If you’ve ever taken an introductory philosophy class or spent any time reading the wide variety of personal development books available today, you’ve probably run across the phrase “Know thyself.” This ancient Greek aphorism was popularized by Socrates, who, according to his pupil Plato, expanded upon it to make the famous claim “An unexamined life is not worth living.”

I bring this up not to bore you with a review of the history of Western philosophy, but to orient you to the kind of inquiry that lies at the heart of Intelligent Leadership. If you want to develop as a leader, which means developing as a human being, it’s crucial that you examine yourself as deeply as you can. You need to understand what drives you, what tends to get in the way of your success, and what latent gifts you might possess.

As we discussed in the introduction, the key to making sure your self-inquiry leads to real, lasting results is knowing what you’re examining. Are you looking primarily at accomplishments, skills, and behaviors (the part of the iceberg that’s above the surface—the outer core)? Or are you examining the deeper structures of your inner core, which comprises character, values, thinking patterns, and beliefs? The Intelligent Leadership model is focused on developing your knowledge of all these dimensions of yourself. More specifically, the IL helps you to understand the relationship between your inner and outer core.

I love models. They help us to visualize the invisible structures that make up the subjective dimensions of who we are. Figure 1.1 is the model that I’ve developed to illustrate the relationship between our inner and outer core that is at the heart of transforming our mindset. The model represents the sum total of who we are and, like an onion, has layers. The deepest layer is our “inner core”—our character and values, our thinking patterns and beliefs. The inner core has its own layers, which we’ll explore further below. The surface layer of the model is what the world sees in us: our personality, behavior, skills, and capabilities.

Now let’s explore the model in more detail, starting with the inner core.

Getting to the Why of Things

So what exactly is the inner core? This is a very good question, and a very difficult one to answer. The inner core is fundamental to who we are, and yet it is completely invisible to us most of the time. I like to think of it as the “why” of everything we do. It’s a kind of blueprint, constructed by our upbringing, life choices, and experience, that shapes our lives and determines the kind of person we are.

While the inner core is, in its essence, very difficult to define, I’ve dedicated much of my career to understanding and measuring its influence in leaders all over the world. And I’ve broken it down into four primary components: your character, your values, your self-concept, and your beliefs.

Let’s start with character. The word “character” is usually used to describe the moral qualities of an individual. Someone with character possesses a kind of integrity or inner strength that reverberates through every aspect of who they are. One of the best definitions of character I’ve ever encountered came from an unlikely place: an eighth grader I met while giving a talk at a middle school in Orlando, where I live.

A close friend, Judy, is the principal of the school and had asked me to address their 500 graduating eighth graders along with their parents, grandparents, and friends—about 2,000 people in all. Judy wanted me to speak to the young graduates primarily about the importance of character for leadership and success. Following a wonderful introduction by Judy, I stood before the 500 graduates and posed the question, “Does anyone want to propose a great definition of character?”

After three or four seconds, a young man put his hand up. I called on him and he softly muttered some powerful words that only a few of his classmates and I could hear. His words so impressed me that I asked him his name and he said, “Amant.” I then asked him if he would share his definition with everyone (this time using the microphone). “Yes,” he replied.

“Parents, grandparents, friends, everyone,” I announced, “Amant would like to share his definition of character.” With that, I turned the microphone over to him. Amant stood up and with pride and eloquence, stated, “Character is what you do when no one else is watching.” The crowd erupted in applause. I was awestruck, not because I had never heard this definition, but rather because of Amant’s clarity and conviction in sharing this powerful definition. It moved me and the thousands of people in attendance. Clearly, this young man recognized the value of possessing a working definition of character as a guide to his everyday decision making.

How Strong Is Your Character?

In the spirit of Amant, I’d like you to take a moment and consider who you are when no one else is watching. In what ways do you exhibit strong character? Are there ways in which you are lacking character? Again, this may feel like an unfamiliar exercise for you, but it’s the key to unlocking your leadership potential.

To help you with your inquiry, I’ll provide you with some criteria for assessing your character. I define character as having six elements, which I’ve outlined below. They are quite literally the map of your character, which is an essential component of your inner core. As you read through them, consider how strongly you exhibit each element and where you might have room to grow. See if you can see any patterns emerging.

Values: Your Criteria for Life

If you want to understand yourself, it’s imperative that you start to explore why you do the things you do. This is where your values come in. The word “values” can mean many things. You might think of a specific value like “family” or “success” or “recognition.” One of the best definitions of values comes from a friend and colleague of mine—Dr. Aldo Civico, an executive leadership coach and conflict negotiator, who has spent decades working to bring about the highest potential in leaders from around the world. Aldo, like me, loves to define the subtle terrain of our interiors. He describes values as our “criteria for life.” Our values, especially our deep-seated ones, are the lens through which we see the world. They are at play in every major decision we make. Some of our values may be principles that we’ve cultivated ourselves. Others were instilled in us by our parents or by society. Whether we’re aware of our values or not, they are informing our every move, and to a significant degree determine our destiny.

And yet, in my experience, very few of us actually take the time to really get clear about what our values are. We tend to simply move through life acting upon values that we’ve never made conscious in ourselves. And this can often lead to problems.

For example, I’ve worked with executives who seem to have a very difficult time maintaining strong relationships in their lives, which can hold them back both personally and professionally. After some exploration into their unconscious values, it became clear that they were being driven primarily by a strong value for success and achievement, which was a huge asset in many ways but, when left unchecked, would often conflict with their desire for improving their interactions and bonds with others. It wasn’t until we mapped their value set that we were able to identify this discrepancy and therefore begin to shift the balance in their lives.

So in the spirit of self-inquiry, let’s take a deeper look into your own value matrix. There are many different kinds of values a person can have, but for the purposes of Intelligent Leadership, we want to focus primarily on what are called “ultimate” values. Ultimate values, like recognition or security, are fundamental to who we are and underlie our more immediate values, like money or family. When trying to get to the bedrock of our values, I like to use the construct of values researched by Drs. Joyce and Robert Hogan and measured by their popular “Hogan Motives, Values, and Interest Survey,” It identifies ten ultimate values:

1. Aesthetics: Art, literature, culture, imagination
2. Affiliation: Social interactions
3. Altruism: Desire to serve others, to improve everything
4. Commercial: Earning money, realizing profits
5. Hedonism: Desire for fun, excitement, variety
6. Power: Desire for achievement, competition, getting ahead
7. Recognition: Desire to be known, visible, self-display, famous
8. Science: Analytical, new ideas, technology
9. Security: Structure, predictability, prudence
10. Tradition: Appropriate social behavior, morality, high standards

Again, these ultimate values make up the fundamental drivers of who we are and how we act, and have a significant influence on our leadership style. And each of us has a different values matrix. Some of us are driven primarily by power or tradition, while others are more interested in recognition or altruism. Getting to know your own hierarchy of values is an important part of understanding just exactly what it is that makes you tick.

To that end, I’d like you to take some time and rank these ultimate values in order of their importance to you from 1 to 10, with 1 being the most valued and 10 the least. If you’re not sure about some of them, don’t worry. We’re not looking for something too detailed, just a general picture of the kinds of values that matter most to you.

If you find yourself stuck trying to figure out which values are more important to you, here are a couple of tricks. First, your values are often reflected in your attitudes or interests. As you consider each of the ten ultimate values, pay attention to the positive feelings you have associated with them. You might naturally feel a gravity toward science and an aversion toward security. Maybe aesthetics is what captures your interest.

Another way to help you determine your values hierarchy is to consider how you’ve spent your time over the past week, month, or year. What activities have dominated your schedule, and what values do they reflect? Do you spend a lot of time working late at the office? Could that be a reflection of the fact that you value commerce and want to make sure your company is profitable? Alternatively, it could be a reflection of the fact that you want to be recognized by your boss or your peers as someone who puts in the extra time it takes to succeed.

As you make your own list, are you surprised by the results? Does your values hierarchy line up with how you think of yourself? If you’re courageous enough, right now is a great time to share your values hierarchy with the support network you identified in the introduction. Ask them to let you know if they agree with your assessment of your values or if they might have a different perspective.

Mind the Gaps

It is common to encounter discrepancies between your values hierarchy and how others see you. These discrepancies are natural, and provide you with an opportunity to push deeper. Why, for example, might you have ranked “altruism” higher on your list than your network did?

Often, the difference between what you think you value and what others see as your values is the result of character issues. Character, remember, is a reflection of your moral strength—your ability to act in ways that might be unpopular or run counter to your own self-interest or ego. If there are some gaps in your character, it can often distort how your values are showing up in your life.

As you continue to explore your character and values, please be patient with yourself. None of us are perfect, and the whole point of the Intelligent Leadership process is to identify the ways we can improve ourselves and make a bigger impact in the world. If you were to breeze through this exercise with little to no difficulty, I’d guess that you were either a perfect human being or not being diligent enough. I’ll let you determine which one is more likely.

As we progress through The Intelligent Leader, we’ll be exploring how each of the seven dimensions are rooted in and influenced by your character and values. They are the foundation of who we are, and if we want to develop into a powerful expression of great leadership, getting deeply familiar with our character and values is essential.

Who Do You Think You Are?

The final components of our inner core are our self-concept and beliefs. These are how our deeper character and values are translated into our outer core behaviors and capabilities. Unlike your character and your values, which can often be mostly unconscious, your self-concept and beliefs are more likely to be elements of yourself you’re more aware of.

Self-concept is, quite simply, how you think of yourself. Do you consider yourself to be a successful person or a failure? A leader or a follower? An extrovert or an introvert? Your self-concept will, to a significant degree, shape the kind of person, and leader, that the world experiences. And many areas in which you are weak in terms of leadership can often be traced back to some kind of issue with your self-concept.

For example, if you tend to think of yourself as a victim of circumstance, then you might consistently find yourself unable to navigate challenging situations. You’ll always feel powerless to rise up and overcome the burdens you encounter. But if you see yourself as a problem solver, you will be more likely to take responsibility for yourself and those around you, regardless of your situation.

The best leaders tend to have a very positive self-concept. This can be the result of a naturally positive outlook on life, which might come from your family or cultural upbringing, but it can also be the result of continued reinforcement of that positive image based on past successes. If you have continuously overcome obstacles in your life, you’re likely to have more confidence in your ability to navigate challenges in the future. You’ve proven it to yourself and built a stronger self-concept in the process.

This is good news. It means that even if you find that your self-concept isn’t as positive as you’d like it to be, you can change it. Self-concept, much like the other elements of your inner core, is quite malleable. Through self-examination and practice, you can literally overhaul your self-concept for the better.

As we move through the seven dimensions of Intelligent Leadership, I’ll be providing you with exercises that will help you to build a stronger and more positive self-concept. Each dimension will shine new light on your existing self-concept and an opportunity to grow and expand it.

Believe It or Not . . .

Beliefs are closely tied to your self-concept. When you hear the word “belief,” it is often used to describe ideas or notions you have based more on faith or intuition than on evidence or fact. This might be a belief in some kind of higher power or a belief in the inherent goodness of people.

When I talk about beliefs, however, I mean something slightly different. The beliefs that I’m looking for are the principles that we know to be true through repeated experience. For instance, we might believe that human beings are inherently good, because we’ve repeatedly experienced acts of goodness and kindness by others in our lives. This deeply held belief, then, shapes how we act in the world. It creates a sense of optimism and unlimited possibility in how we assess and interact with others, because we believe that down deep there is goodness inside of everyone.

Another example I frequently encounter in leaders is an unconscious belief that people aren’t capable of real change. While they might never admit it, or even know it’s part of their worldview, they carry a conviction that people are who they are and can’t really change in significant ways. This could come from years of accepting the way things are or it could come from earlier childhood experiences. In any case, by carrying this belief, they are sabotaging their own efforts to change, because deep down they don’t think it’s actually possible.

Beliefs, in this context, have a powerful effect on the type of person we are and the kind of potential we have as leaders. One of the goals of Intelligent Leadership is to unpack the beliefs you have, determine which of them are holding you back, and then start to build new belief systems that will support your growth as a leader and a human being.

Measuring Your Inner Core with the Mattone Leadership Enneagram Inventory (MLEI)

In my 2013 book, Intelligent Leadership, I explored in great depth the Mattone Leadership Enneagram Inventory (MLEI), a tool that I created in 1996 to help leaders and aspiring leaders assess their own strengths and developmental needs. The MLEI, which is now based on data from over 10,000 global leaders, draws upon an ancient model (some trace its origins to Babylon in 2500 BCE) for understanding the unique maturities and perspectives that each of us possess. The word enneagram itself comes from the Greek words ennea, meaning “nine” and gram, meaning “something written or drawn.”

Each of the nine points on the enneagram corresponds to a distinct way of thinking, feeling, and behavioral tendencies (Figure 1.2). Thus, people at different points on the enneagram view the world and interact with it differently. When you engage with the enneagram, through a series of questions, you’re able to identify which areas you’re stronger in and those where you need development. It’s literally a window into the specific makeup of your inner core.

The enneagram works. That’s why it continues to be used after thousands of years. With the MLEI, I’ve applied the enneagram model directly to the realm of leadership. Many other approaches focus primarily on changing behaviors. But without understanding why you act the way you do, you usually fall back to your original behavioral patterns after a short time. The MLEI is developed to provide a deep foundation of self-understanding that will help to make any of the development work you’re doing stick.

We won’t spend a lot of time talking about the MLEI in this book, but if you’re interested in gaining a greater understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses, I highly recommend that you go through the process yourself. It’s free to you, the reader, at this link: Johnmattone.com/booktools.

The Bridge to the Outer Core

At this point you are hopefully beginning to get a sense of just what your inner core is and why it’s so important to developing your leadership capacity. But you might also be wondering just exactly how all this exploration of your inner core is supposed to help you make a real impact on yourself, your career, and the world.

That’s a natural question. Most people I work with are seeking leadership development, not character improvement or self-knowledge. They are looking to have a bigger impact in their careers. They want to improve their skills and capabilities so that they can perform at a higher level and help their teams, companies, and organizations to do the same. What they really want to improve is their outer core, which I define simply as the behaviors, skills, and competencies they bring to the world and, as a result, the impact they have on those around them.

Your outer core represents the kinds of qualities that show up on performance reviews and 360-degree surveys, and the kinds of qualities that people either praise or criticize you for. They include things like your ability to make decisions or think strategically and critically. They include your ability to communicate and listen effectively and your overall emotional intelligence. One of the most important elements of your outer core has to do with your ability to lead a team and to cultivate talent within your organization.

In my experience, if you want to improve your outer core in a significant way, you’ve got to start with your inner core values, character, and beliefs. To me, this is a non-negotiable. Values and beliefs, sitting on the foundation of your character, are what ultimately drive your actions and are the key to unlocking and unleashing your full potential. The old cliché is true: “actions speak louder than words.” If you want to get a sense of who someone is (their character) and what they value, all you need to do is take a look at their actions.

For example, you may say that you’re someone who values innovation and cutting-edge thinking, but you might also experience a kind of fear or rigidity when encountering new ideas, especially when those new ideas come from someone other than you. This might reveal that you actually value security, tradition, and power more than you thought.

These are the kind of paradoxes and contradictions we’re looking for. We want to find the ways in which your behavior is not lining up with your values, character, self-concept, and beliefs. This can be difficult, and even embarrassing at first. But these quirks are actually really positive signs. They are opportunities for growth and greater alignment.

This is why it is so profoundly important to get to know your inner core when you’re trying to make real and lasting change in your capacities, skills, and behavior. Your outer core is the impact you make in the world. And you’ll never be able to change that impact unless you start to understand the ways in which your outer core is driven by your inner core.

With Intelligent Leadership, our outer core competencies and behavior are not where we start. They are the result of the work we do at deeper levels. They are also “leading indicators” of how we are doing and where we may need to look more closely. They are ultimately what we are trying to evolve, but they are literally the tips of the iceberg sitting atop an extraordinary amount of depth below the surface.

Putting It All Together: The Spectrum of Intelligent Leadership

When my latest grandchild was born, my wife and I purchased a mobile to hang next to the window in his nursery, just above the crib. The mobile was crafted by a local artist and includes a menagerie of polished myrtle wood pieces dangling from fishing line surrounding a globe-shaped crystal hanging in the center of the arrangement. To our grandson’s delight, the morning light from the window shines through the crystal globe and casts rainbow-colored light patterns on all the walls and ceiling of the nursery. It’s a magical sight to behold, and likely one you’ve experienced in one way or another in your own life.

The interplay of light and the crystal is a perfect metaphor for the dynamic between the inner and outer core. And it’s a metaphor that I will use throughout the book along with the model we’ve been exploring throughout this chapter. Our inner core, which consists of our character, our deep-seated values, our self-concept, and our beliefs, is the crystal. The outer core, which is what the world sees—our personality, our skills and competencies—is the pattern of colors projected onto everything around us.

At heart of this dynamic are the seven dimensions of Intelligent Leadership. They permeate the crystal and influence the shape and vibrancy of the color patterns cast on the walls around us. The seven dimensions, which we will spend the remainder of the book exploring are:

1. Thinking Differently, Thinking Big
2. The Vulnerability Decision
3. Having a Mindset of Entitlement versus a Mindset of Duty
4. Leveraging Your Gifts and Addressing Your Gaps
5. Having the Courage to Execute with Pride, Passion, and Precision
6. Staying Present and Being Vigilant
7. Course Correction

Think of each of the seven dimensions as being equal parts inner and outer core—a kind of connective tissue that binds them together. These are the unique qualities that collectively make up the true essence of great leadership. These seven dimensions are the gateway that simultaneously gives us access to better understanding our inner core and the amplifiers that help our light to shine more beautifully, vibrantly, and powerfully through our actions.

Figure 1.3 shows the seven dimensions that make up Intelligent Leadership. As you can see, each dimension is rooted in the inner core and reflected in the outer core. Each dimension, by itself, represents a goal to achieve, master, and optimize as a foundation to positively transforming yourself as a leader and human being. Interestingly, the seven dimensions also represent a pathway you can take to ensure a positive transformation that sticks. In many ways, the seven dimensions represent the “mindset of change” you must possess in order to become a great leader.

Over the next seven chapters, we will explore each of the seven dimensions. Each chapter will show you exactly what each dimension looks like and how you can apply it to develop your own leadership mindset. As we explore each dimension, we’ll discover how they are rooted in our inner core and how they express themselves in our increased capacity for demonstrating great leadership. By developing each of these dimensions in yourself, you will not only gain a deeper, richer understanding of what may or may not be working to your benefit in your inner core, you’ll also expand your ability to translate what you discover into actionable behaviors that will strengthen your outer core. Ultimately, it is this work alone—and how diligent you are in doing it—that will shape, define, and determine your success as a person and leader.

Fake It ’til You Make It

When I played baseball as a kid, one of my favorite coaches was fond of using the phrase “fake it ’til you make it” whenever introducing a new skill to the team. Essentially, that means that you pretend as if you can do something until you’re actually able to do it. Even before you have mastered a new skill, you are putting yourself in the mindset of someone who possesses it, which accelerates the process.

Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate the wisdom of this approach to development and found it to be useful for more than just learning to hit a curveball.

So in each chapter of the book, I’ll be providing you with what I call “igniting behaviors” that you can put into practice in order to start to truly master the mindset of each Intelligent Leadership dimension.

These behaviors will help you to actively shift your inner core by acting in ways, sometimes small and sometimes big, that reflect the mindset of great leadership you’re trying to achieve. This process can be uncomfortable at first, because you’re doing things that don’t feel natural. But over time, as you continue to act in new and positive ways, you’ll start to find that you are, without thinking, being driven by an Intelligent Leadership mindset, and the results in your performance and impact on those around you will begin to flow naturally.