This article is part of a series called, Surface Tension. The introduction article contains links to all other articles.

The approaches explored in this series represent fundamentally different ways of being a leader. They require what Ronald Heifetz calls "getting on the balcony"—developing the capacity to participate in organisational life while simultaneously observing it with detachment.

This paradoxical stance—both in and above the fray—allows leaders to work effectively with unconscious forces. It requires developing what psychoanalysts call the "observing ego"—the capacity to notice one's reactions without being wholly captured by them.

Many individuals can only concentrate on what is immediately in front of them. The capacity to take a step back and acquire a different perspective offers insights that cannot be perceived when focusing solely on what is before them.

This shift to leadership consciousness marks the evolution from simply implementing change programmes to developing a more sophisticated perspective on organisational dynamics. Getting on the balcony means being both in the fray and above it—a meta-skill that transforms leadership effectiveness.

Torbert's Action Logics: A Map of Leadership Development

Bill Torbert's "Action Logics" provide a valuable framework for understanding this evolution. These action logics describe how leaders make sense of their surroundings and react when their power or safety is challenged. They represent the mindsets that shape how leaders interpret experiences, make decisions, and relate to others.

Understanding where you are in this developmental journey offers a powerful lens for accelerating your leadership evolution. Here's a map of these action logics, from earliest to most sophisticated:

Pre-Conventional Stage

Conventional Stages

Post-Conventional Stages

Rarest Stages

The Distribution of Leadership Capacity

Each Action Logic shapes a leader's capacity to handle complexity, conflict, and transformation. Torbert's research indicates that only about 15% of leaders operate from the more advanced Action Logics (Individualist, Strategist, and Alchemist). Yet, these leaders demonstrate significantly greater effectiveness at implementing organisational change.

In contrast, most leaders (approximately 80%) function at the conventional action logics (particularly Expert and Achiever), where they excel at maintaining existing systems but often struggle with transformational leadership.

This distribution helps explain why organisational transformation initiatives typically have only a 10% success rate. In comparison, those led by individuals at post-conventional action logics achieved up to 33% success rates in Torbert's studies.

A bar chart showing the distribution of leaders across Torbert's Action Logics. The chart shows that approximately 4% operate at Opportunist level, 11% at Diplomat, 37% at Expert, 30% at Achiever, 11% at Individualist, 5% at Strategist, and 2% at Alchemist/Ironist. The chart is divided into Conventional (Opportunist through Achiever) and Post-Conventional (Individualist through Alchemist/Ironist) sections, with the Post-Conventional representing only about 18% of leaders.

The Leader's Journey: From Doing to Being

This developmental journey represents a profound shift in how leaders understand their role. Most begin by focusing on what they do—making decisions, solving problems, directing others. As they evolve, they realise their most significant impact comes from who they are—how they show up, what they notice, and the conditions they create for others to thrive.

Leaders often start by thinking they must make the right decisions and ensure people follow through. Later, they realise it's about creating conditions where the organisation can see itself more clearly, and people can make more intelligent choices. This shift is not a result of what I do as a leader but of how I show up.

This capacity isn't mystical—it can be developed through deliberate practice. Leaders who regularly reflect on their reactive patterns, seek feedback on blind spots, and cultivate genuine curiosity about the system gradually develop the ability to work with rather than against unconscious currents.

Implementation Insight: Developing Your Leadership Consciousness

Begin by noticing your reactive patterns when under pressure and find the Action Logic that best describes you. Then consider these developmental pathways:

Regardless of your current stage, these universal practices accelerate development:

Beyond Technical Solutions: The Transformative Shift

The most profound leadership challenges cannot be solved through technical expertise or traditional management techniques. They require what Robert Kegan calls "transformative learning"—an evolution in how we make meaning of our experiences.

This evolution doesn't come from adding more tools to your leadership toolkit but from developing a more sophisticated internal operating system. The leaders who master surface tension don't simply know more—they see more, can hold more complexity, and can integrate more contradictory perspectives.

A metaphorical image showing a leader standing on a balcony overlooking a dance floor of business activity. The leader is observing patterns of movement and interaction from above, while also being connected to what's happening below. This illustrates Heifetz's concept of 'getting on the balcony' - the ability to simultaneously participate in the organization while observing it with detachment.

This is why traditional leadership development often fails—it focuses on skills and knowledge rather than the developmental journey that transforms how leaders make sense of their world. Each advancement in action logic represents a whole new way of experiencing leadership, not just new techniques.

When leaders evolve into more sophisticated action logics, previously intractable problems often dissolve. Conflicts that seemed irresolvable reveal themselves as polarities to be balanced. Resistance that appeared irrational becomes understandable as legitimate concerns about loss and identity.

Looking Ahead: From Individual Development to Collective Intelligence

As powerful as individual leadership development is, organisations face challenges that require collective intelligence. In our next article, we'll explore Strategy Seven: The Hot Seat - Creating Crucibles for Candour and Growth—how structured feedback containers allow executive teams to break through surface tension and develop higher collective intelligence.

The development of leadership consciousness creates the foundation for this more sophisticated approach to team dynamics, allowing leaders to create conditions where teams can engage with undiscussable issues and navigate adaptive challenges with greater wisdom.