Doodles from the Iceberg Model

At a recent IFVP conference, one of my favorite scribes talked about paying attention and responding to "what goes on below the waterline" as a graphic recorder.  

I've known about the iceberg model and have referred to it in my leadership and capacity-building work for nonprofits for several years. I was excited when I realized that I could incorporate what I've learned about transformational leadership into a new craft. 

The idea that we can also use scribing to deepen dialogue and elevate the capacity for others to listen deeply compelled me to review the iceberg model by re-reading A Leaders Guide to Reflective Practice by Judy Brown. (It's wonderful. You should check it out.)  I did some graphic note-taking and had a great time making fun of myself as I doodled. 

Judy takes us through the iceberg model and uses the example of the Titanic as the catalyst event. Here, I will review the model, and offer some insights of hers along with a few examples of my own. 

I love playing. This is meant to be a playful rendering. My examples are not meant to be cited as tragedies, nor are they events that are comparable to the horrific loss of life on the Titanic. The analysis is also not very serious. 


Above the Waterline - What We See - Events 

The world in which we live, play and draw is full of words and events. Words and events are seen and heard by everyone, yet most of what contributes to those expressions or causes the events is below the waterline. Here are few examples of events. 

1. The Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage in 1912.

2. My motorcycle slid out from underneath me when I hit an oily patch on a street. (I'm fine.) 

3. The Acme supermarket in South Philadelphia has stopped carrying Fat-Free Pringles. 

Just Below the Waterline - Patterns of Behavior 

Patterns of behavior exist in every social system. Just below the waterline, there are predictable patterns of actions, reactions, and interactions. Here are corresponding behaviors for the events listed above. 

1. Everyone accepted the captain's supremacy and no one challenged his judgment. Those on the bridge ignored detailed notes in log books about iceberg sightings in the area. Passengers and staff ignored the shortage of lifeboats. 

2. I was not taking a very strategic route home that day. Instead, I took a shortcut through a neighborhood where the streets are frequently covered in a thin layer of broken dreams and motor oil.

3. Many, many people choose regular Pringles over Fat-Free Pringles. These same people probably choose Cheddar flavored Pringles over Sour Cream and Onion. 


Going Deeper - Structures 

At the next level down, there are conscious and unconscious rules that contribute to the patterns of behavior that produced the event. Here are some corresponding structures.

1. The Titanic was being driven at full speed "no matter what" through much of its journey so that it would arrive in New York on time. 

2. Residents rely on the City of Philadelphia to maintain the cleanliness and safety of its street infrastructure. Also, I can go anywhere at anytime and expect that everything will be fine. I am a skilled explorer and safe motorcyclist.  

3. In American culture it is normal to watch a lot of TV and mindlessly eat tasty snacks brought to us by recognizable brands. "Tasty snacks" are usually not fat-free and "Fat-Free Pringles" are not a hallmark of the Pringles brand; therefore, people assume they will taste like glue. 

Acme supermarket is a business and would like to make money so they stop selling items that only one person buys, even if she frequently buys six cans at once. 

The structures behind the terminated sale of Fat Free Pringles at Acme in South Philadelphia are very complicated.

The Bottom of the Ocean - Mindset

At the bottom of the iceberg we find mindsets or ways of thinking that produced the structures, that caused the behaviors, that created the conditions for the events. 

1. The captain and others thought the Titanic was unsinkable. It was intended to be this captain's final voyage after a long, safe and successful career. People thought that the captain's expertise and experience were ample insurance. 

2. I think I'm really special. I have an indestructible physical frame, eagle eyesight, and paranormal sensing abilities. Therefore, I know and see everything, everyone likes me and bad things do not happen to me unless I allow them to for the sake of comedy and/or your amusement. 

3. Many Americans think they should be satiated constantly. . 

We have learned behaviors that execute on that mindset, which is constantly reinforced by media and brand messaging.  Many people would also prefer to be fed hot cocoa and Valium intravenously all day, as opposed to having to feed themselves. If we could make money doing it, we would probably die out in a week. 

Therefore it is obvious that, for most people, the risk of trying a healthier snack (that is as good as the original) and being somehow unfulfilled probably outweighs the risk of obesity and heart disease. 

Managing (and Welcoming) Uncertainty in Organizational Systems

Barry Oshry talks about uncertainty in individuals and organizations in Act IV of his book, Seeing Systems. He helps us realize how uncertainty can be a gift to the system. Here, he posits that the "dance of blind reflex" between tops, middles and bottoms in a system is an instinctual reaction to alleviate the stress of and anxiety of each group’s vulnerabilities and the unknown .

In order to challenge the system and create the best learning for all of its parts, we need to proactively make space for uncertainty. Solutions that lead to the quickest way to a fix problem are often polarized and absolve the system of the responsibility to practice divergent thinking and develop solutions collaboratively. Not having solutions on hand will probably feel intolerable and our groups will act to resist. Oshry refers to resistance to uncertainty as “the old dance shaking” and yet, the in the presence of uncertainty, possibilities emerge.

In my previous organization we had the totally unremarkable and yet highly stressful challenge of dealing with a scarcity of resources. My role included running spending reports, analyzing information, raising flags with our program director, and setting up budgets for our annual grant cycle. There was always some uncertainty about what would happen over the course of the year and  in the dance of blind reflex, I clung to top space with this problem, always working toward a solution before revealing that trouble was brewing.

One year in particular, I could see that we had far too few grant dollars to pay for incoming requests for funding. In order to continue to operate as a grantmaking entity through the year, I knew that some or all parts of our process needed to change.  In the face of the question, “How are we going to make it through the year?,” I still felt compelled personally to come up with the answer before raising a flag. In the dance of blind reflex, the uncertainty of not having an answer kept me up at night and made it harder to share the gravity of the problem with the team as our financial position worsened. I thought, “How could I let this happen? Why can’t I figure this out?”

To reach real potential solutions, I had to personally let go of the question and allow the gravity of the uncertainty into our department. In so doing, we discovered that there were many more possibilities out there to address the challenge, most of which could be applied in tandem. I had felt I had to defend my top space because I had the information and was aware of the problem. In practicing flexibility, I gave up all my information and my self-perceived responsibility to fix the problem (and my identity as a problem-solver). I allowed others in the department to work to own the issue and for my supervisor to hold the issue more closely, which she was grateful for and which ultimately supported her in her leadership as well.

If It's Not Helpful, Then It's Not Helpful

Strong feelings are a clue that the habits of our emotional response and the habits of our organizational or interpersonal systems are being challenged. 

Feeling out of control of a situation can take us to the sideshow; where we blame others, become fascinated with our victimization and give up responsibility for our actions. 

I find that having a personal stance on a post-it or somewhere else that I can see each day can really help support my intentions around how I deal with the stress of difficult people, transition, confusion and workload. I've had personal stance for years that goes, “If it’s not helpful, then it’s not helpful. “ Whenever I'm feeling burdened or upset, I have a choice about how to respond. 

If I think my response will be helpful, that's great! And if it's not helpful, then it's not helpful. I should choose another response.

 It's important to remember that helping me feel better or justified in my position or frustration does not necessarily meet the criteria for "helpful" to the organization or situation. Better to save processes that help you feel better for someone who has agreed to the role of making you feel better. Being able to access my stance helps keep me committed to productive conversations and helps avoid the sideshow. And yes, I definitely slip up....I'm human.

Give the Care You'd Like to Get: Put Down Your iPhone

Consider the practice of giving the care you’d like to get as open invitation to give your full attention to somebody else. It can be a powerful motivator in any team. Multi-tasking behavior, especially checking and writing emails during other conversations sends a powerful message that "being here and listening to you isn't my priority." 

So stop that.

Being more “available” was one of my goals this year. Since I started being intentional about it, I’ve found that giving my full attention feels easier than I thought it would. I also remind myself in to allow others to fully express themselves without interruption and try to respond in a way that communicates that I've heard what they have said.  You can learn a lot more about how people think and feel by just focusing your attention and allowing them to share the full extent of their perceptions.  Allowing people with whom you might disagree to openly share their opinions is also critical to building healthy teams. If you give the care you'd like get and the attention you'd like to receive, you'll develop better understanding of what motivates people. People will sense that you are really listening and trust that, because deeper listening is a habit of yours, you typically have adequate information to make sound judgments. 

Managing Emotional Reactivity

We know that when someone is reckless in their emotional reactivity, it damages relationships and has a huge impact on the organizational system.  Recovering from the impact of emotionally reactive comments can take months and sometimes even years.  

In trying to manage my own reactivity, I’ve noticed how easy it is to slip into when someone is “jokingly” name-calling either myself or a colleague or finding people to blame for a circumstance. 

This kind of behavior happens everywhere.  

Managing emotional reactivity in favor of empathetic responses, one can model the leadership and respect for others that makes for happier organizational systems.  Earlier last week I was on a conference call with a group of peers in a volunteer organization that I help lead. Another leader of the group on the call felt that our non-leader volunteers (on the call) had not made adequate progress on an initiative and she expressed frustration at the other members of the group on the call saying, “So what you are telling me is that no one has done anything?… I’m sorry you guys are wasting my time.”  I could feel an anger reaction coming on. I saw her comments as disrespectful and not aligned with how I believe we should treat volunteers of our organization. 

I tried to manage my emotions on the call and I called her separately on her cell phone as soon as the call was over.  She continued to express frustration with the pace of our work.  I said, “You seemed very frustrated on the call.” Which she agreed. I said “When you told the other members of the group that they were wasting your time- it sounded shaming. And it’s not helpful.” ( My emotional reaction went something more like “Are you out of your #$&#% mind? Who do you think you are!!??”) I do think the message was better-received while managing the emotional reaction. She agreed that she was feeling overwhelmed and would never want to behave in a way that was counter-productive. On her own she eventually decided to write an apology to the members of the group.

Leadership and Self Deception

We all contribute to some dysfunction in the systems in which we operate. 

A few weeks ago I ran into a colleague at a nonprofit who offered an insight that I also found very valuable. She said “Behind every dysfunction there’s something about it that works for people. If that weren’t the case, it wouldn’t have the word ‘function’ in it.”

I can only access a few examples of how I’ve deceived my intentions for my own leadership. Others probably have a more robust picture of all of my blind spots.  A few blind spots and historical examples of self-deciet have stayed with me as I think about staff development, efficiencies and morale across other organizations I work in or am a part of.

In my previous job I felt strongly that I should stay connected to all my colleagues. For five years I worked with a group that resided in what we called “Cube City.” It was the main cluster of cubicles in the office. When I got an office (that I sheepishly accepted) I started to betray my intentions to stay connected by not stopping by to say “hello” each morning. Once in that habit, I actually started to tell myself that they probably resented me for having an office anyway. 

Once I had accepted that idea as reality, I avoided them and felt ashamed for what was being afforded to me. In that “box,” I believed I was better off not staying connected. Perhaps my co-workers didn’t like me. Perhaps I didn’t like them! I resolved that it didn’t matter because I had an opportunity to reinforce my identity as an independent kind of worker who minds her own business.

I’ve come to understand that my “in the box” practices have included: sending emails to deliver hard news when I could be making a phone call, not sharing what I’m worried about, avoiding people I need to learn from, and the typical blaming for behavior that I see as consistently below standard - according to my standards.

I also learned that one of my strengths, my ability to use humor, can also be a signifier of stress or tension that I am experiencing. 

I’ve learned that the right questions are the key to any real productive intervention - and I’m predisposed to pose questions that I think I know the answer to. 

I also believe that when we are mistreating ourselves, we are often mistreating others out of spite. And so I believe that honoring one’s intentions and avoiding self-betrayal includes honoring one’s own needs and creativity as a whole person. 

There’s something about creative processes as what they stir in people that is worth exploring. Through my work I’m learning to re-nurture an affinity for art and my belief in its transformative qualities is influencing my approach to organizational development and meeting design.