities
as well as the other crucial dimensions discussed in this
module.

PRACTICE AS ITS OWN REWARD

Peak performers view practice as more than preparation
for future performance. Professional athletes, musicians,
doctors, Zen practitioners, and martial artists all have a Intrapersonal
practice. Their practice is more than activity engaged Journaling: general reflection and integration of current life events.

in as a means to an end. The practice has inherent value
beyond any expected future payoff.
EXAMPLES OF PRACTICES
All capacities and skill sets become stronger through
regular practice. A few examples of practices in which
leaders engage along the various developmental lines are
covered below. See the Stagen Comprehensive List of
Integral Practices for more examples (listed at end of this
section).
Introspection/reflective contemplation: exploration of questions,
feelings, and intuitions.
Self-motivation: reinforcing internal drives by connecting with
personal vision and goals on a daily or weekly basis.
Interpersonal
Social radar practice: practice identifying others states of mind (and
name them to oneself). Solicit feedback from those interacted with
about thinking/feeling states to check and fine-tune accuracy
readings over time.
Practice empathy through active listening and a conscious attempt
to take the role of another.
Communication skills: Practice communicating with body language,
voice intonations, and speech context.

Examples of Cognitive Practices

Reading a book intended for general audiences that
describes a discovery or discipline unfamiliar to the
reader: anthropology, evolutionary biology, sociology,
philosophy, or medicine.
Strategic thinking and planning: allotting time each week
to reflect on and refine strategies and related plans.
Discuss strategies with those who can offer informed
input.

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Ethical
Consider what lies in the wake of your organizations
actions. Are you leaving the world a better place than you
found it?
Review policies toward employee privacy, workplace
rules, and the right to be treated with respect and life
balance beyond the office.
Physical
Weight/strength training: progressively strengthen the
skeletal muscular system.
Cardio training: increase the bodys capacity to use
oxygen and produce energy through jogging, cycling, or
interval training.
Stretching or power yoga: extend and push the flexibility
and resiliency of the body. Synchronize body and mind
while increasing active relaxation and mental focus.
Spiritual
Connect with a personal source of inspiration. This could
be anything from painting to playing music, reading
inspirational literature, writing, meditation, prayer,
spending time in nature, or with loved ones.
Solitude: stepping away from all activities, people, and
routines to gain a greater perspective of life.
Meditation: sustained observation of thoughts and mental
images. Try to keep the mind calm and clear for 10 to 15
consecutive minutes.
Learning Asset: Comprehensive List of Integral Practices
(200 practices)

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INTEGRAL PRACTICE DESIGN

The following guidelines are helpful when considering
which activities to include in ones integral practice and
how best to engage new and existing practices.

Scope
Identify key attribute aspirations and specific role models
possessing these key attributes.

Build upon current engagements while incorporating

practices that use the skill sets and/or developmental
lines to attain desired enhancement.

Use synergistic cross-training to maximize practices by

skillful combinations. Simultaneously exercising two or Follow Through
more dimensions has a more than additive effect (e.g., Be consistent. Stick with practices over the long-term so benefits
combining meditation with weightlifting or interpersonal can accrue by realizing gains in both states and stage
exercise with service work). development.

Create a regular practice schedule and commit to Monitor your practice the same way you monitor your exercise
fulfilling certain daily and weekly segments. Core programs. A checklist recording each weeks practices is very
practices are those done daily or weekly, and optional helpful.
practices are those done less frequently or occasionally. Tools:

Intention Integral Practice Blueprint This worksheet can be used to help

leaders design a custom set of practices.
Do not overreach. Limit choices to those that have a Weekly Practice Log This tracking tool helps leaders measure and
realistic chance of sustaining permanent lifestyle habits evaluate their weekly practices.
Learning Assets:
(rather than a short-lived burst of New Years resolution
The Life We Are Given by George Leonard and Michael
activities). Murphy (book)
The Future of the Body by Michael Murphy (book)
Ground practice in a specific vision and/or goal set.
Formulate a statement to express a personal commitment
and source of motivation mantra.

Commitment
Use a written self-affirmation formalizing your practice
commitment. Share it with your coach or a friend who
also has a dedicated practice.

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PART VI: RESOURCES

Learning Assets:
Comprehensive List of Practices list of 200 practices
EQ Supplement Stagen Emotional Intelligence Learning Supplement
The Making of a Corporate Athlete by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz (Harvard Business Review article)
Into the Zone U.S. News & World Report article
The Power of Full Engagement book by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
Lives of Moral Leadership by Robert Coles (book)
Ethics for the New Millennium by the Dalai Lama (book)
Peak Performers book by Charles Garfield
Working With Emotional Intelligence book by Daniel Goleman
The Emotionally Intelligent Workplace book by Daniel Goleman
Practices of Essential Spirituality article by Roger Walsh
Living in Balance book by Joel and Michelle Levey
Essential Spirituality book by Roger Walsh
Mindfulness book by Ellen Langer
The Future of the Body book by Michael Murphy
Golf in the Kingdom book by Michael Murphy
The Life We Are Given book by George Leonard and Michael Murphy

Tools:
Multiple Intelligences Inventory brief self-assessment
Performance States Worksheet Evaluation of current performance states and identification of state-related goals
Integral Practice Blueprint This worksheet can be used to help leaders design a custom set of practices.
Peak Performances Practice Log This tracking tool helps leaders measure and evaluate their weekly practices.

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PART VII: REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Describe the difference between states and stages. 9. Why is ethical development important in business? Give

2. What value do high-performance leaders (Collins Level specific examples using real life or current events to

5) have to organizations? Summarize Collins conclusions support your answer.

in your answer. 10. What level would you rate yourself on the physical line?

3. What does Jim Collins recommend for people who wish 11. What makes integral practice different from other forms
to develop themselves to Level 5? Please explain. of training and conditioning?

4. What are the seven types of multiple intelligences that 12. What specific practices do you currently engage in to
Harvards Howard Gardner discovered? renew, condition, or strengthen specific developmental

5. Collins describes Level 5 leadership as a paradoxical lines?

combination of personal humility and professional will.

With this in mind, what do you think a typical Level 5
leaders psychograph would look like? Based on the
proficiency level descriptions provided in the module,
which developmental lines would you expect to be
highest?

6. Relate cognitive development to strategic thinking and

planning by using specific proficiency levels descriptions.

7. How is Emotional Intelligence reflected in the

developmental lines? Explain which (of the four)
dimensions of EQ are represented in which
developmental lines.

8. Are you higher in intrapersonal or interpersonal

intelligence? Explain with specific examples or
comparisons.

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Endnotes

1
In Peak Performers: The New Heroes of American Business, Garfield points to six elements of peak performance, aspects of which
are covered in depth over the course of the program: (1) a mission that motivates, (2) getting real results in real time, (3) self-
management through self-mastery, (4) team-building and membership, (5) course correction (referred to as strategic thinking), and (6)
change management.
2
A groundbreaking Four Quadrant Modeladdressing interiors (subjective/intangible) and exteriors (objective/intangible) correlated
with individual and collective dimensionswas developed by Ken Wilber and the Integral Institute, and is adapted here with
permission.
3
See Stagen learning modules on Tapping Potential, High-Performance Teamwork, and Integral Innovation.
4
The states vs. stages distinction is a concept derived from integral theory and methodology developed by Ken Wilber and Integral
University, and is used and adapted for our purposes here with permission. Outside of integral theorists and practitioners, few
psychologists or organizational consultants make this crucial distinction. For more information about stages, see the work of
developmental theorists such as Robert Kegan, Susanne Cook-Greuter, or Jane Loevinger. Business readers are encouraged to review
Seven Transformations of Leadership, by David Rooke and Bill Torbert (with Susanne Cook-Greuter), in the April 2005 issue of
Harvard Business Review.
5
See Stagen learning modules Strategic Thinking and Attention Management for more information about weekly routines, the Weekly
Focusing Process, and creating weekly Time Blocks to ensure that renewal and conditioning practices are engaged consistently.
6
From many interviews conducted with Level 5 leaders, Collins recognized that those at the highest stages of proficiency had all
experienced unique life influences, specifically noting several factors that have been empirically demonstrated to accelerate
development. Collins lists self-reflection as among these influences (also known as introspection or meditation), which, according
to developmental psychology, is one of the most powerful methods known to accelerate growth to higher stages of self-awareness
and intrapersonal, ethical, and spiritual development all capacities that contribute to Level 5 leadership performance. Among other
important influences, Collins also recognizes Level 5 leaders as having a mentor (or coach), another life factor that has been shown
to accelerate development. Collins remarks that many of the Level 5 leaders interviewed reported healthy and positive childhood
experiences, which his interviewees cited by referring to loving parents. Finally, he points to the fact that many of the Level 5
leaders had compelling life experiences or crises that transformed them in ways that accelerated their growth. As an example, he cites
Darwin Smith, the former CEO of industry-leading paper-products maker Kimberly-Clark, as having fully blossomed to Level 5 after
his near-death experience with cancer.
7
Technically, integral theory, which contains developmental psychology, is the best-suited tool for exploring the interior dimension
of humans. Integral theory transcends and includes developmental psychology; integral theory contains within it all the insights
afforded by developmental psychology but also integrates the understanding provided by other relevant fields including biology,
physiology, sociology, and systems theory.
8
Robert Kegans work is not covered in this learning module but is featured in other Stagen modules, including Integral Change.
9
Gardners work is based on years of evidence-based research that has been corroborated and expanded by dozens of other
researchers and thinkers from numerous disciplines.
10
Howard Gardner, The Disciplined Mind.
11
Howard Gardner, Multiple Intelligences.
12
Ibid. In later works, Gardner added a naturalist intelligence, or an attunement to the natural world, and a spiritual or
existential intelligence. These are reflected in the leadership tool we have provided for this module.
13
Ken Wilber has correlated all major developmental theorists models (hundreds in all) and summarized his findings in the seminal
text Integral Psychology.
14
For a more detailed discussion of attention management and strategic thinking, see the Stagen learning modules Strategic Thinking
and Attention Management.

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15
See Jim Collins book Good to Great and Harvard Business Review article Level 5 Leaders.
16
For more detail on developing people, see the Stagen module Tapping Potential.

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