Jim Clawson's Blog on Leadership & Career Management

Ed Schein in his wonderful book, Leadership and Organizational Culture, and in his previous works as an anthropologist cum business school professor, outlined three levels of cultural observation: artifacts, rituals and underlying assumptions. For the past ten years, I've used a parallel structure to frame leadership and managing change seminars all over the world. These three levels of analysis are:

Level 1. Visible Behavior (what one can capture on film)
Level 2. Conscious Thought (the consciously cognitive realm)
Level 3. Values, Assumptions, Beliefs, and Expectations about the way the world is or should be.

This model has been very useful for its simultaneous simplicity and complexity, for its ease in understanding for practicing lay managers, and for its power in uncovering the roots of human behavior, singly, in groups, or en masse.

Further, when one asks executive groups all over the world, as I have, what proportions of the behavior at all three levels of the people you've met in life are habitual, the conversations get very poignant very quickly. They typically say, 75%, 85% and 95 to 100% respectively. If indeed that much of our behavior is habitual (unthinkingly repetitive), then every educational experience faces a huge challenge--and indeed, every individual faces a huge challenge--can I rise above my habits to be an intentional being? This is THE fundamental question in life, first posed for me by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi in his book, The Evolving Self: will you ever be anything more than a vessel transmitting the genes and the memes (in my parlance VABEs) of previous generations on to the next? Sadly, he opines, the answer for most people is "no." I agree with him. Only the few will transcend or rise above their genetic and memetic legacies and become a self leader, an intentional adult. How could one presume to lead others if one is unable to lead one's self?

The challenge for every would-be leader then is first to become aware of one's own VABE's or memes and sort through which to KEEP, which to LOSE, and which to ADD in order to become a better leader. Recipes about leadership steps that are momentarily remembered at Level Two and promptly forgotten don't cut it. Only those principles that settle down to Level Three are likely to become lasting shapers of behavior. Further, only connections at Level Three are likely to shape others--hence the need for more Level Three Leaders--those who are comfortable working at Level Three and at influencing others at Level Three. Those who lead at Level One ("Do what I tell you without asking questions!") and those who lead at Level Two ("Here's why you should do what I tell you!") ultimately will be touching only the surface of human behavior whether at the individual, interpersonal, group, or organizational size-circles.

Finally, here's the most destructive VABE around: "I'm right and you're wrong." More damage has been done and is being done in the world based on that single assumption than any other. I don't see the political leaders or the religious leaders in the world making it a peaceful, safer place. Only the international business leaders who are willing to compromise that assumption for the sake of a deal, to create commerce, will have the flexibility to create a peaceful world culture.

What about you? What are your core Level Three VABEs? Do they include "I'm right and you're wrong?" If so, perhaps you should adjust...or else you'll be nothing but a rider on the tips of spears thrown by previous generations.