“Vertical leadership development” is an arcane, awkward and even patriarchal term.

Yet this coaching approach is well-suited for today’s world. And if you’re interested in becoming a better leader – and human being – it’s useful to know what it is and how it can help you – as explained here.

What vertical leadership development is: Leaders who practice vertical leadership development intentionally focus on growing their capacity to handle greater complexity and volatility. They do this by upgrading their “internal operating system” (as explained later) rather than just acquiring more skills to add to their “toolbox.”  (The latter is the emphasis of horizontal development.) Through their practices, vertical leaders become wiser as well as more agile. They’re able to adjust their knowledge and wisdom to fit the various situations they encounter.

Vertical leadership development is an offshoot of the adult development movement, which supports adults in experiencing continuous, lifelong growth and development for as long as they’re able and interested. Growth doesn’t have to peak in adolescence, as was the traditional view years ago.

Thanks to our brain’s neuroplasticity – that is, the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life –  we can transform how we work, live and lead. For example, we can do much more than be a responsible adult holding a job, pursuing a career, paying bills, raising children, etc. We also can redefine our identity and make meaning of the world for ourselves and others. (Full disclosure: I’m a Master Neuroplastician through the npnInstitute, which supports applied and organizational neuroscience, as well as a coach for “Vertical Frontier” a custom initiative offered by the telos institute. )

How vertical leadership development can help you. Vertical development is all about upgrading your “internal operating system.”  This includes your mindset, your values, and the way you conduct yourself. Your operating system also covers how you make sense of complexity, handle tension, regulate fear, respond under pressure, and make decisions, often with limited information under tight timelines.

As you upgrade your system – which is often an ongoing process — you’re better able to increase your capacity while at the same time becoming wiser and more flexible. Specifically, you become more equipped to:  

1.Better regulate your nervous system. When you move from a state of “threat” to a state of “safety,” you stop being reactive and are able to create more value for yourself and others. You are able to stay calm and grounded, even under pressure when the stakes are high. Because emotions are contagious, your calm state will help others adapt too.

Regulation basically involves managing the two branches of your autonomic nervous system (ANS). One is the “accelerator” that mobilizes energy for action during stress (the Sympathetic Nervous System SNS). The other is the “brake” that promotes rest, digestion, and recovery (the Parasympathetic Nervous System PNS). For example to apply the brake, you learn to notice subtle physical signals (like shallow breath or a faster heart rate). These are warning signs indicating that you’re becoming dysregulated, and subject to stress and anxiety.

You also become more aware of your window of tolerance. That helps you stay within your optimal zone. Or even better, you start to widen your window so you can tolerate more stress before hitting one of the extremes, becoming anxious or shutting down due to numbness.

2. Increase clarity for yourself and others. Through better self-regulation, you increase your self-awareness, emotional well-being, and life satisfaction which in turn helps you develop your growth mindset into a more complex “self-authoring” mindset. With more self-awareness, you’re more likely to recognize your own assumptions and biases and work to reduce your “blind spots.” This is all about seeing the world—and yourself—more objectively.

3. Navigate more complex, and often more volatile environments. You learn how to “zoom out” to take a more wholistic view of problems and situations and understand the system. This helps you practice systems thinking, seeing the patterns, interdependencies, and underlying structures across time, roles, and functions. You also learn how to hold multiple, often conflicting, perspectives at once. Instead of looking for a simple “either/or” answer, you develop the capacity for “both/and” thinking.

With this approach, leadership becomes less about your skills, your tools and even your competence, and more about the capacity you get from your operating system. As you draw on this capacity, you’re able to ask more thoughtful questions and apply your mental complexity to handle more volatility.

Furthermore, when you understand these two concepts: 1) that your ability to make meaning of your world is rooted in your body’s neurological system and (2) that trauma hinders the effectiveness of your body’s neurological system, you may also need to focus on healing your mind and body from past trauma.

To explore vertical development and reap its three big benefits, you can take these actions:  

• Sign up for a stretch assignment. The goal is to challenge yourself in unfamiliar, complex ways, often called a “heat experience.”

• Work with a leadership coach steeped in vertical stage development and applied neuroscience, including neuroplasticity. (Full disclosure: I am a leadership coach with these credentials; however, you have many options in this space; it’s also not necessary to work with a coach to achieve vertical development.)

• Adopt practices that figuratively help your mind “grow” to embrace new challenges. For instance, focus on your sleep, diet and exercise. These three help you strengthen your mind-body connection while nourishing your brain health. They also help you increase  your strength and stamina, which builds greater resilience. To deepen your self-awareness and self-knowledge, you can adopt meditation and mindfulness practices on your own or with a coach or other resources.

You also can check out these three books:  Becoming Better: the Groundbreaking Science of Personal Transformation by Ryan Gottfredson; Energy Rising: The Neuroscience of Leading with Emotional Power by Julia DiGangi; and Vertical Growth: How Self-Awareness Transforms Leaders and Organizations by Michael Bunting with Carl Lemieux.

As you delve into this modern approach with the awkward, antiquated name, you learn how to adopt new and different ways of being and doing. And by upgrading your internal operating system, you can become a better person and leader. How does this sound to you?