Focus on the thinking, not the behavior…

Ever tried to share a message with someone and to you, it seemed perfectly logical, yet they’ve just given you back this complete blank look?  

Or they’ve come back to you with a completely different understanding of the situation? 

This is because everyone ‘’Thinks’’ at different levels. 

Let me give you an example:  This morning, I ran a 20 Min Laser Coaching session for a team of 5. A leader and their staff. The leader and 2 of their staff, were frustrated because all they wanted to do was get the job done; the other 3 people were ’being difficult’ and didn’t want to do it. They were focused on something different and as a result, it created a bit of conflict and animosity in the workplace.

We all behave in line with our level of thinking and we cannot comprehend a message, an idea, or behavior that goes beyond our current level of thinking.

See, there are Seven (7) Levels of Thinking and I'd like to take this opportunity now to introduce you to the T.R.U.S.T.M.E Model. This model can be mapped with spiral dynamics, a theory based on research by US psychologist, Dr. Clare Graves, carried out in the 1950-60s. This model helps us to better understand why people respond to and think the way they do. The T.R.U.S.T.M.E Model is an acronym and stands for:

• T = Trust: It is all about knowing, understanding, loving, believing in self. If I can’t believe in myself, who can I believe in? The pendulum between ME and WE. The transition to WE is the moment you transition to the next level. At level 1 Trust, the individual feels broken.
• R = Relatability: Builds on the Trust level. It is about how we relate to/with others. It also is about improving communications with others. The ability to find and define the tribe. (Level 2)
• U = Uniqueness: We are not the people whom we are with. We are so much more than that because we are with them. We are in the tribe because we want to be in the tribe and because we need to be. We found what we are. At this stage, we start to develop leadership skills. (Level 3)
• S = Structure – Sustainability – Systems: It is about the quality of our lives. The process is more important than the purpose and outcome. Take care of business, life, health, etc. It is all about my success at any cost. (Level 4)
• T = Tenacity: We pursue a high-quality challenge (that we reject in the previous level). It is about my success with others. (Level 5)
• M = Meaningful: Start living life more deeply. You have to put effort into this one and may take a while to achieve. You have to pay your “dues” to achieve and make sense of this level. (Level 6)
• E = Evolution: Take your journey and teach it to others. (Level 7)

Each level is built on the previous one and there is no end to this model. It continuously loops around. When you reach level 7, you reach the top of a level you may have thought could not be reached; a level you may have thought was impossible.

At any point, we can be centered at a particular level. There is no right or wrong and it certainly doesn't make someone smarter or better. Each of the levels represents complexity, not intelligence.

So for example, If you’ve got someone who is completely focused on community, togetherness more so than results, you can now see that they’re not going to be able to understand and /or comprehend the idea that there needs to be systems, results and get things done. Because of their level of thinking, their reality is telling them that they need to be others-focused and not results-focused.

Similarly, the leader and 2 staff, as per my example above, who are completely focused on results and just want to get the job, they're not going to be thinking about inclusions and togetherness, they just want to get stuff done; which will cause different conversations, different actions, decisions and possibly even conflict. 

We can’t send a results-focused message to a group of people who are people-focused, and vice versa, because they’re just going to reject the message. Telling someone who is all about community and togetherness to get on with it, to take action or to go go go is not going to won't work, They just won't do it and simply reject it; this is because we’re always behaving in line with our level of thinking. 

Knowing someone’s thinking level allows us to frame our message in a way that they can receive it easily. What this means, as leaders, or anyone for that matter, is that if you can learn how to move someone's level of thinking through effective questioning and conversation, then you can swiftly and easily change their behavior and bring them on board. 

To learn more about how you can apply this model to build ownership, engagement, and drive performance and change within your team and organisation, contact Alexandra Egan.