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Escape from Flatland: Using Polarity Management to Coach Organizational Leaders

from a Higher Perspective

Patricia G. Beach and Jennifer Joyce

This article first appeared in the International Journal of Coaching in Organizations, 2009 7(2), 64-83. It can only be reprinted and distributed with prior written permission from Professional Coaching

Publications, Inc. (PCPI). Email John Lazar at [email protected] for such permission.

ISSN 1553-3735

2009

© Copyright 2009 PCPI. All rights reserved worldwide.

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www.ijco.info

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Escape from Flatland: using Polarity Management to coach organizational leaders from a Higher Perspective

PatriciaG.BeachandJenniferJoyce

Coaching organizational leaders tends to focus on tackling challenges through traditional problem solving methods. Polarity Management is a practice that differentiates a problem to solve from a polarity to manage. This distinction provides more robust thinking about how to resolve challenges and increases the likelihood of arriving at solutions that support both near and long-term personal and organizational success. This article introduces the benefits of using an awareness of polarities and an understanding of polarity management as a foundational component of coaching support for organizational leaders. Resources and practical approaches on how to build the competency of polarity management are also provided.

Organizational leaders are often pulled into a tug of war.Frequentlythatbattle isperceivedasawin-losepropositionandcansoundsomethinglikethis:

“Whydon’ttheygetit?If wedon’ttakeafewrisksandinnovatewe’lldie.”

“Sales constantlyoverpromisesand thenclaimsweareunder delivering. When will Sales learn they can’t giveawaythefarm?”

“Ourmeetingsrunsolong.I’vetriedtoimplementmorestructurebutit’snotappreciated.IguessI’lljusthavetorolloveranddoittheirway.”

WelcometoFlatland.Flatlandersworkhardtosolveproblemsusingeither/or thinking. Flatlanders can only navigate using reckoningthatpointsinonedirection,towardswhatis‘right”andawayfromwhatis“wrong.”WhenFlatlandershitabump,alltheycandoisgoarounditorstallout,notknowingwheretoheadnext.WhatFlatlandersfailtounderstandisthefactthatoftentheproblemthattheyareworkingsohardtosolve(byfindingthecorrectanswer)reallyisn’taproblematall;insteaditisapolarity.

Asacoach,whenwebringanawarenessof thedistinctionknownas a polarity to organizational leaders, we provide an escapefrom Flatland by adding another dimension to our thinking.Furthermore,whencoachingincludesasetof distinctionsknown

©Copyright2009PCPI™.Allrightsreservedworldwide.

IJCO Issue 2 2009 | ��

as polarity management, we give organizational leaders one of themostpowerful tools tonavigatetosuccess inthereal3Dworld.Leaders with polarity management skills become Mountaineersthat climb to a higher vantage point to chart a path to theirobjectives,minimizingmeandersarounddipsandobstacles.FromthishigherperspectiveMountaineerscanseehowfarthey’vecomeandwheretheyareheadednext.OnceanescapefromFlatlandismastered,thereisnogoingback.Aquantumleapinthinkinghasoccurred.Anewparadigmhasemergedthatgreatlyimprovestheleader’soddsof navigatinghisorganizationtobothshortandlong-termoverallprosperity.

Asseasonedcoaches,wefindthatpolaritymanagementisthemostimportantassetwebringtoourwork.Knowingthedistinctionof polaritymanagementcompletelyreshapestheexplorationof thechallengeathand,howchallengesareframedandhowresolutionsarecommunicated.Newcreativeoptionsbecomeaccessiblewhichresultinsustainableoutcomesthatarewellsupportedbyall.Whenweaskorganizationalleaderswhattheyhavevaluedmostabouttheircoaching,wemostoftenhear“polaritymanagement.”We’veobservedgrowth in the leaderswhohave learnedhow toapplypolaritymanagement.Theyarelesscaughtupinpowerstruggles,moreable to lower resistance tochangeandhave theability toproductively engage both allies and opponents in co-creatingrobust solutions. Breakthroughs happen in all areas of theirleadershipandonall levelsof theiraccountability,fromleadingthemselves,totheirteams,totheirorganizationsasawhole.

Recently,polaritymanagementhelpedCharlotte, theheadof abusinessunitof a largebiotechcompany,withherescape fromFlatland. Charlotte wanted coaching to help her sort throughthedauntingprocessof leadingalargereorganizationprojecttoimprovemanufacturing capacity acrossmultiple sites.Charlottewasfrustratedbecauseshefacedfearandresistancetothemanyreorganizationchangesproposed.Whileshewassympathetictothose that might be facing losses of jobs or responsibilities, shealsofeltheavypressurefromexternalcompetitorsandcorporatemanagement. If the division’s reorganization did not createsignificantnewefficiencies, theentireenterprisemightnotonlyfailtothrive,theymightnotsurviveatall.

StartinginFlatland,Charlotteregardedsupportersof changeasinherentlygoodalliesandresistorstochangeas“laggards”whowere inherently bad adversaries. While she was aware of thedownsidesof change,shewasreticenttoopenlydiscussit,forfearitmightgivethelaggardsmoreammunitionthatwouldslowtheproposedchangesdown.

ThefirststepwastohelpCharlotteidentifythekeypolaritiesthatneededtobemanagedinanysuccessfulreorganizationeffort.Akeypolaritythatimpactsallreorganizationprojectsisthepolarity

What Flatlanders fail to understand is the fact that often the problem that they are working so hard to solve (by finding the right answer) really isn’t a problem at all; instead it is a polarity.


of stabilityvs.change.Charlotteroseabovehernarrowfocusontheupsideof changeanddownsideof stability.Shewent toanelevatedviewthatincludedtheentireterrainof boththeupsideanddownsideof changeandtheupsideanddownsideof stability.Fromthiselevatedperspective,Charlottewasmoreabletorespectandincorporatetheviewsof opponentstothechangesproposedbymovingoutof anadversarialstance.Bymanagingthepolarityof stabilityandchange, sheensured that thebest changeswerebeingselectedwithaneyetowardthosethatwouldnotoverwhelmordisruptthesystem.

You may be surprised that a concept as powerful as polaritymanagementissolittleknown.Thefactthattheterm“polaritymanagement”isnotahouseholdterminthecoachingindustryisindeedmystifying.Despitethefactthatpolaritymanagementhasbeenaroundsince1992,itisonlynowemergingasanimportantdiscipline.Around the same time,DanielGoleman (1996)introducedthetermemotional intelligence.QuicklytheacronymEQ(emotionalquotient)becamewellknownandthevalueof focusingonEQimprovementgainedworldwideacceptanceasakeytobothpersonalandorganizationaleffectiveness.Weassertthatyourabilitytomanagepolaritieswellisasimportantasyour emotionalquotient.Forthatreason,we(theauthors)arethrilledthatthisarticlemightwidenthecircleof coacheswhoregardpolaritymanagementasacornerstoneof thehumanpotentialmovementandtherebyimprovethepolarity quotient,forthemselvesandeveryonetheycoach.

WHat Is a PolarItY and WHat Is PolarItY ManaGEMEnt?

Manyleadersareblindtothedistinctionpolarityandareunableto distinguish a polarity to manage from a problem to solve. Aproblemisaconcernthatcanonlybesolvedbyoneuniquerightanswer. For example as a leader, if you are looking for a newlocation for your next office complex, you might have severallocationstochosefrom,butyoucanonlybuildyournextofficeinoneuniquelocation.Aproblemissolvedusingeither/orthinking.Anexampleof aproblemtosolveisthequestionof whethertobuildournextofficeineitherTopekaor inKansasCity.

Apolarity,incontrast,isaconcernthatcanbemanagedbyfocusingon two interdependent, diametrically opposed right answers.Polaritiesgobyavarietyof namessuchasparadoxes,dilemmasor just“stickysituations.”Regardless,youknowyouaredealingwithapolarity if youareseekingtheright thingtodo,andtheresolvingsolutionsyouareconsideringarediametricallyopposedand interrelated.Apolarity requiresboth/and thinking tobemanaged.Forexample,decidinghowtobesthandleadownsizingrequiressolutionsthatfocusonbothcostsand people(customersand/oremployees)despitethefactthatthesetwosolutionspullinoppositedirections.

Leaders with polarity management skills become Mountaineers that climb to a higher vantage point to chart a path to their objectives, minimizing meanders around dips and obstacles.


Polarities can never be solved. Rather, they can only be managedbybeingvigilant to theproposition thatbothopposite resolving answerstotheconcernwillreceiveappropriateattention.Toomuchattentionpaidtoonepoleof apolaritywhileneglectingthepolaroppositepolewillalwaysleadtofailure.Forexample,inadownsizingsituation,if weonlyfocusoncuttingcostswhileneglectingtheneedsof our employees and customers, we will absolutely undermineoursuccesswhenourmosttalentedemployeesleaveandourloyalcustomersreceivepoorproductorservice.

Polaritiesareafundamentalpartof lifethatisacknowledgedasakeytowell-beingandsuccess.Anunderstandingof polaritiesisreflectedintheancientteachingsof LaoTsu,knownasTaoism(LaoTsu,1972).Taoismiscenteredonthebelief thatwell-beingcomesfromacknowledgingandbalancingthedualityof life(alsoknownas the Tao). While Taoism has brought wisdom about polaritiesto Eastern culture, relatively speaking, Western culture has notembracedwisdomof theTaoineitheraspiritualorpracticalway.Thankfully,apracticalphilosophicalapproachtodealingwiththedualnatureof lifecalled“polaritymanagement”hasbeendevelopedbyBarryJohnson(1992)andiswelldescribedinhisbook,Polarity Management: Identifying and Managing Unsolvable Problems.

Polarity management is a complete theoretical framework formanagingpolaritiestobringaboutlong-termresolutiontoongoingissues.Containedwithinpolaritymanagementareafewcentraltenetsthatdescribehowpolaritieswork,andasimplerubriccalledaPolarityMap™thatcanbeusedtochartoutthedualnatureof any polarity. The Polarity Map can enable the user to developa deeper awareness of the benefits and potential pitfalls of the

table 1. Key polarities to manage to create a thriving organization


optionsconsidered.OnthesurfaceaPolarityMapresemblesalistof theprosandconsof eachsideof apolarity.Thetruebeautyof PolarityMapisinunderstandingnotonlyafullpictureof bothsidesof apolaritybutalsohowtoanticipatethenaturalflowof energyfromonesideof apolaritytotheother.

Organizational challenges are fraught with polarities; in fact,therearetoomanyforustopresentacomprehensivelist.Table1 includesa fewof themost typicalpolarities thatunderlie themission of corporate and non-profit organizations. In order fororganizationstodeliverontheirobjectives,attentionmustbepaidtobothsidesof thepolaritieslisted.

InarecentHarvard Business Reviewarticlecalled“MoonShotsforManagement” byGaryHamel(2009),MoonShotnumber20isdescribedas“betteroptimizationof trade-offs.”Toquotehim:

Organizational success in theyearsaheadwillhingeontheabilityof employeesatalllevelstomanageseeminglyirreconcilabletrade-offs—betweenshort-termearningsand long-term growth, competition and collaboration,structure and emergence, discipline and freedom, andindividualandteamsuccess.Traditionalsystemsrelyoncrude, universal policies that favor certain goals at theexpenseof others.Tomorrow’s systemsmust encouragehealthy competition between opposing objectives andenable frontline employees to dynamically optimize keytrade-offs.Theaimistocreateorganizationsthatcombinetheexplorationandlearningcapabilitiesof decentralizednetworkswiththedecision-makingefficiencyandfocusof hierarchies.(pp.96-97)

Irreconcilabletrade-offsliketheoneslistedinMoonShotnumber20arealmostalwayspolaritiestomanage.LeadersthatchoosetoshootforMoonShotnumber20willcertainlybenefitfromlearningpolarity management or working with a coach that practicespolarity management. This recent recognition of the benefits of “optimizingtrade-offs”maywellbetheresultof exposuretopolaritymanagement through a management training program. Polaritymanagementhaslongbeenafixtureof managementandleadershipdevelopmenteffortsof corporations,non-profitsandgovernmentorganizations. Notable example clients of polarity managementconsultants include Boeing, British Petroleum, and the UnitedNations.Whiletheexactpercentageincreasesdaily,aconservativeestimate of the Fortune 500 companies that have helped leadersescapefromFlatlandbyformallyintroducingpolaritymanagementthrougheitherconsultingortrainingisover50%.

Up until recently, polarity management has most often beenintroducedasastand-alonediscipline.Aconvergenceof disciplinesis steadilyemerging.Polaritymanagement isbecomingan

IJCO Issue 2 2009 | �9

integrated component of strategy, teambuilding, diversity andcoachingefforts.WorldwideandparticularlyinEurope,polaritymanagement is introduced to business graduate students as anintegralcomponentof effectivestrategicplanning.Newtheoryisbeingdeveloped that integratespolaritymanagement, coachingand organizational development. Evidence of this expansion isthegrowingnumberof graduatestudentsthathavededicatedamaster’sthesistotopicsrelatedtointegratingpolaritymanagementwith other disciplines (one author included; see references thatfollow).Hopefully, this article will make a small contributiontowardmovingthoseintegrativeeffortsforward.Inthemeantime,modelsandassessmentsthat reflectpolaritymanagement tenetsand principles can strengthen your coaching and provide yourownescapefromFlatland.

KEYs to ManaGE a PolarItY WEllPolarity management is deceptively simple. Don’t be fooled;thereisalotmoretoit.Thisarticleisonlyintendedtogiveyouacursoryintroductionintothisverypowerfulconcept.Tolearnhowtomanageapolaritywell,yourbestbetistostartwithBarryJohnson’sbook:Polarity Management: How to Solve Unsolvable Problems, orattendapolaritymanagementconsultantintensiveofferedbyPolarityManagementAssociatesoranotherpractitioner trainedandcertifiedinpolaritymanagement.Workingwithpolaritiesconsciously isreallyanadvanced leadershipskill thatrequiresaflexible frameof mindandpatience.Tocomplement Johnson’sbodyof work,herearethefewkeystomanagingapolaritywellthatwehavefoundmostuseful.

Key 1. Identify which of your challenges are polarities and which are problems to solveManagingapolaritypoorlyoccurswhenonesideof thepolarityisvalidatedastherightanswerandtheotherisvilifiedasthewronganswer.Thisislikelytohappenif thepolarityhasbeenconfusedwithaproblemtosolve.Poorpolaritymanagementwillalsohappenif thereisnoconsciousnessof dualityingeneral.Key 2. Become well versed in naming polaritiesKnowing the key polarities that underlie the typical challengesthatorganizational leaders face is a greatway to start.AquickInternet search on the word polarity and polarity managementprovidesmanyresourcesthatnamepolaritiespertinenttomanysectors suchasbusiness,media,health, education, religion, etc.Knowthepolaritiesforyourfieldandsector.

Key 3. Build a Polarity Map™

AusefultoolthatsupportspolaritymanagementisthePolarityMapdevelopedbyBarryJohnson.APolarityMap™createsacompletepicture of both the strengths and weaknesses that comes frompayingattentiontoeachsideof thepolarityasyouworktoresolvea challenge. Essentially, a Polarity Map helps the Mountaineer

You know you are dealing with a polarity if you are seeking the right thing to do, and the resolving solutions you are considering are diametrically opposed and interrelated.

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separate“thebabyfromthebathwater”andlowersthepossibilityof “throwingthebabyoutwiththebathwater.”Again,considerourclientCharlotte.BeforecreatingaPolarityMapCharlottesawallopponentstochangeas“bathwater.”AfterbuildingaPolarityMap,shecouldseethebabyshehadpreviouslyentirelymissed,thealliesof stabilitywhoweresensitivetothedownsideof change.Additionally,Charlottecouldalsoseethe“bathwater”of changethatshehadbeenblindtobefore.Asimplifiedversionof aPolarityMapincludestwopolesdividedintofourquadrants.Figure1includesthePolarityMapthatCharlotteusedtounderstandthestability/changepolarityfor her reorganization effort. Once a polarity has been mapped,insightsandepiphaniesrisetothesurface.

Key 4. Use the Polarity Map to agree on options that bring attention to both sides of the polarity in an appropriate wayManagingapolaritywellrequiresgivingappropriatetimeandattentiontobothsidesof thepolaritywhilevigilantlyavoidingtheunintendedadverseconsequencesthatinevitablyarisewhenonepoleisneglectedtoolong.Sometimestheappropriateattentionisacompromisethatblendselementsfrombothsidesof themap.Inotherinstances,onesideof thepolarityhasbeenneglectedandappropriateattentionrequiresfocusedattentionononepoleinthenearterm,whilekeepinganeyeoutforthebesttimingtoshifttotheotherpole.

Figure 1. charlotte’s stability/change Polarity Map™

PolarityMap™©Copyright1992,2009PolarityManagementAssociates,LLC.Allrightsreservedworldwide.Usedwithpermission.


WHY PolarItY ManaGEMEnt MattErs to orGanIZatIonal lEadErS

Tobeeffective,leadersmustmanagethepolarityof organizational/self leadership.Tobringattentionto thispolarity,wewillmakethedistinctionbetweenthetworolesthateveryleadercarries,thatof “leaderof myorganization”and“leaderof myself.”Wewillreviewtheroleof “leaderof myorganization”first.

Leader of my organizationAleadermustfocusonhisroleasleaderof hisareaof accountabilitywhether he is C-level executive, director or manager. Decisionsthat impact his organization include budgets decisions, culturaltone setting, hiring, firing, promoting, allocating resources andsettingpriorities.Eachdecisionshapesthecultureanddirectionof hisorganization.

Whentheorganizationalleaderunderstandspolaritymanagement,itchangesthewayhethinksabouthisorganization,thewayheframestheopportunitiesandchallengesof theorganization,andhowhecommunicatestheissuesanddecisionstotherestof theorganization. He and his organization benefit because they areabletoaccessthewisdomanddangersinherentinbothsidesof thepolarity.

If the leader, and, therefore, his organization’s culture, carriesaFlatlanderperspective, theyriskthedangers inherentonbothsidesof thepolarity.Additionally, therewill beonepartof theorganizationthatalignsstronglywiththeleader’sperspectiveandanotherpartthatwillbediametricallyopposed.Suchdivisioninanorganizationcreatesmisalignmentsthroughout.

You need only to watch the news to see the devastatingconsequences of an organizational leader who has confused apolaritywithaproblemtosolvebyfocusingononlyonepoleof apolarity.Althoughthereisplentyof blametogoaround,AIGwasarguablyoneof thelargestcontributorstothecurrentglobaleconomic credit crisis. Under Joseph Cassano, head of AIGFinancialProducts,(AIGFP),thecompanybroughtthefinancialworld to itskneesbymismanaging theprofits/peopleandshortterm/long-term polarities that should drive decisions about thebest level of investment risk to underwrite. Cassano’s singularfocus on maximizing profits as fast as possible to the exclusionof focusingonlong-termfiscalresponsibilityledtoemphasizingtheuseof credit-defaultswaps.Thesearederivativeproductsthatbundle risky investments with insurance contracts. AIG tied itsfutureand,as it turnsout, the futureof theworldeconomy, tobillions of dollars of questionable loans across a wide array of bankinginstitutions.Priortotherecentfinancialcollapse,itwasunthinkablethatonemancouldunderminethewell-beingof theentireworld.

Polarities can never be solved. Rather, they can only be managed by being vigilant to the proposition that both opposite resolving answers to the concern will receive appropriate attention.


If Cassano had used polarity management to guide decisionsin his organization and, thereby, balanced concern for short-term institutional gain with concern for social responsibilityand sustainability, the outcome may have been quite different.Unfortunately,accordingtoGordonLiddy,currentAIGCEO,theAIGFPdivisionwasnotsubjecttotheinternalriskmanagementprocessesthatwereinplacetomanagetherisk/securitypolarityfortherestof AIG.Figure2isaPolarityMap©thatmighthavehelpedCassanoinhisroleasleaderof AIGFP.

Withpolaritymanagementinplace,Cassano’steammayhavebeenmorecautiousandnotsoldmorecredit-defaultswapsthantheycouldresponsiblysupport.JosephCassanoisanextremeexampleof aFlatlandleaderwhotragicallyconfusedapolaritytomanagewithaproblemtosolve.Mostorganizationalleadersdon’thavethepowertocreateglobalchaos,buttheAIGstorydoesspeaktothecriticalreasonforleaderstoknowandusepolaritymanagementasappropriatetoguidetheirmostsignificantbusinessdecisions.

Leader of myselfWenowmovetolookingattheroleof “leaderof myself,”onethatislessdramaticonthegrandscalebutkeytopersonalsatisfactionandbuildingfollowershipthroughtrustinginterpersonalrelationships.Since we already know that the reader of this writing valuescoachingthereisnoneedtoarguethevalueof leadersfocusingontheirroleasleaderof themselves.

A common challenge in self-leadership occurs when a highlyresponsible superachiever suddenly startshitting thewall.TakeNancyasanexample.Nancycametousforcoachingwhenshe

Figure 2. the Polarity Map™ that might have averted aIG’s failed derivatives policy



hadbeenaDirectorlevelmanagerforaboutayear.Shewastired,overwhelmed,andfeltasthoughtheworldwasonhershoulders.Shewasfrustratedthatherdirectreportsandhercolleaguesweren’tsteppingupinthewayshethoughttheorganizationneeded.Nomatterhowlongandhardsheworked,itsimplywasnotenough.

Nancylivedprimarilyonthedoing sideof thedoing/beingpolarity.ThisisnosurpriseforaU.S.-basedcorporateprofessional.OurU.S.cultureisheavilyweightedonthe“doing”sideof lifeandhas little respect for the “being” side of life. Nancy’s story isa common one. She had used her enormous personal energyto perform tasks, handle details, ensure that others are doingtheir work, and stay on top of deadlines and goals. And, upuntilrecently,thatstrategyhadservedherwellandensuredherpromotionsupthecorporateladder.However,onceNancy jumped into thebiggergameof beingaDirector, she found shedidnothave the time,energyormind-share that it would take to personally direct all that needed tobe accomplished. No one could. She had to find an entirelydifferentwaytobeinthegame(Charan,Drotter&Noel,2001).AsNancybuiltherPolarityMap™,shesawallthepowerof herdoingwayof life:accomplishment,recognition,andcareergrowth.Asshebuiltthedownsideof thatsideof thepolarity,shebegantorecognizewhyshewasencounteringaproblem.Nancywrotedown: exhaustion, overwhelm, and missed deadlines. As sheexploredfurther,shebegantoseethenegativeside’simpacttohercolleaguesanddirectreports.Aslongasshekeptsteppingupforthings,othersdidnot.Theysometimesfeltthatshehoggedallthelimelightandtherewasnoroomforthem.And,becauseNancytookfullownershipforeverythinginherdepartment,herdirectreportsfeltliketheywerejustanotherpairof handsforher.Theymissedoutontheopportunitytotakefullownershipfortheirownprojectsandthepersonaldevelopmentthatwouldresult.

When Nancy began to fill in the upside of being on her PolarityMap™, she wrote down things like: time to reflect on the long-term,creativejuicesflowingintobrilliantstrategy,planningtimeforongoingcoachinganddevelopmentof herpeople.Whenshefilledout thedownsideof being,withwords suchas failure, stuckness,andpassivity,sherecognizedthatthosequalitieswerethethingsshefearedandworkedtoavoidatallcosts.Shewasexperiencingpolarity blindness. Somehow in her mind, doing and action representedsuccess in life. While she was also experiencing the downside of doing (exhaustion, over-responsibility, etc.), before the PolarityMap™ revelation, she negated the experience as something sheshouldbeabletoovercome.Shehadnotrecognizedthattherewasaninherentlimitationinherone-sidedpolaritysuccessmodel.

WithacompletePolarityMap™ inhand(Figure3),Nancybeganblockingouttimeonherworkcalendarforleadershipreflection

If Cassano had used polarity management to guide decisions in his organization and, thereby, balanced concern for short-term institutional gain with concern for social responsibility and sustainability, the outcome may have been quite different.


time.Duringherleadershipreflectiontime,shedevelopedaclearstrategyforhandingoffownershiponkeyprojectsthatsheshouldnot be running. She also started to notice where direct reportsneededcoachingandmentoringtobettermeettheneedsof herorganization, as well as their own professional development. Ittook Nancy several years to fully shift her natural bent towarddoingandoverachieving,butshedid.AsNancysteppedback,itwasn’talwaysasmoothtransitiontootherspickinguptheslack.Somedidandsomedidn’tbutNancyisnowworkingattheproperlevelforaDirectorlevelandrarelygetsstuck“downintheweeds”of takingownershipthatbelongstosomeoneelse.

Almostwithoutfail,whenwecoachleaders,wefindthattheyfalltooheavilyononesideortheotherof thedoing/beingpolarity.Somuchso,thatitbringstomindanoldparable.Therewasayoungdiscipleof ayogiinIndiawhosaidtohisyogi“Master,youaresowise,youalwaysknowjusttherightwaytoguideusonourjourney.Howcanyoubesoconsistentlyrightaboutwhatweneed?”Theyogilookeduponhisdisciple,and,withaslightsmilesaid,“It’seasy.Ijustimagineyoucrossingabridge.If yougettoofartotheleft,Isaygoright.If yougettoofartotheright,Isaygoleft.”

Theanalogysetoutinthisparablespeakstothewaypolaritieswork.Ascoaches,wearecarefultoclarifythatyoudonotneedtodevoteequalenergytobothsidesof apolaritytoachievebalance.Inmostcasesitisn’tevenfeasibletofocusonopposingpolesatthesametimeinanequalfashion.Rather,theideaistoweavebackandforthacrosspolaritiesinaccordancetothesituationathand.Sometimesaleaderisfocusedontaskandgettingthejobdone.Sometimesa

Figure 3. nancy’s doing/being Polarity Map™



leaderisfocusedonrelationshipandconnectingwithhispeople.The question to ask is, “What response does this situation andemployeecall for?”Whena leaderhasthesophisticatedskillof knowinghowtomanageapolarity,bychoosingtherightdirectiontolean,hisopportunityforsuccessincreasesexponentially.

Oncea leaderhasdevelopedherskill torecognizeandmanagepolarities,shewillspendmostof hertimerealizingthebenefitsof theupsideof bothpolaritiesandverylittletimesufferingfromthedownsidesof eachpole.Inthisway,aleadernaturallyflowsfromsidetosideof thePolarityMapinapaththatresemblesaninfinityloop(∞).Figure4illustrateshowtheloopsof theinfinitylooparequitelargeintheupsidequadrantscomparedtotheloopsonthedownsidequadrantsof thepolarity.Whenaleaderisattunedtotheinfinityloopdynamic,shewillquicklyrecognizewhensheisexperiencing someof thedown sideandnaturallymove to theupsideof theoppositepolarity.

PolarItY as a scalaBlE ModElPolaritymanagementisahighlyscalablemodelthataddressesawide range of organizational challenges. In that sense, polarityis a universal tool that applies to the intrapersonal level, theinterpersonal level, the team level and the organizational level.Thusfar,wehaveexploredexamplesattheorganizationallevel,intheAIGexampleandattheintrapersonallevelintheexampleof Nancy.Next,wewillexploretheinterpersonallevel.

Figure 4. the infinity loop flow of movement shown on a Polarity Map™



Interpersonal levelAclassicconcernof leaders revolvesaroundmanaging the task/relationshippolarity(Figure5).Tom,aheart-centeredleader,fallsheavilyontherelationshipsideof thepolarityequation.Tom’steamfeels supportedandcared for.Theyhaveadeep senseof loyaltytohim.Heknowsthatpeoplearenotrobots,andtherelationshiptheyhavewiththeirmanagercountsforalotintermsof happinessatwork.However,Tom’sheart-centeredstrengthhasaflipside.Hefound thathisdirect reportsdidnot takeaccountability for theirresults.Rather,accountabilityforresultsrestedheavily,andalmostsolely, on Tom’s shoulders. In addition, no matter how much heandthecompanyprovidedforhisemployees,theyseemedtohaveanunhealthysenseof entitlement–a“Whathaveyoudoneformelately?”attitude.Inshort,theysometimesactedlikespoiledbrats.

Duringcoaching,Tomlearnedaboutthetask/relationshippolarityandbecameawarethatheneededtogrowabackbonewherehiswishbonehadbeen.Herecognizedthatdespitethebenefitsof hisgiftsontheheartside,hehadbeenover-focusedontherelationshipside of the polarity and under-focused on the task side of thepolarity.Hesawthatasaconsequence,hisfolksmisseddeadlinesandmadeexcusesandheletthemoffthehooktoavoiddamaginghisrelationshipwiththem.Inaddition,someof hismoretask-orientedteammembers resented carrying the load for thosewhodidnotassumeenoughresponsibilityforensuringtheteam’ssuccess.

AswecoachedTomthoughbuildingatask/relationshipPolarityMap™,hebegantoseethepositivesideof thetaskpole.Priortothemap,he feared thatmorebackboneandrigorwouldcausehis employees to respond negatively to what he perceived asadversarial confrontation, disconnection and dominance overhis people. As often happens, he entirely missed the positiveconsequences of having backbone as a manager because hisfearof thedownsidesof over-focusingontasktotheneglectof relationshipovershadowedthem.

With the Polarity Map developed, Tom saw the many positivebenefitstobringingmorebackboneandtaskfocusintotheequation.Hesawthathispeoplewerecryingoutforstructure,accountability,andclarityondirectionandexpectations.Andhealsosawthathiswhole team was suffering from a lack of credibility in the largerorganization because they were not holding up their end of thework.Lastly,herecognizedthathisowncredibilityasaleaderwassufferingintheeyesof hissuperiors,colleaguesanddirectreports.

Taking the step to clarify expectations was fairly easy for Tomonce he recognized the full implications of not managing therelationship/taskpolaritywell.However,holdingsomeof hislessproductiveteammembersaccountablefortheirattitudeswasmuchmoredifficult.Werehearsedtheconversationsanumberof timesuntilhe feltcomfortablewithconductingtherealconversations.

Nancy lived primarily on the doing side of the doing/being polarity. This is no surprise for a U.S.-based corporate professional. Our U.S. culture is heavily weighted on the “doing” side of life and has little respect for the “being” side of life.


Resultswithmostof the teamwereoutstandingand theywererelievedtohavemoreownershipandaccountability.Onepersonhadahardtimegettingonboardandultimatelyleftthegroup.

Tomnowconsistentlybringsapolarityperspective tohisworkonhimself andhisdirectreports.Heunderstandsthatinordertohaveasustainablestructurethatbothcaresfordirectreportsandproducesbusiness results, he must bring in both backbone/task and heart/relationshipaccordingtowhatisneededforthesituationathand.

Work group/team levelAnother important level to work polarities in any organizationisattheworkgroup/teamlevel.Weworkedwithoneteamwhohad members from their East Coast operations and Coloradooperations. They were working very poorly together due toexpectationsthatlivedonoppositepolesof thePolarityMap.TheEastCoastteamwasresponsiblefordeterminingproductsneededformarketwithclearwindowsof opportunityforthoseproductstohitthemarket.We’llcallthatsideof thepolarity“productionfocus.”TheColoradopartof teamwasresponsiblefordevelopingthoseproductswithhighqualityforthemarket.We’llcallthatsideof thepolarity“qualityfocus.”SeeFigure6onfollowingpage.

Both teams started their journey in Flatland. The East Coastteam members thought the Colorado team was ineffective andinefficient.TheColoradoteamthoughttheEastCoastteamwasrudeandunreasonable.Withthetwoteamstogether,wetaughtthem Polarity Management.Things started improving almostimmediatelyastheybegantoappreciateeachother’sperspective.Giventhepracticalityandscalablenatureof thepolaritymodel,wehopethatyouarenowreadyandinspiredtointegratepolaritymanagementintoyourworkwithorganizationalleaders.

Figure 5. tom’s relationship/task Polarity Map™



PractIcal stEPs to IntEGratE PolarItY ManaGEMEnt Into coacHInG WorK WItH orGanIZatIonal lEadErs

Businesscoacheshaveaperfectopportunitytoinstillthepowerof polaritymanagementintoawidenetwork.Herearesomepracticalwaysthatyouasacoachcangetstarted.

Step 1. Become well versed in polarity management theoryThe first step is to build your base knowledge of polaritymanagement.BarryJohnson’sbook(1992)istheseminalworkonpolarity management and is the first place to start. In addition,Barryhasnumerouswhitepapersandothertoolsavailableonhiswebsite.Manycoachesandconsultantsarewellversedinpolaritymanagement. We recommend that you spend time familiarizingyourself withpolaritymanagementtheorybyattendingapolaritymanagement consultant intensiveand/orworkingwithamentorcoachwho iswell versed inpolaritymanagement.Witha soundtheoreticalbaseinplace,youwillhaveclimbedoutof Flatlandintothepowerfulnewworldof aMountaineer.

Step 2. Start using Polarity Maps to work through your personal challengesBeforeyouhelporganizational leadersusepolaritymanagement,werecommendthatyoupracticebuildingPolarityMapstoaddressissues from your own life and work. It generally takes awhile tobecomecompetentatrecognizingapolarityandnamingthetwopolesof thePolarityMap™.Theconceptiseasybuttheapplicationis often not as straightforward as you might think. Don’t getdiscouraged! Ultimately, you will achieve an almost unconsciouscompetenceinrecognizingpolarities.Asyoudevelopyourabilitytousepolaritymanagementtoaddressyourownconcerns,youwillbeinamuchbetterpositiontohelpyourclientsdothesame.

Figure 6. colorado and East coast team’s quality/production Polarity Map™



Step 3. Integrate polarity management and polarity mapping into your coaching sessionsOnceyouareskilledatrecognizingpolaritiesandbuildingPolarityMaps, start building Polarity Maps with friends and clients withwhomyouarecomfortableexperimenting.Youwillwanttobefairlycompetentatthisbeforeintroducingitfullyintoyourpractice.Whenyouseeanobviouspolaritywithaclient,trymappingitoutwithher.

Wefindthatitishelpfultoexplicitlyteachourclientswhatapolarityisandhowitworks.Wehaveslidesthatweusetointroducetheconceptinadidacticwayassoonasthefirstobviouspolaritypopsintoaclient’sexploration.Onceyourclientiseducatedonpolaritymanagement,begintoapplythemodelimmediatelytopolaritiesthatarecomingupwithinthecoachingsessions.Onceyourclientsbecomeconfidentwiththepolaritymodel,encouragethemtousethemodelontheirowninbetweensessions.Ourgoalistousepolaritiesoftenuntilourclientsmoveoutof theFlatlanderperspective.

Step 4. Use models and tools that reflect polarity management tenetsLastly,wedoourbesttoalwaysfindandusemodelsandtoolsthatreflectthepolaritymanagementprinciples.Notabletoolsweuseinclude The Leadership Circle 360 Profile (TLCP), developedandsoldbyTheLeadershipCircleandthePolarityManagementAssessmentTool(PMAT)soldbyPolarityManagementAssociates.

Sincethe360assessmentisacornerstoneof manyorganizationalleaders’ coaching engagements, we will elaborate on theLeadership Circle Profile a bit. The Leadership Circle Profile isa solidly researched360 leadershipassessment thatmeasures thecompetenciesmostcloselycorrelatedtoeffectiveleadershipaswellasthetendenciesmostcloselycorrelatedtoleadershipderailers.Theresultsarepresentedinacirclegraphicthatreflectthefourquadrantsof atask/relationshipPolarityMap.Theprofileisdividedfromleftto right with relationship related competencies on the left andtask related competencies on the right. Interestingly, leadershipresearchconfirmstheimportanceof havingbothrelationshipandtaskrelatedstrengths.TolearnmoreaboutTLCPprofile,seetheresourcelistattheendof thisarticleforthelink.

IMPlIcatIons For coMMunIcatIonsFlatlanderandMountaineerleaderscommunicateverydifferently.Flatlanderssoundconfrontationalwhenencounteringresistancetotheirproposedsolution.Itisacommunicationproblemthattheythinkwillbe solvedby clarifyingand repeating:1)how terribletheproblemreallyis;2)howterrificandessentialtheirproposedsolutionis;and3)howthoroughtheirstrategyis.Understandablythisdefensivepostureincreasesresistanceincaseswheretheissueis apolarity rather thanaproblem to solve.The resistance feltcomesfromFlatlandersintheaudiencewhoareequallycaughtineither/orthinking.Theyseetheupsideof thepresentpoleasthe


solution,andthedownsideof thepoleasaproblemtobeavoided.Mountaineersapproachcommunicationverydifferently.Theyusemultiplestrategiestobuildcommittedandalignedaction.

Clarify the polarity to set context firstMountaineersrecognizethevalueof spendingmoretimeupfrontclarifyingkeypolaritiesthatunderliethechallengebeingaddressed.Thepolarityprovidesamorecompletepictureof thebenefitsandpotentialrisksof bothpolesthatunderliethechallengebeingtackledandprovidesafoundationforthoughtfuldeliberation.

Inquire, listen and mirror firstWhen Mountaineers enter a highly polarized environment theyknowthattheymustturnopponentsintowillingco-creativeadvisors.Todo so, theyoftenbeginwith inquiryand/or listening intently.Mountaineersknowitistheirjobtoreflectbacktothegroupbothsides of the polarity in a respectful way. They understand thatsincerely validating the concerns and values of their opponentscreates a trusting environment more conducive to allowing theupsidesanddownsidesof bothpolestobedeliberatedthoroughly.For that reason, they discuss the opponents’ pole of the polaritybeforediscussingthesideof thepolaritytheyareleaningtoward.

Play devil’s advocateWhenMountaineersarecommunicatingtoanaudiencealignedbehindoneview, theystill take the time toadvocate theirviewswithin thecontextof both sidesof thepolarity.Amountaineermightalsoplaydevil’sadvocate,arguingbothsidesof thepolaritywithhimself infrontof others.Bydoingthis,theorganizationalleadermodelsafullperspectiveandsignalsthatitissafetohaveadissentingpointof view.

Asaresultof consistentlyemployingthesestrategies,communicationbecomesmorereciprocal,respectfulandinclusive.Thedialoguefosteredreflectseffectivemanagementof thepolarityof inquiryandadvocacy.Stakeholdersgainconfidenceinlisteningtooneanother,andtheyreachalignmentbehindmorecreativeandstablesolutions.

Whenmountaineersfirstemploythesestrategies,theymustrealizethattheiraudienceisoftenstartinginFlatlandandcansometimesperceivetheirnewcommunicationstrategiesasweakleadership,“waffling” or even worse, manipulative. Organizational leadersescapingfromFlatlandwillbenefitgreatlyfromcoachingsupportto think throughhowtobestexpressapolarityconsistentlyandconcisely. This can support not only having a larger perspectiveforthemselvesbutalsoguidingothersintoitaswell.Coachescansupport leaders inproactivelyplanning forextraup front timetoframeconcernsappropriately.Sincemostorganizationalleadersarepressedfortime,coachingsupportcanassertandaffirmthattimeinvestedupfrontwillsavetimeandenergyinthelongrunwhilealsocreatingamoresoundsolutionandstrongeralignment.

In most cases it isn’t even feasible to focus on opposing poles at the same time in an equal fashion. Rather, the idea is to weave back and forth across polarities in accordance to the situation at hand.


OrganizationalleaderscanbenefitgreatlybyseeingaMountaineerwithexcellentcommunicationskillsrolemodelhowtoeffectivelylead by framing concerns, vision and values around a polarity.Unfortunately, leaders who do this well are indeed rare. AcelebratedleaderwhoconsistentlyactsasarolemodelsforhowtoframepolaritiesclearlyisPresidentBarackObama.Regardlessof one’spoliticalviews,itcannotbedeniedthatObamaisagiftedcommunicator who has a proven ability to enroll a majority totackle large-scale challenges.Obama’s first opportunity to workformally with International leaders was the G-20 economicsummit held in March of 2009. Before leaving for the summitObamavowedtofirst“listennotlecture”beforetakingapostureof advocacy. Obama’s approach was well received and severalnewagreementsinhiscountry’sfavorwereforged.

At the press conference held immediately after the conference,Obamadescribed the independencevs. interdependencepolaritythat all political leaders must be aware of, in order to negotiateinternationalagreements.Thepolaritywasdescribedinthisway:

Intermsof localpolitics, look,I’mthePresidentof theUnited States. I’m not the president of China; I’m notthepresidentof Japan…Ihaveadirectresponsibilitytomyconstituentstomaketheirlivesbetterto….livewhatwecalltheAmericandream.AndIwillbejudgedbymyeffectivenessinmeetingtheirneedsandconcerns.

But in an era of integration and interdependence, it isalso my responsibility to lead America into recognizingthatitsinterests,itsfateistiedupwiththelargerworld,thatif weneglectorabandonedthosewhoaresufferingin poverty, that not only are we depriving ourselves of potentialopportunitiesformarketsandeconomicgrowth,butultimatelythatdespairmayturntoviolencethatturnsonus,thatunlessweareconcernedabouttheeducationof allchildren,andnot justourchildren,notonlymaywebedeprivingourselvesof thenextgreatscientistwho’sgoing tofind thenextnewenergy source that saves theplanet,butwealsomaymakepeoplearound theworldmuchmorevulnerabletoanti-Americanpropaganda.

Soif I’meffectiveasAmerica’spresidentrightnow,partof thateffectivenessinvolvesprovidingAmericansinsightintohowtheirself-interestistiedupwithyours.Andthat’sanongoingproject,becauseit’snotalwaysobvious.

Thistranscriptof theG-20pressconferenceclearlydemonstratesObama’sprofoundabilitytorecognize,manageandcommunicatepolarities to create a foundation for collaboration and forwardmovement.Wewouldliketoreiterate,whetheryouareafanof Obama’s views or not, a quick Google or YouTube search is aworthwhilewaytoturnupmanyexamplesof PresidentObama’smasterfuluseof thetechniquesdiscussedinthisarticle.

Once a leader has developed her skill to recognize and manage polarities, she will spend most of her time realizing the benefits of the upside of both polarities and very little time suffering from the downsides of each pole.


tHE BEnEFIts oF IntEGratInG PolarItY ManaGEMEnt Into Your WorK WItH

orGanIZatIonal lEadErsPolarity management is an elegantly simple, yet infinitely deep,modelforexpandingyourthinking.Don’tbefooledbyitssimplicity.If youcontinuetoworkwithitinyourlifeandyourcoachingpracticeyouwillclimboutof Flatlandintothemulti-dimensionalworldof Mountaineers.Imaginehowlimitedyourperspectiveiswhenyouareonlowflat landwithnohighground.You thinkyouhaveaprettygood ideaof what’s in frontof youbutanything inyourwaycanobscureyourview.PolaritymanagementpractitionersarelikeMountaineersthatcanseehowmuchtheyweremissingwhileonflat land.Canyourorganizational leadersreallyaffordtobewithoutthiselevatedworld-view?

Thepolaritymodelisimpressiveinitsscalability.You canuseitinallaspectsof yourworkwithleaders,fromhelpingleaderstorealize their personal and professional potential to managing alarge-scalecomplexenterprise.Morepolaritymanagement-savvycoachesareneededtobuildanintegrativedisciplineandincreasepublicawarenessof thispowerfulmethodology.Wewelcomeyoutothisexcitingmovement.

rEsourcEs

TrueNorthPrograms,LLC,www.LeadershipSmarts.com

PolarityManagementAssociates,www.polaritymanagement.com

TheLeadershipCircle,www.theleadershipcircle.com

rEFErEncEs

Abbott,E.A.(1884).Flatland: A romance of many dimensions.Boston:Little,Brown,andCompany.

Beach,P.(2000).Understandingmasculineandfeminineenergy:Anewinterventiontoimproveindividualandcollectiveeffectiveness.PepperdineMSODMastersThesis.

Charan,R.,Drotter,S.,&Noel,J.(2001).The leadership pipeline: How to build the leadership powered company.SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass.

LaoTsu.(1972).Lao Tsu - Tao Te ChingG.-F.Feng&J.English(Trans).NewYork:Knopf.

Goleman,D.(1996).Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ.NewYork:BantamBooks.

Hamel,G.(2009).Moonshotsformanagement:Whatgreatchallengesmustwetackletoreinventmanagementandmakeitmorerelevanttoavolatileworld?Harvard Business Review, 87(2),91-98.

Johnson,B.(1992).Polarity management: Identifying and managing unsolvable problems.Amherst,MA:HRDPress,Inc.

Lazar,J.,&Bergquist,W.(2003).Alignmentcoaching:Themissingelementof businesscoaching.International Journal of Coaching in Organizations, 1(1),14-27.


n aBout tHE autHors

About the authors’ collaborationIn2000PattyBeachandJenniferJoycebecamethefoundingpartnersof TrueNorthPrograms,LLCaboutiqueleadershipdevelopmentconsultingfirm.Sincethentheyhavereliedonpolaritymanagementtoeffectivelyblendtheircomplementaryyetoppositestrengthstodeliveronmanycollaborativeefforts.These includethecreationof Leadershipsmarts.com,anonlineresourcefor leadershiptrainingandcoachingandtheauthorshipof manyproductsandprogramsthatimprovepersonal,interpersonalandorganizationalperformance.Polaritymanagementisafoundationalcomponentof manyof ourcurrentprojectsincludingawebinarseriesonleadershipandpolarityandablogonthemasculine/femininepolarity.Ourlatestwebinarsandofferingscanbefoundatwww.LeadershipSmarts.com.

Patricia Beach, MCC, MSOD

Patty, an ICF Master Certified Coach with an MS in Organizational Development from PepperdineUniversity,hasusedher20yearsof corporateandentrepreneurialexperienceasalearninglaboratoryforleadershipskills.Patty’ssignatureishelpingleadersshiftfromunconscioustoconsciouschoice,overcomefears,andstepconfidentlyintotheirvision.Pattyhasbeenleadingworkshopsonpolaritymanagementsince1994forcorporateandnon-profitorganizations.In2000shecompletedaMaster'sThesisonthefeminine/masculinepolarity.

Jennifer Joyce, MSW

Website:www.truenorthprograms.com

JennifergraduatedfromtheCoachesTrainingInstituteCoachingProgramandtheLeadershipInstituteof SeattleExecutiveCoachingProgram.SheholdsaMaster’s in IndustrialSocialWorkandaBA inInternationalCommunications.However,herbest traininghascome from lifeexperienceandakeenobserver’s eye. Jen is a popular coach and speaker who draws on 20 years of corporate leadershipdevelopmentexperiencetoensurethatherpresentationsarepracticalyetinspiring.Manyof Jennifer’spresentations includetheconceptof polaritymanagementsharedthroughstories thatdrivehomethevalueof thispowerfulconceptinanintimateyetimpactfulway.

Lazar,J.,&Bergquist,W.(2007).Commentaryon‘Alignmentcoaching:Themissingelementof businesscoaching’.International Journal of Coaching in Organizations, 5(1),17-23.

Obama,B.(2009).CQTranscript:PresidentObamaHoldsNewsConferenceatG-20Summit,CQ Today Online News, April 2,, 2009

Saporito,B.(2009,March19).HowAIGbecametoobigtofail.Time.

Seidler,M.(2008).Power surge: A conduit for enlightened leadership.Amherst,MA:HRDPress,Inc.

Phone:303-545-5258Email: [email protected]:www.truenorthprograms.com

Email: [email protected]: 303-877-9148

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