Curious about what makes an elevated leader stand out? You’re on the right page. Let’s dive into this journey of discovery together.
Introduction
What really makes great leaders stand out is not what they know or what they have done. It is how they think and feel when things get tough. Great leaders are very aware of what’s going on and they use this to be strong when things are hard to understand peoples feelings and to really want to make things better, for everyone. They do not just tell people what to do. They help people see things in a way and they give people the power to do more. We live in a world that’s very complicated and always changing so we really need leaders who can do this. Elevated leaders are essential.
Here you will find:
- What is an Elevated Leader
- Three Distinguishing Characteristics of Elevated Leaders
- 1: A Wide Window of Tolerance
- 2:A High Degree of Emotional Intelligence
- 3 : Value Creating Mindsets
- Why elevated leaders are able to have the transformational positive impact that they have
- Elevated leaders operate with a Mind 3.0 operating system
- Elevated leaders possess Success Mindsets
- How to Develop Elevated Leaders?
- Traits that makes Jass Malaney as an elevated leader
- Conclusion
What is an Elevated Leader
An “Elevated Leader” is a leader that operates with a high degree of cognitive and emotional sophistication. They have developed themselves to the degree that they are in the highest adult development level (research has found that only 1% of people and 8% of leaders operate here).These leaders are positively transformational.
In Good to Great, Jim Collins calls them “Level 5 Leaders.” In Multipliers, Liz Wiseman calls them just that: “Multipliers”. Historically, it is people Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, Jr, and Rosa Parks. More currently, it is people like Alan Mulally, Frances Hesselbein, Anne Mulcahy, and Satya Nadella.
Three Distinguishing Characteristics of Elevated Leaders
1: A Wide Window of Tolerance
The “window of tolerance” is a concept commonly used in the field of psychology and trauma therapy. It suggests that individuals have an optimal state of emotional and psychological arousal. When we are in this optimal state, we can effectively cope with stress, process emotions, and engage effectively in daily life activities. This optimal state is their “window of tolerance.”
But, it also suggests that individuals can be pushed out of their optimal state of emotional and psychological arousal. When this happens, we struggle to cope with stress, process emotions, and engage effectively in daily life activities.
People with a wide window of tolerance have the ability to withstand pressure, stress, discomfort, complexity, and uncertainty without getting so rattled that they move outside of their window of tolerance and operate from a place of lost cognitive and emotional control.
The most “Elevated Leaders” are able to stay calm, cool, and collected amidst significant pressure, stress, discomfort, complexity, and uncertainty. This allows them to operate from a place of balance, wisdom, sensitivity, vulnerability, purpose, and overall leadership effectiveness. They are able to effectively juggle their various demands and the competing interests of their stakeholders.
2: A High Degree of Emotional Intelligence
The greater one’s emotional intelligence, the greater their ability to effectively navigate their social landscape.
People with higher emotional intelligence:
- Are effective communicators
- Have healthy relationships
- Navigate conflict effectively
- Are effective at motivating others
- Are effective decision-makers
Based on this list, it is easy to see that emotional intelligence is a key distinguishing characteristic of “Elevated Leaders.”
3: Value Creating Mindsets
Psychologists and neuroscientists have identified that our mindsets are the most foundational aspect for how we think and operate. And, part of what makes their impact on us so significant is that they generally operate below the level of our consciousness.
Our mindsets serve three primary functions:
- Self-protection mindset : focused on safety, avoiding threats, and protecting ego
- Learning mindset : open to feedback, curious, and willing to improve
- Value-creation mindset : focused on growth, contribution, and creating impact
“Elevated Leaders” possess value creation mindsets, meaning that they are willing to:
- Look bad at times to learn and grow
- Admit they are wrong at times in an effort to find truth and think optimally
- Wade through problems at times in order to fulfill a value creating purpose goal
- Put themselves on the back burner at times in order to lift others
The reality is that not many people are neurologically wired to lean toward the value creating desires when they find themselves in performance contexts where there may be costs to looking bad, being wrong, having problems, and falling behind. But, “Elevated Leaders” are able to set aside their short term self protective needs for longer term value creation.
Why Elevated Leaders Inspire Lasting Positive Change
There are two interconnected reasons why any elevated leader is able to have the transformational positive impact that they have:
- They are vertically developed to the degree that they operate with a Mind 3.0 operating system
- They are fundamentally driven by four Success Mindsets
Elevated leaders operate with a Mind 3.0 operating system
Adult development psychologists have found that all adults can increase in their cognitive and emotional sophistication. But, they also have found that not all adults do increase in their cognitive and emotional sophistication.
In fact, they have found that there are three general levels of cognitive and emotional sophistication that one can operate from. These are Mind 1.0, Mind 2.0, and Mind 3.0. At each of these levels, the people in those levels possess an internal operating system programmed to obtain different needs:
- Mind 1.0 = Programmed to be safe, comfortable, and belonging
- Mind 2.0 = Programmed to stand out, advance, get ahead, and be recognized (note how these people are willing to put their safety, comfort, and belonging to the side in order to stand out)
- Mind 3.0 = Programmed to contribute, elevate, and lift others (note how these people are “wired” to focus on adding value to something or someone external to themselves)
Here are what adult development researchers have found as they have studied adults at large and executives:
Elevated leaders are individuals who operate with this Mind 3.0 operating system.
Elevated leaders possess Success Mindsets
A foundational reason why elevated leaders possess a Mind 3.0 operating system is because they possess four cognitively and emotionally sophisticated mindsets, which is called as “Success Mindsets.” They are:
- Growth Mindset
- Open Mindset
- Promotion Mindset
- Outward Mindset
While many consider mindsets as being “our attitude toward something,” they are so much more than that. Both psychology and neuroscience identify mindsets as the foundational mechanisms in our mind (they are a specific type of neural connection called cortico-cortical neural connections) that dictate how we perceive our world, interpret our world, and respond to our world.
It just so happens that most people, those who operate with Mind 1.0 and Mind 2.0 operating systems, possess justifiable and self-protective mindsets that are low in their cognitive and emotional sophistication. Such mindsets include: fixed, closed, prevention, and inward mindsets.
Elevated leaders have done the internal work necessary to literally rewire their mind such that they have been able to let go of the self protective mindsets and adopt more cognitively and emotionally sophisticated mindsets.
How to Develop Elevated Leaders?
There are two forms of development. They are:
Horizontal development:
Adding new knowledge, skills, and capabilities
Vertical development:
Elevating one’s ability to make meaning of their world in more cognitively and emotionally sophisticated ways.
95%+ of all development efforts focus on horizontal development. And, unfortunately, such development is only incrementally helpful in the process of developing elevated leaders.
But, it is only vertical development that can transformationally help people:
- Develop success mindsets
- Upgrade their internal operating system
- Become elevated leaders
Traits that make Jass Malaney an elevated leader
She says that,
“When I was working at The World Bank, my boss Mr. Middleton He fondly called me “Ms. Unflappable”. On the occasion of my 25th birthday, he gave me a SWATCH Watch and described its symbolic meaning. He saw me as a valuable member of the team whom he could trust and relied upon to complete tasks, because he knew I would do so to the best of my abilities.”
This highlights her capability to add value, as well as her trustworthiness and sense of responsibility. It shows that she is someone who can take ownership of her duties and consistently perform to the best of her abilities
Her potential makes her an elevated leader. She is
- Vision driven
- Impact-focused
- Emotionally intelligent
- Strategic thinker
- Culturally aware
- Insightful
- Supportive (coaching mindset)
- Empowering
- Experienced
- Adaptive
Conclusion
Elevated leaders are hard to find. They make a big difference. They have a mix of people skills the ability to bounce back and a focus on adding value.This helps them motivate, support and change the people around them. By being more aware and caring about helping others than themselves They make good things that last. It’s not about being a good boss to understand and develop the qualities of these leaders. It’s about creating a lasting impact that helps others and makes a difference. These leaders inspire, empower and transform people. They focus on contribution, over self-interest. Create a legacy that uplifts others.
