Edgeless leadership- Transpersonal leadership

Edgeless leadership

Transpersonal leadership is based on the possibility of the leader to transcend his ego beyond its edge and making decisions at higher levels of ethical and cognitive maturity. A transpersonal leader, an "edgeless leader", is challenged to be both radical and authentic, to act according to high values and ethical principles. He has a strongly developed conscience.

Transpersonal leadership integrates the intellectual, emotional and spiritual intelligence of the leader. The transpersonal dimension is defined as experiences in which the leader's sense of identity or self extends beyond (trans) the individual or the personal- edgeless leadership. It deals with aspects of humanity, life, the mind and the cosmos. Transpersonal practices are those structured activities that focus on inspiring transpersonal experiences. In the textbook of psychiatry and transpersonal psychology, they defined the term: "development beyond conventional, personal or individual levels". It is related to a psychology model that includes three successive stages: the pre-personal (before the ego is formed), the personal (the functioning ego) and the transpersonal (the ego remains available but is replaced by a higher development).

Avraham Maslow, who is considered a pioneer in the transpersonal field, studied people whom he defined as self-realized, are in the awakening phase, and built a hierarchy of motives. At the top there is a spiritual self-realization need. Realized people are oriented towards reality, accept themselves and others, enjoy being alone, are active independently, cherish life, humble, devoid of emotional identification, humorous and creative, resistant to cultural beliefs and accept imperfection and a world beyond dichotomies, willing to help, efficient and mobilized simply to solve social problems. Maslow was the first to talk about the term "peak experience" - Awakening experiences of unity with the world. According to him it is recommended not to look for these experiences, but to find the sanctity in the normal routine of life. He called the silence that arises from the sanctity of the normal routine of life "plain experiences" and saw this experience as a very important component in self-realization. This is about the human "essence" that goes beyond words.

A "plane experience" is a noetic experience of a higher plane of being. It is a more stable and modest state that combines the miraculous with the ordinary. It has an element of recognition, which causes a person to see everything in a different and uniform way, and he is filled with appreciation and happiness, a lasting joy. 

One of the founders and chief theoreticians of transpersonal psychology, Stanislav Grof, defined transpersonal states of consciousness: "Transpersonal psychology, or the Fourth Force, addressed some major misconceptions of mainstream psychiatry and psychology concerning spirituality and religion. It also responded to important observations from modern consciousness research and several other fields for which the existing scientific paradigm had no adequate explanations."

Nir Golan, who defined the term "Edgeless leadership", developed the color spectrum of transpersonal leadership. According to Golan, every leader has the possibility to find himself in a different color in his life and strive to reach a more spiritual, transpersonal color.

The Edgeless leadership model: The rainbow of leadership colors

Colorless: pre-mature / pre-rainbow

Preliminary stage in which the person experiences leading small tasks and projects, but still does not recognize them with being a leader. The concern is about the professional quality of leading the tasks and projects, and their degree of success. There is a hope to become a leader, but the issue of leading or managing a team, and a conversation about leadership in general, has not yet come up.

At this preliminary stage, there is full dependence on direct manager, team members, type of task, infrastructure and work procedures in the organization.

When an offer arrives from direct manager or human resources department, for participation in a "management reserve" or junior leadership development, the process of forming the color as a leader will begin.

Emotional-Intuitive Red

The first recognition of being a leader at the beginning of his career is accompanied by excitement and various emotions such as: joy, fear, happiness, anger, sadness and panic. The strength of the "Red" leader is in his ability to imagine and understand the topic of leadership through images and narratives. The perception around the topic of leadership is abstract, using intuitive concepts of good or bad, and emotions rise accordingly. His experience is chaotic. The awareness to oneself can bring the leader to self-pity, a sense of lack of control and shock. Sometimes he is experienced as unstable and moody. He may show impatience and a lack of tolerance to those around him while expressing his anger and aggression towards them. He doesn't always manage to explain his intuitive decisions, so he looks for a place to share his frustration, anger and fear.

There is complete dependence on those around him: team members, colleagues and the direct manager. His main need is for support, and legitimization of his feelings.

The transition to the next color begins with his desire to distinguish between organizational reality and imagination, and to accept leadership as a profession.

Mythic-Simple Orange

The leader acquires basic language and symbols related to the world of leadership. He tries to define his role using myths and simple models (such as: important/ urgent matrix, 4 leadership styles and circles of concern and influence). The "Orange" leader perceives the world of leadership at the level of simplicity: accepting things as they are in the most simplistic way. He has a strong belief in the existence of justice in the organization and in the reciprocity of relations with those around him (perception of reward and punishment). Myths about leaders from the past (heritage) and the present, receive only a verbal interpretation (simplified without inquiring), the way of thinking is concrete and logical (using flowcharts, linear decision-making model and simple diagrams). If he experiences "good leadership" there will be a feeling of happiness and naivety.

The leader's occupation is mainly himself while depending on an external party: direct manager/ mentor/ colleagues/ human resources person, who mediate the world of leadership through symbols and stories.

The need to reconcile contradictions that exist in the stories of leadership and myths, and the identification of the gaps in the perception of reward and punishment, lead him to observe or think about the meanings of things.

Conventional-Conformist Yellow

The concept of leadership is shaped according to organizational/ social conventions/ norms accepted in the community that surrounds the leader and to which he feels he belongs. Many questions and leadership dilemmas arise and being answered or find a meaning by those around. The "Yellow" leader sees himself as part of the community of leaders/ managers to which he belongs in the organization/ professional area. The discussion about them is mainly intellectual-factual and encourages personal development through accepted leadership concepts and skills (belief in a vision and its realization, management and leadership routines, leading continuous improvement processes to excellence). All the training and professional development processes of the leader take place in the channels and contents accepted in the organization and its environment. The meaning of his role is based on the basic assumptions that exist in his community. It is important for him to align with those around him, and to experience professional and leadership belonging to the community of leaders around him.

He is looking for a leader who is a personal example for him, a role model. A coacher who answers all the questions according to what is accepted and agreed upon in the society/ organization/ community to which he belongs.

He begins to be aware of the intrapersonal dimension of his role and the gap between authority and responsibility. The transition to introspection in the next step stems from contradictions between different sources of authority within the organization or in the community around it.

Unique-Individual Green

The green color symbolizes an internal struggle (as with Elijah the prophet). The search process is internal and deep. There is an openness to the complexity of the world of leadership and an awareness of internal contradictions. The "Green" leader mainly deals with introspection about his concept of leadership (identity, essence, belonging and personal mark) in relation to the existing worldview of leadership (the idea). He begins to take personal responsibility for his identity as a leader, therefore, there may be an experience of loss of hope and skepticism. The search is for perfection, harmony and sympathy. Internal work through search and observation is used as an answer to internal paradoxes (uniformity versus unity). His new identity as a leader is an expression of his values and beliefs formed by himself as an individual based on self-searching process.

This is the first time that he begins to detach himself from external figures surrounding him. It is a process of introspection, effected by the degree of one's courage. The leader's independence begins to emerge in this process.

As a result of the "loss of innocence" inner voices and discomfort arise in the leader, especially in relation to the compromises he made and is required to make in his role in the organization. The aspiration is for a more dialectical and layered (integrative multidimensional) approach.

Conjunctive Blue

Recognition of the paradoxes that exist in the conventional/ traditional world of leadership. The "Blue" leader tends to make connections between different leadership styles, beliefs and worldviews. He creates a personal multifaceted leadership integrity as an answer to those paradoxes. He simultaneously deals with the paradoxes as they are, while creating an inner peace during his research. "Overview" and transcendence produce insights that are source of inspiration for those around him. He leads processes in the organization through a high conceptualization of leadership. He experiences control, well-being, peace and calm, while introspection and learning. The contrasting images or symbols that exist in traditional leadership systems are united and thus the "Blue" leader transcends the contradictions and paradoxes that exist in the organization reality.

This color creates complete independence of the leader without dependence on an external party. He creates a complete and connected self-image as a leader. The essence is perceived as a connection between personal self-expression, directions or figures that exist in other companies and organizations.

The transition to the next color is a result of the ability to separate between the things that are given to transcendental unity and the neede to transcend them.

Transpersonal-Universal Purple

The "Purple" leader is no longer concerned with himself, his identity or his essence. He experiences merging with the universe and its entirety: a sense of belonging and identification with all creatures, without judgment or uniqueness. Leadership is perceived through the "edgeless" beyond the ego, transpersonal. Transcendence and spiritual leadership are sensed as unity with all creatures and entities. Conflictual events are no longer experienced or perceived as a paradox. There is no more separation between the personal leadership being and the other beings of the universe. This stage can be called "Enlightenment" - spiritual leadership ascension from a universal point of view and union with all creatures. At this stage, there is no more dealing with leadership as it is, because the leader perceives himself as part of the experience of unity and the continuation of life: without the dimension of time, place and space- Edgeless leadership.

Leadership is perceived as a being of unity, without ends, "a man in whom is the spirit". The leader becomes part of unity with all beings and entities. The "Purple" leader is grateful for the unity. It is a high spiritual color dealing with the world of nobility. The "spiritual leadership being" reaches unity, devotion to the universe without concealment and distance.

Summary:

The transpersonal leader in the universal stage. He is a “Purple” leader who senses unity and wholeness with the world, and this is the highest stage in the Edgeless model - the rainbow of leadership colors. It is challenging to call it a stage because from the point of view of universal unity leader there are no stages. This paradox turns the model upside down. The brain Incapable of precepting the unknowable. The inner recognition of universal unity requires a flexible and free spirit that allows full understanding, so it does not contradict logic or other rational thoughts that exist in a person's mind. Even if it is irrational: it does not stand in opposition to common sense, it is beyond it.

Transpersonal leaders are encouraged to be both radical and authentic, acting on rigorously tested values and deeply held ethical principles that inform a strongly developed conscience. The underlying questions for transpersonal leaders are: “Who am I?” and “What will I do with who I am?” Clearly, these questions demand extreme personal self-accountability and ethical responsibility. Role modelling beyond the ego behavior and caring for others through coaching and personal development are distinctive characteristics of this leadership style.