The Dialogical Self Takes You Beyond Traditional Leadership

We are storytellers.

We weave intricate narratives about our lives, events and everyone’s unique participation in them. We tell these stories to ourselves in quiet moments of pensive silence. We let these stories influence our worldview and sense of purpose. They even create the narrative of how we treat others.

All these stories shape our lives in one way or another. Sometimes constructively, sometimes destructively. They can be filled with triumphs and defeats. They may even have a soundtrack.

At times, we live out multiple lifetimes within minutes.

We build and destroy empires.

The point is, our internal dialogue is unending. It never stops. It just transforms within the vast multiverse of our thoughts.

Research shows that we have more than 70,000 thoughts a day. Some are truly ours, others come from our socio-cultural programs and some are merely noise.

Yet, regardless of their point of origin, when these thoughts pass through they trigger emotional and behavioral responses.

The thoughts we repeatedly entertain eventually become part of our story.

Our story is a concoction of our imagination, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, principles and behaviors.

But we also add other characters, masterfully recreating responses and reactions in our minds. An entire culture and society live in our heads. We carry the voices of those who impacted us in one way or another. They all become part of our narrative.

What kinds of stories are you telling yourself? Whom do you invite into the ongoing dialogues of your mind?

According to the Dialogical Self Theory, there exists a multiplicity of “I-positions” within the self, each engaging in a dialogical relationship. These positions are different parts of the inner self.

Imagine a meaning-making role-play within where you’re the director, scriptwriter, judge, the strong, the weak, the victim and the victor.

This model sees identity as multi-voiced, with these inner dialogues reflecting, challenging and shaping who we are and how we interact with the world.

As a leader running an organization, you hold an internal model of an external boardroom with a multitude of “voices” that you review and rectify in pursuit of better scenarios than those you’ve had to experientially endure.

• Your business is a story. One you continuously update. This internal story influences the external trajectory toward your business success.
• Your strategy is the story of what you do, why you do it and how you do it to succeed on your chosen playing field.
• Your leadership is a narrative of triumphs and successes, doubts and determination, responsibility and duty.

As a leader, you’re a system made up of components, internal dynamics, channels of communication and external forces that influence your individual system. The stories you tell about yourself fuel your system and define its role in the grand play of the external world.

So, in a world where you’re expected to navigate increasingly complex environments, how can understanding the self as an internal dialogue lead to more adaptive, reflective and empathetic leadership?

You’re called to integrate multiple perspectives, balancing competing priorities and visions. The Dialogical Self offers a model for cultivating this integrative capacity by engaging with the diverse voices within, enhancing both personal and organizational strategy.

As a leader and strategist, embracing a dialogical self-model enables an appreciation for complexity and openness to varied perspectives. This inner dialogue, which reflects diverse aspects like the visionary, the critic, the pragmatist or the innovator, mirrors the multifaceted challenges you face in organizations.

Listen and balance these inner voices, ultimately enriching your strategic decision-making.

Think of it this way, traditional leadership models often view leaders as singular, cohesive entities. In contrast, the Dialogical Self sees leaders as complex, multi-faceted individuals whose inner dialogues can enhance self-understanding and adaptability. This model recognizes that identity and decision-making evolve through ongoing internal negotiation.

The benefits are palpable: deeper self-awareness and empathy through embracing diverse internal perspectives, adaptability, resilience and resourcefulness as you become more adept at navigating complex, multi-layered scenarios.

But be wary.

Self-dialogue can be challenging and time-consuming, requiring deliberate self-reflection practices. You may end up struggling to identify or balance conflicting internal voices without adequate external support. But it’s a worthwhile challenge pushing the boundaries of personal development in new ways.

Fictional Story: Inner Dialogue to Build Confident Leadership

Let’s create a fictional story about you before a major go-to-market launch.

Let’s say you’re a tech founder of a startup preparing for a major product launch. Your team has developed an AI-driven app to simplify project management and as the launch approaches, fear and doubt start eroding your confidence.

Being a self-aware leader, you decide to apply the concept of the Dialogical Self to navigate these challenges.

You identify several internal voices that represent different facets of your leadership and strategy:

• The Visionary is excited about the app's potential to revolutionize project management and establish your startup as a market leader, while the Skeptic raises concerns about its readiness and the effectiveness of the AI features. The Analyst emphasizes the need to review beta feedback and refine the app, and the Pragmatist suggests a phased rollout to minimize risk and allow for real-time adjustments based on user input.

To integrate these voices, you hold an imaginary meeting during your Friday creative hour, envisioning your team in the boardroom:

• As the Visionary, you inspire your team with the app’s potential and brainstorm creative marketing strategies. To address the Skeptic, you review the app’s functionality and conduct a final round of testing to ensure quality. The Analyst leads you to analyze beta user feedback, refining the user interface and marketing messages to better resonate with the target audience. The Pragmatist guides you to implement a phased launch, starting with a limited release to gather real-world feedback before a wider rollout.

This internal dialogue helps you feel more confident and prepared for the launch.

You communicate a clear vision to your team, address key concerns and integrate valuable feedback from diverse perspectives. This phased approach minimizes risk while creating a culture of continuous improvement enhancing your startup's adaptability.

The Dialogical Self approach can prepare you to become a better communicator.

You’ve already dealt with multiple scenarios in your mind and have prepared yourself to respond to them.

Remember your thoughts create emotions and your emotions drive your behavior.

Having already addressed the most pressing issues in your mind while maintaining a calm nervous system, you’ve prepared yourself for actual battles where you’ll remain composed and handle any situation with calm confidence.

Happy inner-dialoguing!

Join me for more reflections on how art, science, philosophy, and spirituality intersect in strategy and leadership in next week’s edition. #alchemyinsystems