Simon P Walker

An experiential approach to leadership and group development

Overview

Leadership Signatures is a learning process which enables leaders to explore current leadership scenarios and reach better solutions.

Leadership Signatures is based on an ecological model of how power flows in any given social system. It identifies eight different postures which a leader may adopt; at the same time, it highlights the impact of each posture on those around, and their likely reaction. In this way, the model provides an understanding of healthy and unhealthy systems; of how the dynamics of the system are likely to change over time and provides direction for when and how to intervene in the system in order to establish high performance and sustainability for the system as a whole.
The Leadership Signature profile is a daughter instrument of The Personal Ecology Profile (PEP). The PEP is a metaphor rich, projective psychometric profiling instrument that informs and facilitates your self-management through raising self-awareness and enabling you to develop strategies to manage the relational spaces that you encounter with others in your daily life.

The PEP is based on an integrated and holistic psychological theory developed by Simon Walker, the Managing Director of Human Ecology Ltd. His Personal Ecology Theory (PET) draws on a number of theories including attachment theory, impression management, metaphor theory and social constructionism. PET is informed by the work of people such as Goffman, Bowlby, Bartholomew & Horovitz, Kelly, Ricouer and others.

The PEP focuses on what happens between people and so differs from most personality profiles, which work on the theory that there is an embedded personality that exists within a person which can be identified and measured. PEP holds that our personality consists of psychological strategies we have developed to preserve our inner world or personal space in the wider world. It is this personality that will therefore determine strategies we use with other people and tasks in our everyday lives both personally and professionally.

The PEP is based on the idea that a person’s life can be viewed as an ecological system; the interaction between a person and their environment. It helps you to understand how you tend to behave and why. The image of your own personal landscape captures this notion of personal space in a tangible, visual way. The visual landscape you create within yourself reflects the kind of world you seek to create around yourself.
Leaders hold responsibility and agency for the shape of the ‘space’ around them.
Most good leaders instinctively adjust their posture (style, strategies, interventions, presence etc) according to the situation they are leading within; in this way they have influence over their space. From the seven dimensions that make up the PEP, three of those most closely related to the cognitive and influencing character of people development work are analysed to identify your Leadership Signature:

Front/Backstage
Every environment has both a front stage and a back stage. The front stage of a school, for example, would be curriculum, buildings, mission statement, teaching etc. The back stage of the school would be the perhaps lesson preparations, training, admin, finance, disciplining and staff room. Families, groups, teams, organisations- even societies- have front and back stages.

A high score on Presentation (P) indicates that as a leader you are choosing to act more on the front stage of that leadership situation. Visible, available, present.

A high score on Reservation (R) indicates that, as a leader you are acting more in the back stage of that leadership situation. More hidden, sitting behind rather than infront.

Strong/Weak
Strong and Weak force is about how we are exerting influence over the situation. Strong and weak does not imply the degree of power but rather the mode of action. A surgeon or policeman or finance director uses strong force when she directs the operating theatre, enforces the law or sets budget.

A high score on Strong force (S) indicates that your influence is shaping, constraining and defining the options within that situation. There is no moral evaluation about this act implied in the term.

A high score on Weak force (W) indicates that your influence is open to other’s contributions and input- listening, reacting, motivating supporting the energy already present.

Expanding/Consolidating
Leaders can exert influence to either expand or to consolidate the situation around them. Increasing sales, launching a new product, adventuring into new territory, changing ones practice are all examples of expanding. Doing what we do better, improving consistency and stability, deepening cohesion and understanding are all examples of consolidating.

High eXpanding (X ) indicates a drive to change, do things differently. The leader is open for things to move on.

High Consolidating (C) indicates a drive to stabilise and reinforce. The leader is focused on things becoming more robust.

The Leadership Signatures profile identifies eight different leadership postures. The profile offers feedback on how the leaders adjusts their posture in relation to four basic leadership situations: one which is Calm, one which is Competitive, one which is in Conflict, one which is in Crisis. By doing so the profile highlights not only one’s basic posture but also one’s mobility- ability to move in relation to situational needs.

Benefits
The Leadership Signature process also allows individuals to develop a better understanding of a fuller range of leadership strategies which they might implement, and explore the possible outcomes of each strategy. In particular, the process develops greater
- self awareness of current leadership behaviours
- Agility in deploying other leadership strategies
- Understanding of the impact of any particular leadership choice on the system
- Planning of future strategies that will work with the healthy energy of the system

Leadership Signatures™ is a model, process and software system developed and owned exclusively by Human Ecology and may be used only under licence.