“Can you explain Modality? I’m having trouble explaining this part of the Matrix.”
Leadership Modality is perhaps the more difficult of the hidden agents to understand. However, it’s also a critical hidden agent and once understood, can tell you a lot about what might be creating obstacles to a company’s ability to grow.
There are a couple of resources on the GCS Membership site that address this hidden agent and you can check them out also.
http://www.gcspecialists.com/member-dashboard
Under the 7 SOG Video TAB:
Page 3: Using Leadership Modality to Engage a CEO
Then under the Resources & Tools TAB:
Under the 7 SOG TAB:
GCS Training Session 4: BP, Modality, 3 Faces of a Leader
How To Explain Leadership Modality
Leadership Modality is a presence within the company that is either a Dominant presence, a Facilitative presence or a Supportive presence. It’s the manner or modality in which a person reacts to situations that can directly or indirectly affect and/or influence outcomes.
When I talk to a CEO, and I know their stage of growth, I ask questions to see which modality that CEO is operating from. If they are in Stage 3 and the CEO’s presence needs to be Facilitative and I get the sense that they are being more Dominant, it tells me a lot about what the issues might be.
For instance, if the CEO says “My managers, the staff, just seem to wait on me to tell them what to do, how to do it, when to do it,” I might deduce that they are being too Dominant. That their presence is creating a mindset from the staff that “We don’t have to really worry about anything as our CEO will figure it out and tell us what to do.”
If they are in Stage 1 and Stage 2 and the CEO is uncertain of how to handle the staff issues, the systems issues and isn’t holding people accountable, they have no sense of where the company is going, I might deduce they are in Supportive modality and the company is in chaos because there is no Dominant presence and people are in turmoil, wondering what to do.
If the CEO isn’t taking on the right modality for the current stage of growth, the company could be suffering from a lack of direction (Dominant) or a lack of cohesiveness (Facilitative). How the company reacts to this hidden agent can directly or indirectly influence outcomes.
Dominant Modality: To be directive, to tell.
CEO: I know where this company is going and I need your help in getting us there.
Manager: I understand how this division impacts the overall company and I need your help in making that happen.
Staff: We know the company is relying on us to step up and drive the company’s vision and we know how to do that.
Facilitative Modality: Make easier, asking for input.
CEO: How would you handle that situation? I want to make it easier for you to answer these questions and make decisions. My goal is to increase your confidence and knowledge.
Manager: How can I be better prepared to handle that. How can I make things easier for you, Mr./Mrs. CEO, how can I make things easier for Staff?
Staff: As individuals, how can we make things easier for our manager? How can we work together more effectively?
Supportive Modality: To ask for help, creating a foundation.
Manager: What can I do to help Mr./Mrs. CEO as you transition from Stage 4 to Stage 5?
Staff: What can we do to help our manager create a strong foundation for growth?
In the video that I refer to, I provide you ideas on how to utilize this hidden agent in every stage of growth. I provide questions that may help you ascertain which modality is showing up and why.
Take the time to understand this powerful hidden agent. It can provide you great insight into what’s going on at any stage of growth.
http://www.gcspecialists.com/member-dashboard
Your success. My passion.
Laurie Taylor, FlashPoint!
P.S. I also explain Leadership Modality in my Stage 5 book, Leadership Integration: How to Cultivate Collaboration From the Top Down with 58 – 95 Employees. Check out my Website where I introduce my Stage 5 book at: https://gcspecialists.com/leadershipintegration
