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Case Study

Understanding and managing your leadership modes

By Michael D. Watkins

12 pages

March 2026

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Reference: IMD-2750

This technical note introduces a framework for understanding why effective leaders sometimes act in ways that undermine their own goals. Moving beyond traditional style models that treat leaders as relatively consistent, the note presents ‘leadership modes’ – coherent states defined by configurations of Affects, Behaviors, Cognitions and Desires (ABCD). Drawing on Schema Therapy, the framework identifies eight modes in three categories: three high-performance modes (Visionary, Driver and Connector) representing optimal functioning oriented toward possibility, action and people; four reactive modes (Controller, Defender, Avoider and Pleaser) that activate as automatic self-protective responses to perceived threats; and a Grounded Leader mode that enables self-observation and deliberate choice. The note details each mode’s internal logic, explains how modes interact and cascade under pressure and outlines a three-stage development path – recognizing and labeling modes, proactively anticipating reactive episodes, and responding and recovering afterward. Integrating Susan David’s emotional agility framework, it provides practical strategies for reducing the grip of reactive patterns and gaining consistent access to high-performance states. Designed for executive education and leadership development, the note equips leaders with a diagnostic lens for understanding their functioning and the capacity to choose how to lead rather than lead reactively.

Learning Objective

Understand the distinction between leadership styles and modes and why a mode-based framework offers a more accurate model of how leaders actually function under varying conditions.
Identify and differentiate the eight leadership modes – Visionary, Driver, Connector, Controller, Defender, Avoider, Pleaser and Grounded Leader – using the ABCD (Affects, Behaviors, Cognitions, Desires) diagnostic framework.
Analyze how reactive modes are triggered by core vulnerabilities and how they cascade in predictable sequences that compound leadership challenges.
Apply a three-stage development process – recognition, proactive prevention and reactive recovery – to manage mode shifts and reduce the frequency and impact of reactive episodes.
Develop the capacity for grounded self-observation and emotional agility, to enable deliberate access to high-performance modes and more consistent, values-aligned leadership.

Keywords

Leadership, Human Resources, Decision Making, Leadership Strategy, Emotional Intelligence, Reactive Strategy, Self-awareness

Type

Generalized Experience

Available Languages

English

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