The Inner Game Runs the Outer Game — Mastering Leadership

“The solutions to our current problems cannot be solved from the level of consciousness that created them” — Einstein

Robert Krenza, a mentor and the founder of Black Wolf Consulting, recommended that I read “Mastering Leadership” by Anderson Adams. It’s a dense, academic book, but has lots of good, useful information and frameworks. I just recently found some really helpful insights that I want to share. In Mastering Leadership, I found the quote “The inner game runs the outer game” and this has become increasingly relevant and apparent in my own leadership journey. Adams argues that leaders must be effective in 3 areas:

• Leadership Process — “The science of leadership and the domain of management”
• Leadership Competencies — the “Outside game” of leadership
• Leadership Consciousness — the “Inside game” of leadership

In my opinion, one of the most salient points in this section of the book is that although leaders may need help to learn a new competency or skill, they are limited or stuck at the level of their inner game. What this means is that even if you teach them all they need to know from a technical perspective, they will not be able to truly realize this new competency unless they first develop their Leadership Consciousness, or “Inner Game”.

But why are we just now coming to this conclusion?

What are redundant polarities? Here’s another new concept for me that I think is important to understand — Problems vs Redundant Polarities. Problems are solvable. While Polarities, on the other hand, have no solution because a polarity is a tension between equally legitimate, but opposable, positions. While Polarities are not solvable they can, and must, be managed. “Redundant” Polarities are even more challenging. Redundant Polarities arise when one tension resolution depends on a second tension resolution, and vice versa. You cannot resolve one without resolving the other. They depend on each other for optimal resolution.

If we don’t lead with the whole system in mind, simultaneously designing for and resolving multiple interdependent variables, then the unintended consequences go up exponentially. Because of this increasing complexity, we cannot approach systemic complexity with simple fix logic — if we ignore the systemic whole we risk installing solutions that make the system more complex, creating unforeseen consequences. But finding systemic solutions is incredibly challenging — these solutions are not obvious and no one person is smart enough to consistently discover and implement them. Collective effectiveness is required! The wisdom resides in the system but few leaders know how to tap the collective wisdom and intelligence of the system.

It’s imperative that leaders create leadership effectiveness that keeps pace with the rate of change and the rate of escalating complexity. By developing our own inner game, we can then elevate the collective effectiveness of our co-workers and teams.

To develop our Inner Game, we need to appreciate these four foundational premises:

• Structure determines performance
• You are a structure — you have an Internal Operating System that dictates how you see and approach the world around you.
• Consciousness is the operating system of performance — Your internal operating system (your level of consciousness) is mediating your performance — our level of personal and leadership effectiveness. Therefore the level of our consciousness determines our performance and our performance is limited by our consciousness.
• To achieve higher performance, you must restructure your Internal Operating System. A metamorphosis is required! A transformation of heart and mind. It is the disintegration-reintegration process. The old self disintegrates and reintegrates at the next higher order.

But how do we develop our inner game?!