1. PART FOUR: SEE YOURSELF AS A SYSTEM
CHAPTER 13:
SEE YOURSELF
AS A SYSTEM
Chapter 13: See Yourself as a System is the first chapter in Part 4, which is titled with the same name. Part 4 is the “Diagnosis/Self” practice of Adaptive Leadership.
And although this was a short chapter, it is really packed with a lot of information.

2. Your Personal System YOUR MANY IDENTITIES YOUR PERSONALITY YOUR LIFE
EXPERIENCES
YOUR
BEHAVIORS
YOUR
MANY
IDENTITIES
YOUR
OTHER
SKILLS
YOUR
COGNITIVE
SKILLS
YOUR
EMOTIONAL
MAKEUP
Chapter 13 talks about “You.”
- You are a complex system, as much as the system that you are trying to move forward.
- To understand “You,” you need to understand your personal system or your many identities.
- You need to consider many different things about your many identities, specifically:
Your personality
Your behaviors
Your life experiences
Your emotional makeup
Your cognitive skills
And your other skills

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You also need to appreciate that your behaviors and decisions are caused from two forces:
The first, are the forces within yourself as a system
And second, are the forces acting on you in any given organizational situation
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In addition, you need to understand the roles that you play within your organization. This is because once you understand your roles, you will then be able to identify the assets and the restrictions on your ability to make things happen.
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When you combine all of these together, or as the book describes as, “situational insights,” along with the insights into yourself as a system, you will be able to evaluate how well (or how, not well) you are able to take action on a specific adaptive challenge that you may be facing in your organization.
This will also help to determine which interventions will aid you to do what is best for your organization, and which personal tendencies will cause you to falter and make mistakes OR cause others to dismiss you.
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WHAT ABOUT USING YOUR INTUITION?
The book asks the question “Why not use your intuitions based on your experiences to lead adaptive change?”:
Because intuition can work at times, and at other times, it will not.
Using your intuition:
May restrict you from seeing what really is happening
It can be open to subjective explanations
And it can result in making certain interventions that are outside your comfort zone
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7. Have a discipline approach to understanding your own system…
Adaptive Leadership CHAPTER 13: SEE YOURSELF AS A SYSTEM continued
Have a discipline approach to understanding your own system…
Therefore, instead of using your intuition , the book suggests to use a more disciplined approach to understanding your own system when you step into the fight of leading adaptive change.
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…when you step into the fight of leading adaptive change

8. Seeing yourself as a system can give you: Courage Inspiration Focus
Adaptive Leadership CHAPTER 13: SEE YOURSELF AS A SYSTEM continued
From the Balcony:
Seeing yourself as a system can give you: Courage Inspiration Focus
In the face of:
Distractions Displacements Conflicting loyalties
Seeing the whole picture from the balcony will provide clarity to see yourself as a system.
This clarity will give you:
Courage
Inspiration
And Focus
In the face of:
Distractions
Displacements
And Conflicting loyalties

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Example:
“Keeping His Eye On The Ball”
Keeping His Eye on the Ball, is an example of how understanding “you as a system” and “your role” in the larger system, can help with the problem of competing loyalties. It tells the story about a father and son and the son plays high school basketball. During the son’s Junior year, he’s the first substitute to come into the game but because he’s playing so well, he’s elevated to a starting role.
He’s happy for the chance to play in the starting role because he knows that his parents will be proud but the opportunity doesn’t last very long and he is back as the first substitute. But! When his Dad asks him whether he’s disappointed at being put back as a first substitute, his son replies:
“I’d much rather be the first substitute, because that way I can size up the situation, see what’s needed, and come in to play when I know what kind of playing on my part will make a real contribution.”
The son kept his eye on the higher objective, considered both his capacities, and his role in the system.

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YOUR MANY IDENTITIES
Your many identities:
Everyone is made up of:
Various role identities
Beliefs
Numerous values, that at times can be ambiguous or inconsistent
Ways of being
And ways of doing things and getting things done.
According to the Chapter 13, (on page 183), engaging in Adaptive Leadership is about:
“…YOU (an individual system), making interventions in a social system of which you are a part. You have to understand not only the larger system you step into (which was discussed in Part 2 of the book) but also yourself in its full complexity, multiplicity, and inconsistency. And then you have to think about how the two systems interact. Seeing this relationship, enables you to identify which parts of yourself are most valuable at which moments in the context that you lead.”
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YOUR MANY IDENTITIES continued
A critical component to exercising adaptive leadership is accepting that YOU are actually many “Yous,” and that within you is more than one self.
This can feel uncomfortable but the system that you live in – your family, friends, colleagues, etc - expects that you affirm who you are, what you stand for, and what you can offer.
This can promote clarity and confidence about yourself and everyone around you will know what to expect.
At the same time, this can release useful energy, drive, and motivation; however, it has two drawbacks:
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YOUR MANY IDENTITIES continued
Two drawbacks :
1st: “The resulting feeling of clarity can mask your own complexities and make it difficult to guard your default responses.” (p. 183)
2nd: “A narrow and unambiguous view of yourself can give other people in your organization clues to managing you in ways that keep you where they want you to be (rather than where they need you to be).”
(p. 183)
1st: “The resulting feeling of clarity can mask your own complexities and make it difficult to guard your default responses.”
2nd: “A narrow and unambiguous view of yourself can give other people in your organization clues to managing you in ways that keep you where they want you to be (rather than where they need you to be).”
The book gives an example of this, as, if you appear as not liking to deal with conflict (or conflict averse), managers in your company who oppose an initiative that you are supporting, may hinder you by increasing the conflict aspects of your plan.

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YOUR MANY IDENTITIES continued
“When you understand that you have more than just one identity, you begin seeing possibilities you could not see before.” (p.183)
“When you understand, that you have more than just one identity, you begin seeing possibilities you could not see before.”
“More Than a “Cripple” presents an example of this.
As situations change, you are more than likely,

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Example:
More Than a “Cripple”

15. Who you are probably changes depending on your situation
Adaptive Leadership CHAPTER 13: SEE YOURSELF AS A SYSTEM continued
Who you are probably changes depending on your situation
SPOUSE
FRIENDS
Who you are probably changes depending on the situation.
You don’t behave entirely the same way that you do around your spouse, or your family, especially your children or your friends or even your colleagues.
If you’re a parent, you have to be several different people, depending on what the situation demands: loving Mom (or Dad), aggressive and protective defender of your child, or the stern disciplinarian.
FAMILY
CHILDREN
COLLEAGUES

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“Recognizing the complexities that constitute who you are, not only who you are now but how you are changing over time, gives you more options for leading change effectively in your organization.” (p. 184)
“People who lead adaptive change most successfully have a diagnostic mind-set about themselves, as well as the situation. That is, they are continually striving to understand what is going on inside, how they are changing over time, and how they as a system interact with their organization as a system.” (p. 184)
“Recognizing the complexities that constitute who you are, not only who you are now but how you are changing over time, gives you more options for leading change effectively in your organization.” (p. 184)
“People who lead adaptive change most successfully have a diagnostic mind-set about themselves, as well as the situation. That is, they are continually striving to understand what is going on inside, how they are changing over time, and how they as a system interact with their organization as a system.” (p. 184)

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People who see “… themselves as fully defined, crystallized human beings rather than constantly changing parts of a constantly evolving larger system.” (p )
Example:
Medical or Business Professional?
- Maintaining a diagnostic mind-set is not easy.
- We have all met people, especially those in senior authority roles, who see themselves as fully defined, crystallized human beings, rather than constantly changing parts of a constantly evolving larger system.
Medical or Business Professional provides an example of this. Would anyone like to give a brief run down of this example?

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Lastly,
To maintain a diagnostic mind-set regarding yourself as a system,
“…you need to accept that there are different but authentic selves required for you to be effective in each role you play. And you have to remind yourself that you are different today than you were yesterday. You, the roles you play, and the organization of which you are a part evolve and grow as you all interact to tackle challenges.” (p. 185)
Lastly
To maintain a diagnostic mind-set regarding yourself as a system,
“…you need to accept that there are different but authentic selves required for you to be effective in each role you play. And you have to remind yourself that you are different today than you were yesterday. You, the roles you play, and the organization of which you are a part evolve and grow as you all interact to tackle challenges.”

19. References
Heifetz, R., Grashow, A., Linsky, M. (2009). The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World. Harvard Business Press. MA: Boston