Emotional health: the core of our work
Emotional health is central to the purpose and work of Global Leadership Foundation. In raising the emotional health levels of people across the globe, we are supporting them to make mindful, respectful and conscious choices and decisions about the way in which they live their lives and how they relate to, and engage with, others.
We know that when this happens, their interactions and relationships are more fulfilling, generous, compassionate and collaborative. Emotionally healthy people take the time to ‘be’ with others. They listen with their body, heart and head to understand what others need, feel and think.
We began using the term ‘emotional health’ in 2001 as a way of describing this very conscious and enhanced state of wellbeing.
In those early years, we – Malcolm Lazenby and Gayle Hardie – developed the Emotional Health Levels model we use today. The model is based on earlier work by Don Riso and Russ Hudson, particularly their book, Personality Types: Using the Enneagram for Self-Discovery published in 1999. Our own book, Working with Emotional Health and the Enneagram details our Emotional Health Levels model, focusing on vertical development and helping individuals progress through different levels of emotional health, particularly in leadership contexts.
“Gaining a full understanding of emotional health is an ongoing journey, even for those of us who have worked with it for a long time.”
‘Vertical development’ is about building our ability to distinguish and let go of our own limited thinking and perceptions. As this occurs we are more able to genuinely relate to and engage with others and the world around us.
Traditional ‘horizontal’ development focuses on skill building, typically around areas such as conflict management, facilitating effective meetings, managing priorities and so on. In contrast, vertical development focuses on the individual as a person, along with that person’s interactions with others.
Vertical development lies at the heart of improving your emotional health through helping you to better understand and appreciate yourself and the impact you have on others.
In our work with emotional health, we draw a line – the ‘line of choice’ – between our default, or automatic, reactions to challenging situations we face in our daily lives, and the choice of thoughtful and constructive responses to those situations.
These automatic reactions are often negative – what we call ‘below the line’. They can include denial, blame, justification or defensiveness. When we choose constructive responses instead, we are acting ‘above the line’. That is, we are taking personal responsibility – not for the situation itself but for the way we respond to it. Taking personal responsibility is closely associated with higher levels of emotional health.
People who are emotionally healthy are conscious of themselves – their thoughts, their emotions and their behaviours – and the impact they have on others. They achieve this by being able to switch on their ‘inner observer’.
To switch on the inner observer is to be both ‘in’ the experience of any situation you are in and ‘outside’ that experience at the same time. It’s like making a presentation and seeing yourself doing so at the same time. This perspective enables you to see not only what is happening and what you are doing but also to understand the impact you may be having on others. When you can do this, you are in a much better position to be able to choose above-the-line responses to situations they find themselves in.
Presence and the ‘centres of intelligence’ is another framework that is important to an understanding of emotional health.
If you were asked by someone to describe what you ‘think’ with, you’d probably look at them strangely and respond with ‘My brain, of course’. Interestingly, it is not as simple as that. In fact, when we are thinking effectively, we are doing so not just with our brain but with our whole body.
‘Whole body thinking’, or presence, is thinking the balances three centres. ‘Head thinking’ is more rational and logical and provides great insight. ‘Heart thinking’ connects us with our feelings and emotions and brings intuition. And ‘body thinking’ uses our senses and brings ‘gut feel’ or instinct. Each of us is capable of thinking in all three of these ways. However, in the process of developing a personality, we tend to lean more strongly towards one of the three, which then becomes our primary filter for perceiving what we think is reality. Higher levels of emotional health are characterised by the ability to give close to equal weight to each type of these centres.
“A person with a high level of emotional health takes personal responsibility for the way in which they relate to and engage with others and the world around them. Emotionally healthy people have a well-tuned inner observer: they are conscious of themselves – their thoughts, their emotions and their behaviours – and the impact they have on others. They are able to recognise and overcome the various influences and constraints they experience (either from others or themselves) through the choices they make and the practices they use. “
The concept of ‘emotional health levels’ takes the notions of personal responsibility, the inner observer and the three centres of intelligence a few steps further.
Understanding it will establish an important behavioural framework that will help you on your journey as you develop your emotional health. The emotional health levels model, as developed by Malcolm and Gayle, introduces nine levels of emotional health, ranging from the highest, ‘presence’ to the lowest, ‘delusional’, along with the supporting concepts of the degree of self-centredness and the degree of behavioural freedom.
Resources for understanding emotional health
Emotional Health & Leadership
Download our free pocket guide to emotional health, introducing the key principles we work with in developing emotional health in individuals and teams.
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Working with Emotional Health and the Enneagram
Written by Global Leadership Foundation co-founders, Gayle Hardie and Malcolm Lazenby, this book brings together 25 years of experience and knowledge.
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Mastering Emotional Health online course
Our ‘Mastering Emotional Health’ app takes you on a journey towards understanding, strengthening and ultimately mastering emotional health to enhance your wellbeing
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