Three Key Areas for Leadership Development: Thinking, Behavior, and Skills
"With the virtual endless list of possibilities, I have found over the years that I can place every development topic under one of three headers."
This insight from Terry Cook's work on trusted leadership offers a powerful framework for simplifying the often overwhelming landscape of leadership development. Rather than trying to address countless specific development needs, Cook suggests focusing on three fundamental categories:
Thinking - how one thinks
Behavior - how one behaves
Skills - how one performs
This three-part framework provides a comprehensive yet manageable approach to leadership development. It acknowledges that effective leadership requires more than just skill acquisition—it demands growth in how we think and behave as well.
Let's explore each of these development areas in depth and examine how they work together to create well-rounded, effective leaders.
1. Thinking: The Foundation of Leadership
"Real transformational change and improvement in leader development does not occur at the behavioral level. Our behavior and actions stem from our values and motives. However, our values and motives come from our thinking and beliefs."
Cook's observation highlights a profound truth: leadership development must begin with thinking. How leaders think—their mental models, beliefs, assumptions, and thought patterns—shapes everything else about their leadership.
Why Thinking Matters
Thinking represents the deepest level of leadership development for several reasons:
It Drives Behavior
Our actions flow from our thoughts. Leaders who believe people are inherently lazy will manage differently than those who believe people naturally want to contribute meaningfully. Leaders who think hierarchically will behave differently than those who think collaboratively.
It Reveals Barriers
As Cook notes, "One's thinking reveals the barriers to development." Leaders who think they already know everything won't learn. Those who think leadership is purely about authority won't develop influence skills. Those who think vulnerability shows weakness won't grow in emotional intelligence.
It Determines Interpretation
How leaders interpret situations—what meaning they assign to events, behaviors, and outcomes—stems from their thinking patterns. The same business challenge might be seen as a crisis by one leader and an opportunity by another, based entirely on their thinking.
It Shapes Vision
A leader's thinking determines what possibilities they can envision. Limited thinking creates limited vision, while expansive thinking enables expansive vision.
Key Areas of Thinking Development
Developing leadership thinking typically involves growth in areas such as:
Mental Models
The frameworks and paradigms leaders use to understand leadership, organizations, people, and change. These might include shifting from:
Command-and-control to collaborative models
Fixed mindset to growth mindset
Zero-sum to abundance thinking
Short-term to long-term perspective
Assumptions and Beliefs
The often unexamined beliefs leaders hold about themselves, others, and leadership itself:
Beliefs about human potential and motivation
Assumptions about what constitutes effective leadership
Beliefs about their own capabilities and limitations
Assumptions about what drives organizational success
Systems Thinking
The ability to see interconnections, patterns, and the bigger picture:
Understanding how different parts of an organization influence each other
Recognizing unintended consequences of decisions
Identifying root causes rather than just symptoms
Seeing patterns and trends over time
Cognitive Flexibility
The capacity to adapt thinking to different situations and challenges:
Considering multiple perspectives
Adapting approaches based on context
Challenging one's own thinking
Embracing paradox and complexity
Developing Thinking
Cook emphasizes that developing thinking requires "rethinking your thinking." Practical approaches include:
Reflective practice: Regular contemplation of experiences, decisions, and outcomes
Exposure to diverse perspectives: Reading, conversations, and experiences that challenge existing thought patterns
Thought partnership: Working with coaches or mentors who ask powerful questions that prompt deeper thinking
Conceptual frameworks: Learning new models and frameworks that offer alternative ways of understanding leadership
Metacognition: Becoming more aware of one's own thinking processes
2. Behavior: The Interface of Leadership
"In recent years, more and more companies and institutions are taking a new look at this arena. The popularity of concepts like emotional intelligence are due to the fact that how one behaves is often of greater consequence than how they perform."
Behavior represents how leaders interact with others and conduct themselves in various situations. While thinking forms the foundation, behavior is where leadership becomes visible and impactful to others.
Why Behavior Matters
Behavior is critically important to leadership effectiveness for several reasons:
It's What Others Experience
While people can't see a leader's thinking directly, they constantly observe and experience their behavior. These behaviors shape how others perceive, trust, and respond to the leader.
It Creates Culture
Leader behavior establishes norms and expectations more powerfully than any policy or statement. As the saying goes, "What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say."
It Builds or Erodes Trust
Behaviors like consistency, honesty, vulnerability, and follow-through build trust, while their opposites quickly erode it.
It Often Limits Advancement
As Cook notes, "We have all known leaders who were very bright, competent, and personable. However, there was always something about who they were as a person that kept tripping them up and blocking their greater contribution or advancement."
Key Areas of Behavioral Development
Developing leadership behavior typically involves growth in areas such as:
Emotional Intelligence
The ability to recognize and manage one's own emotions and respond effectively to others' emotions:
Self-awareness of emotional states and triggers
Self-regulation of reactions and responses
Empathy for others' perspectives and feelings
Social skills for building relationships
Communication
How leaders express themselves and engage with others:
Active listening
Clear and concise expression
Appropriate transparency
Adapting communication to different audiences
Effective questioning
Presence
How leaders show up in various situations:
Authenticity and genuineness
Appropriate confidence
Calmness under pressure
Full engagement and attention
Relational Patterns
How leaders interact with others in different contexts:
Building trust
Managing conflict
Giving feedback
Expressing appreciation
Setting boundaries
Developing Behavior
Behavioral development typically requires:
Increased awareness: Understanding how one's behavior impacts others
Specific feedback: Receiving concrete input about behavioral patterns and their effects
Deliberate practice: Consciously working on specific behaviors in real situations
Accountability: Regular check-ins on behavioral changes
Environmental support: Creating conditions that reinforce desired behaviors
3. Skills: The Toolbox of Leadership
"These are the abilities and competencies needed to do the job well. Whether it's improving as a public speaker or recruiting and building a team or how to do a better PowerPoint presentation, we can all improve on our skills."
Skills represent the specific technical and functional capabilities leaders need to perform their roles effectively. While thinking and behavior form the foundation and interface of leadership, skills provide the practical tools for getting things done.
Why Skills Matter
Skills are essential to leadership effectiveness for several reasons:
They Enable Execution
Even with the right thinking and behavior, leaders need practical skills to translate intentions into results.
They Build Credibility
Demonstrated competence in relevant skills creates confidence in a leader's capability.
They Increase Impact
Enhanced skills allow leaders to accomplish more with less effort and greater quality.
They Provide Versatility
A broad skill set enables leaders to adapt to different situations and challenges.
Key Areas of Skill Development
Leadership skill development typically encompasses areas such as:
Strategic Skills
Capabilities related to setting direction and planning:
Strategic thinking and planning
Decision-making
Problem-solving
Innovation and design thinking
Operational Skills
Capabilities related to executing and implementing:
Project management
Resource allocation
Process improvement
Performance management
People Skills
Capabilities related to working with and through others:
Coaching and developing others
Delegation
Team building
Conflict resolution
Influence and persuasion
Technical Skills
Capabilities related to specific domains or functions:
Financial literacy
Digital fluency
Industry-specific knowledge
Functional expertise
Developing Skills
Skill development typically involves:
Instruction: Learning the fundamentals and best practices
Demonstration: Seeing the skill performed effectively
Practice: Applying the skill in increasingly challenging situations
Feedback: Receiving specific input on performance
Refinement: Making adjustments based on experience and feedback
The Integration Challenge
While it's helpful to categorize development into thinking, behavior, and skills, the greatest leadership growth occurs when all three areas are addressed in an integrated way.
The Dangers of Imbalanced Development
Thinking Without Behavior and Skills
Leaders who develop primarily in their thinking may have profound insights and compelling visions but lack the behavioral patterns and practical skills to translate these into reality. They may be visionaries who can't execute.
Behavior Without Thinking and Skills
Leaders who focus mainly on behavioral development may interact effectively with others but lack the strategic thinking to set appropriate direction or the practical skills to drive implementation. They may be well-liked but ineffective.
Skills Without Thinking and Behavior
Leaders who develop primarily in skills may be technically proficient but lack the thinking patterns that enable wisdom and the behavioral patterns that build trust and engagement. They may accomplish tasks but fail to inspire or develop others.
Creating Integrated Development
To address all three areas effectively, consider:
Comprehensive Assessment: Evaluate current thinking patterns, behavioral tendencies, and skill levels to identify development priorities across all three areas.
Balanced Development Plans: Ensure development plans include elements from each area, not just the most obvious or comfortable ones.
Contextual Learning: Create development experiences that address multiple areas simultaneously in real-world contexts.
Reflective Practice: Regularly reflect on how thinking influences behavior, how behavior affects skill application, and how skills shape thinking.
Holistic Coaching: Work with coaches who understand and can address all three dimensions rather than focusing narrowly on just one.
Applying the Three Areas in Development Conversations
When using Cook's framework to guide development conversations, consider questions like these for each area:
Thinking Questions
What assumptions or beliefs might be limiting your effectiveness in this area?
How do you typically make sense of situations like these?
What alternative perspectives might be helpful to consider?
What mental models guide your approach to this challenge?
How might your thinking need to evolve to meet this situation?
Behavior Questions
How do others experience you in these situations?
What behavioral patterns have served you well, and which may be limiting?
How do your interactions change under stress or pressure?
What feedback have you received about your impact on others?
What specific behaviors would you like to strengthen or modify?
Skill Questions
What specific capabilities do you need to develop for this role or challenge?
Where do you feel most and least confident in your abilities?
What skills would make the biggest difference in your effectiveness?
How can you accelerate your learning in key skill areas?
What opportunities exist to practice and refine these skills?
Conclusion: The Power of Three
Cook's three-part framework—thinking, behavior, and skills—offers a powerful lens for leadership development that is both comprehensive and manageable. By addressing all three areas, leaders can develop in ways that are deeper and more sustainable than approaches that focus on just one dimension.
As Cook notes, "I'm always seeing leaders through these lenses." This perspective enables more targeted, effective development by addressing the root causes of leadership challenges rather than just their symptoms.
The next time you're planning development for yourself or others, consider:
What thinking patterns need to shift?
What behaviors need to change?
What skills need to improve?
By addressing all three areas, you'll create development that transforms not just what leaders know or do, but who they are becoming.
When you think about your own leadership development, which of the three areas—thinking, behavior, or skills—has received the most attention? Which might benefit from more focus?
For a full treatment of this topic see: Lead Develop Care by Terry Cook