Despite the simplicity and clarity that bestselling authors and self-proclaimed “leadership gurus” on Twitter attempt to bring to the topic, it is not nearly as straightforward as we’d like to believe. 

Bright, intelligent leaders fail all the time.  Competent, experienced managers make stupid decisions. Brilliant individuals who produce significant positive change in one context fall flat on their face in another.  Leadership styles that motivate one team towards success discourage and demoralize the next one. 

Modern pictures of leaders as well organized managers, with clean desks and sophisticated information systems, who are always producing better results and implementing forward-thinking strategies in an environment of clarity and order are simply misleading.

The reality is far more hectic and far less glamourous.  The work of leadership “is more akin to juggling hot potatoes than engaging in analytic contemplation” (Stefan Tengblad).

In the midst of this confusion and complexity, leaders need a means to pierce through the fog; to be able to interpret and make sense of their environments in new ways.  We need to be able to view situations from multiple angles and respond with creativity and flexibility.

“One distinguishing difference between leaders that succeed at driving collaboration and innovation versus those that fail is their ability to grasp complexity.” – Sarah Caldicott

To do this, authors Bolman and Deal believe that a leader needs to think just as much like an artist as they do an engineer.  To be as comfortable with subtlety, emotion, and ambiguity as they are with systems, numbers, and reason.

“Artists interpret experience and express it in forms that can be felt, understood, and appreciated by others… An artist reframes the world so others can see new possibilities.” – Bolman and Deal

Reframing

This artistic reframing is one of the more useful concepts I have come across recently for making sense of complex situations.

Frames are “mental models,” or maps, that we use to make sense of the world around us.  They are what bring meaning and definition to the problems we face and determine which solutions we will choose to pursue.

We all have these maps, whether we know what they are or not.  We need them; life would be too confusing without some type of framework to view it through. 

While these maps are helpful, we tend to get stuck in one or two of them, leading us to wonder why other people just can’t see things like we can.

Reframing is the ability to switch between multiple maps quickly and fluidly.  To see problems from different angles and learn to ask better questions.  To use imagination as well as logic to come up with new and novel solutions.

“If I had an hour to solve a problem and my whole life depended on the solution, I would spend the first fifty-five minutes determining the question to ask, for once I knew the proper question, I could solve the problem in five minutes.” – attributed to Albert Einstein.

The Four Frames

Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal have been helping leaders navigate complexity and reframe their worlds for over 40 years.  In their book, Reframing Organizations (now in its 6th edition), they introduce us to the four frames that people use to understand their contexts – whether that’s a business, a non-profit, a nation, or even just your family.

The four frames below each provide a unique window through which to view the organization that we’re a part of.  We tend to look through one or two of them most often, but the challenge of artistic leadership is to become more comfortable with viewing and interpreting our world through all four.

As you read about each of them below, choose a particular situation that you have dealt with recently and attempt to view it through each of the four frames. 

1. Structural Frame

Leaders in this frame love to talk about systems, structures, metrics, goals, and processes.  An organization is viewed much like a factory and some of the highest priorities include efficiency, excellence, and quality.  If you read books like The 4 Disciplines of Execution and are familiar with terms like OKRs, KPIs, and Six Sigma, this is likely the frame you live in. 

Effective leaders in this frame are architects and analysts, designing organizations that work.  Ineffective leaders in this frame can become micro-managers and rely too heavily on a top-down command-and-control style of leadership.

Frames in real life – The 1:1

To understand how each of these frames affects how we view our work, let’s use the example of a 1:1 meeting between a leader and their direct report.  Depending on which frame you view this through, you will have very different expectations and goals for these 30-60 minutes together. 

Viewing 1:1s through the structural frame, this time together will be primarily used to help an employee make progress in their role.  As a supervisor, you will see yourself as a coach and will want to focus on leadership development, monitoring performance, and setting goals.  There is nothing wrong with this, but as you will see, someone viewing this meeting through a different frame will come to very different conclusions.

2. Human Resource Frame

In this frame, organizations are far less like factories and a lot more like families.  They are not primarily made up of structures and systems, but of people – individuals who bring their ambitions, insecurities, biases, and humanity with them to work every day. 

If you would prefer to be reading books like Crucial Conversations, Everybody Matters, or The Fearless Organization, and you like to talk about the importance of teamwork, empowerment, and hanging out with your co-workers outside of office hours, this is your frame.  In case you’re wondering, all those Enneagram fanatics you know are probably operating out of this frame.

An effective leader in this frame creates a caring and empowering environment for their team.  They offer support and act as a catalyst for others to achieve their potential.  An ineffective leader in this frame can be seen as a weakling or a pushover; they abdicate their responsibilities and avoid the hard, yet necessary, conversations so that everyone will like them.

Frames in real life – The 1:1

The 1:1 in this framework is primarily about building a relationship between a leader and their staff.  It serves to build trust and create safety, not set goals.  The leader is more of a shepherd than a coach and will use that time to listen, support, and build empathy.  If leadership development occurs during the meeting, that’s just a bonus.  The primary outcome is whether or not the employee feels cared for. 

As you can begin to imagine, if one person in that room is viewing the 1:1 through this frame and the other is viewing it through the structural frame, there is bound to be frustrations.

3. Political Frame

Politics has such a negative connotation, but the truth is that every organization has a political component to it.  Any time a group of people attempt to be organized in some fashion and there are differences of opinions combined with a limited amount of resources, political behaviour will arise.

“The question is not whether organizations will have politics but rather what kind of politics they will have” – Bolman and Deal

Leaders in this frame see organizations not as families or factories, but as jungles – places of competition, power-struggles, and danger.  If you gravitate towards books like Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion or Never Split the Difference, or Getting to Yes, and you find yourself thinking in terms of power, competition, bargaining, and compromise, this is a frame you are comfortable in.

An effective leader in this frame will be an advocate and a negotiator.  They will build coalitions to influence those in power and give a voice to those who don’t have one.  An ineffective leader in this frame will come across as manipulative and controlling; a con-artist or a thug.

Frames in real life – The 1:1

A 1:1 in this frame will be centered around the word influence.  This is not only an opportunity for a supervisor to do the influencing, but can be seen as a rare chance for the worker to finally have their boss’ undivided attention to put forward their own concerns and agendas.  Skills such as persuasion and advocacy are valuable here. 

A leader in the political frame will always be very keenly aware of the power dynamics in the room – who has it and who doesn’t – and will use this knowledge to accomplish their purposes.  Again, if they’re healthy, these won’t simply be selfish purposes but will be beneficial for others as well.

4. Symbolic Frame

This is where our visionaries like to live.  To a leader viewing their work through the symbolic frame, everything means something.  If something doesn’t seem to mean anything, they will bring meaning to it.  They are “meaning-makers” for themselves and those they lead.  They want to see the significance behind what they’re doing – why does it matter?

To continue the metaphor, Bolman and Deal would say that organizations in this frame are not seen as factories, families, or jungles, but as temples; places of transcendence and spiritual significance.  Stories, legends, rituals, and ceremonies all find their place here.  The picture of a theatre or carnival can apply here as well, with all of its carefully orchestrated components coming together to create an experience and tell a story.

If you resonate with books like Start with Why or The Power of Moments, and like to talk about culture, experience, and values, this is a frame you’re comfortable in.  Leaders like Steve Jobs and Martin Luther King Jr. were more than capable of viewing the world through this frame.

An effective leader here, as you can imagine, can inspire the masses (or the person sitting across the table) with vision and stories.  They are a prophet and the keeper of the spiritual soul of an organization, ensuring they don’t veer off course or “sell out.”  In contrast, an ineffective leader in this frame will simply be seen as a fanatic or zealout, or worse yet, a fraud.  They will lead people astray and deceive them with “mirage, smoke, and mirrors” for their own gain.

Frames in real life – The 1:1

Going back to our 1:1, the leader in this frame will not be as concerned with being a coach or mentor, but will act as a sort of spiritual guide, highlighting moments and stories that deepen the culture and values of the organization.  Their goal is that you walk away inspired, having seen the bigger picture, and knowing why you and your work matter. 

The symbolic significance of having a regular 1:1 scheduled on the calendar will not be lost on this leader either; it’s very existence communicates something of importance to them.  Again, everything means something and contributes to the culture they’re trying to create, including the meetings they put on their calendar.

Conclusion

While this is a quick summary, I hope, at this point, that you can see the value that reframing leadership brings to the table.  If we are able to move fluidly between these various maps, we increase our ability to navigate complex situations and accurately interpret reality.

If the example of a 1:1 isn’t helpful in your context, choose a different scenario and attempt to look at it through all four frames.  Perhaps you want to recall the last change initiative you had to lead people through.  Imagine how you might have done that more effectively (and with less resistance) by viewing the situation through a different frame.  A leader who is initiating change through the structural frame – because it’s rational and just makes sense – will be very surprised by the resistance of others who are viewing the situation through the symbolic frame.

Understanding these four frames is not just about being a more effective leader, but about building empathy and understanding the value and truth behind others’ perspectives.  It fosters humility and reminds us that our way of viewing the world is not the only correct way.  I hope that this concept will help you understand your co-workers, employees, volunteers, and bosses in a new way and allow you work more collaboratively toward goals that matter.

Thanks for being here,

-Dan