Putting It All Together

The Wright brothers harnessed lift by creating a flying machine that could (1) propel itself forward, (2) through the air, (3) with properly designed wings, and (4) control systems that allowed a pilot to adapt to changing conditions in the air. Our framework of psychological states helps people to harness lift by showing people how to become (1) purpose-centered, (2) other-focused, (3) internally directed, and (4) externally open. Figure 2.3 shows how the aerodynamic principles for harnessing lift serve as a metaphor for the way in which the fundamental state of leadership lifts the person who experiences it and others whom that person influences.

FIGURE 2.3 Psychological States and the Four Aerodynamic Conditions for Lift

First, when people are purpose-centered, their purposes motivate forward motion, or action, similar to how forward motion is necessary for an airplane to harness the aerodynamic force of lift. Second, when people are internally directed, they act with integrity to their values. This is similar to having wings that are designed in consistency with the appropriate measurements for harnessing lift. Third, the forward motion and wings of an airplane must turn the particles of air through which it passes in the right way, or those particles will not create upward pressure on the bottom of the wings. Turning air particles correctly is similar to being other-focused because people respond to the empathy we feel for them, causing them (or failing to cause them) to be lifted and to lift others in return. Fourth, airplanes' flight controls enable them to adapt to changing air conditions in a manner similar to how a person who is externally open will adapt in response to feedback.