The 'nine box' model of Leadership
How do we define leadership? The basic premise is that leadership is “the process of ruling, guiding or inspiring others”.
That basic definition, for many, is the start not the end of the discussion. One way of looking at leadership that the Cultural Leadership Programme is using is something called the nine box model of leadership, created by Mark Wright, who was one of the three people who started Sync.
Imagine a row of three boxes to start with. If we are leaders we must, in someway, lead others. Those who follow will only do so if our actions and behaviours inspire them. So our behaviours (or what we actually do) when we are at work makes up box one, right in the centre of our row of three.
But it’s not just about what we do. Mark says ‘leadership is more than just dealing with the “here and now” – it is the creation of space to think outwards, to contemplate alternative routes and create options, regardless of circumstance.’ So leadership is also about being able to imagine the future and see different options.
So next to the first box, add another box off to the right: the way you as a leader can look ahead and create strategy for others.
If that second box looks outwards, is there a box which looks inwards? Leaders need to be in touch with those they lead – not just looking ahead, but also being aware of the needs, motivations and frustrations of those they lead. This makes the third box, off to the left of centre, you as a leader looking inwards into the needs of those you lead.
Inside out
So we have a strand of three boxes, and they are the main tenants of conventional leadership wisdom, but that strand alone isn’t enough to sustain a leader long term. As Mark says ‘the foundation for long term, sustainable leadership [is] leading oneself with the same passion, insight, and purpose with which we want to lead others. This is the root of confidence, resourcefulness and clarity’.
This is about pushing leadership down into our daily lives, not just our work lives. It’s about looking at us, as whole people, not just at the parts of us tied up with ‘work’. It’s about being authentic and real. What is that you really want from life? How do you really feel about things? What are the values and beliefs that underpin your way of being? It’s why I keep chickens, but maybe that’s a longer story for another time!
Like the strand above, we can put a personal strand into three more boxes, underpinning our leadership – starting with our own personal behaviours in the centre and pushing outwards to our own longer term plans and dreams and looking inwards at our own emotions, values and motivations.
So that gives us six boxes… and yet to make a nine box model, we still need three more.
The wider world
Marian Anderson, singer and Nobel Peace Prize winner said:
“Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.”
So leadership also contains another dimention – those whom our leadership affects in some way; those who we influence. These people will be different for each of us, and as Mark acknowledges ‘this is the wider arena within which we operate but over which we have no formal control. It embodies our need as leaders to look “out” over the broader landscape that we wish to change, challenge or engage.’
And yes, we can add another row of three from here:
in the middle our direct influence with our stakeholders through what we do and say
pushing out to our influence over others through what Mark describes as ‘thought leadership’ where we have the opportunity to influence the thoughts of others by what we say, write or do – for example, writing pieces for publication or keynotes at large events
and inwards, it’s the more personal, emotional insights we create based on our impressions of the sectors we work in
Using the nine box model
Great, I hear you cry, I understand all nine boxes, but how do I use it? How can it help me develop my leadership skills?
Think through each box – which ‘boxes’ are you strong in? Which areas do you need to support, to develop?
If you recognise the middle layer – you know you lead by your behaviours, are clear about the future strategy of what you are leading and have insight into those who are following you – great. What about the next layer down: how clear are you about yourself and your own needs? Or the top layer: have you considered who and how you influence?
Last year, those in Sync 20 were asked to complete a series of questions to help us ‘colour in’ the nine box model for them. Using green, orange and red, they were asked to assess their confidence in each area. No one had an entirely green chart, and the areas of red were a useful starting point for each person in determining what they needed to work on next.
It was interesting to watch people relating the model to themselves and their lives, particularly around linking the personal and professional. Its almost as though for some, the need to ‘prove’ themselves as a leader (whilst being a disabled person) had meant they felt they almost had to ignore their own needs, rather than to incorporate them into their leadership vision. Again, and again this whole programme takes me back in spirals – in order to lead well, effectively, purposefully we have to be who we are, not who we think we should be.
Planning your next development
So what do you need to work on and how are you going to develop yourself further?
If you are interested in pushing your top layer, working on who you influence and how, think about taking up a public appointment, joining a board or writing an article for a publication.
Or if you think you need to concentrate on you (your bottom line), maybe some coaching or personal development that focuses on clarifying what you want from life might be in order?
Leadership is challenging. Why not use the nine box model to help you look at your priorities? It might help you work out what to concentrate on next in your continuing journey of development.
Jo Verrent
Sync project manager
