Three ideas explored in this course of particular importance in my progression as a leader are Kegan’s Model of the Evolving Self, Kouzes & Palmer’s Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership Model and Michael Carey’s Five Frames model.

 

This course required a considerable amount of self-reflection beginning with Kegan’s Model of the Evolving Self. Kegan’s model articulates the process of cognitive development. Kegan’s theory helped me understand where I am, how I came to be here and what the next level of evolution looks like. It also provided insight into the actions and behaviors of others that can be leveraged to encourage further development. 

 

Kouzes & Palmer provided a framework around which leadership can be measured and learned: model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. The 360 assessment of my leadership practices identified strengths and weaknesses in my leadership behaviors. My strengths were modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, and enabling other to act. I had gaps in encouraging the heart. Reflection on this feedback gave me insights into how I can leverage my strengths to empower others, collaborate and further align my actions with my core values. I implemented a daily Ignatius examine to help me recognize opportunities to encourage the heart in my daily interactions with others.

 

Michael Carey’s Five Frames may have been the most impactful personal insight of my graduate experience. The model reveals the different frames through which individuals define problems and create solutions: human, political, cultural, systems and rational. The frames identify key dynamics of situations which explain why things happen as they do and what elements must be included in any plan to ensure success. My preferred lens is political. I was embedded in that frame. Embeddedness restricted my ability to genuinely understand how the world was manifesting itself differently to other people. My truth is not their truth. I was defining problems and creating solutions from my piece of the truth at the expense of the whole. I had to move out of my preferred frame and synthesize all perspectives in order to discover the ultimate truth - the truth that encompasses all private realities. The movement out of my frame toward the logos enabled me to truly understand others and their point of view which has resulted in better decisions making, greater relationship building and more innovative dialogue.