Expand your perspective with Shifting Horizons
I’m excited to announce that I’m now an accredited facilitator in Shifting Horizons.
Shifting Horizons is a vertical development tool specifically designed to help leaders reflect on their current thinking, gain new insights, and identify actionable steps toward deeper growth.
Perhaps you’re wondering – what is vertical development, and why is it vital for today’s leaders?
Shifting from Horizontal to Vertical Development
What if becoming a better leader wasn't about learning more, but thinking differently?
When the new norm is chop and change and you face constantly evolving, compounding challenges, “knowing” more isn’t always the answer.
Instead, the ability to think differently, cultivate curiosity and creativity, and expand your view to understand different perspectives and new possibilities enable you to lead through the uncertainty and deep complexity of today. This deeper transformation is known as vertical development.
Traditional leadership development focuses on what we call horizontal development: building technical skills, increasing efficiency, and mastering new competencies. Think conflict resolution, public speaking, coaching skills, and change management etc. While important, this kind of development can only take us so far, particularly when facing never-before-seen challenges in environments where there’s never any clear right or wrong answer.
Vertical development is different. Instead of simply adding more skills to our toolkit, we focus on evolving how we think, make decisions, and interact with others and the world around us. In the words of the Vertical Development Institute,
“Horizontal Development is what we know. Vertical Development is how we know.”
As we move through stages of vertical development, referred to as “action-logics”, we gain the ability to:
See situations from multiple perspectives
Understand and navigate complex systems
Identify new possibilities and find solutions
Develop more meaningful relationships and unite diverse groups towards common goals
Make decisions with greater clarity and wisdom
These aren’t just soft skills. They’re critical competencies that enable us to better respond to ambiguity, lead teams effectively, and drive strategy, even when it seems like there is no clear path forward.
“Horizontal development is akin to learning new techniques for playing piano, all within the same octaves.
Vertical development is all about discovering new notes and octaves, opening up alternative musical universes.”
-Vertical Development Institute
How the Shifting Horizons tool supports vertical development
Shifting Horizons can help you evaluate where you currently are in your leadership journey and guide deeper growth.
Rather than measuring skills, experience or knowledge, Shifting Horizons provides a space for leaders to explore their action logics: the underlying thought processes that guide their leadership style.
At the heart of Shifting Horizons is the idea that self-awareness is the foundation of growth. By understanding where you are in your leadership development, you can make intentional decisions about where and how to grow, and expand your capacity to lead.
Shifting Horizons assessment and debrief process
First, you complete an online self-assessment, which takes approximately 20-30 minutes.
Then you’ll engage in a debrief with a certified facilitator (like me) to reflect on the results, understand your “centre of gravity”, and identify practical steps for growth. You’ll receive a detailed report you can refer to after the debrief.
Follow-up coaching sessions are recommended (although not essential) to support you in applying assessment insights and continuing your journey of growth.
Want to shift from developing capabilities to expanding your capacity?
If you’re looking to grow as a leader — not just in what you do, but in how you think and lead — Shifting Horizons is one way to get started.
Book a free consultation to discuss how Shifting Horizons can help you evolve as a leader and unlock your full potential.
Or, find out more about Shifting Horizons.
