Adult Development Theory is widely used in developmental and executive coaching. It assumes that adults continue to grow psychologically, cognitively, and emotionally throughout life. Coaches help clients expand their awareness, challenge assumptions, and move to more complex ways of thinking.

Key thinkers include Robert Kegan, Jane Loevinger, and William Torbert.

Below are things coaches often say when working from an Adult Development perspective.

Awareness and Perspective

1. What assumptions might be shaping the way you see this situation?
   
   

2. What meaning are you making from this experience?
   
   

3. What story are you telling yourself about this?
   
   

4. How else might someone interpret this situation?
   
   

5. What might you not be seeing yet?
   
   

6. What beliefs might be influencing your response?
   
   

7. What perspective might your team have that differs from yours?
   
   

8. What would this look like from a completely different viewpoint?
   
   

9. What assumptions feel unquestionable to you right now?
   
   

10. What might happen if those assumptions were challenged?
    
    

Expanding Thinking

11. What possibilities might exist beyond the options you currently see?
    
    

12. How could you approach this differently?
    
    

13. What alternative explanations could exist here?
    
    

14. What patterns do you notice in how you approach challenges?
    
    

15. How might a more experienced leader approach this situation?
    
    

16. What might a beginner notice here that you might overlook?
    
    

17. What new perspective might expand your thinking?
    
    

18. What would curiosity look like in this moment?
    
    

19. How might complexity change the way you see this problem?
    
    

20. What might become possible if you held this more lightly?
    
    

Identity and Leadership Growth

21. Who are you becoming as a leader?
    
    

22. What identity might be shaping how you lead right now?
    
    

23. What part of your identity feels challenged in this situation?
    
    

24. What version of yourself is being called forward here?
    
    

25. How has your leadership identity evolved over time?
    
    

26. What identity might you be outgrowing?
    
    

27. What new leadership identity might be emerging?
    
    

28. How do you want others to experience your leadership?
    
    

29. What beliefs about leadership might you need to release?
    
    

30. What leadership capability might you be developing now?
    
    

Emotional Awareness

31. What emotions are present for you right now?
    
    

32. What might those emotions be telling you?
    
    

33. Where do you feel that in your body?
    
    

34. What is the emotion asking you to pay attention to?
    
    

35. What might be underneath that reaction?
    
    

36. What might that frustration be pointing toward?
    
    

37. What might that fear be protecting?
    
    

38. What could that discomfort be teaching you?
    
    

39. What would it mean to stay curious about that feeling?
    
    

40. What would compassion for yourself look like here?
    
    

Challenging Limiting Frames

41. What belief might be limiting your thinking right now?
    
    

42. What belief might no longer serve you?
    
    

43. What belief might need updating?
    
    

44. What would happen if that belief were not true?
    
    

45. What possibility opens up if you question that assumption?
    
    

46. What might be a more empowering belief here?
    
    

47. What evidence supports a different view?
    
    

48. What might you be holding onto that could be released?
    
    

49. What might growth look like in this moment?
    
    

50. What new perspective could unlock progress?
    
    

Leadership Complexity

51. What complexity might you be navigating here?
    
    

52. What tensions might exist between competing priorities?
    
    

53. What might be both true at the same time?
    
    

54. How might you hold multiple perspectives simultaneously?
    
    

55. What paradox might exist in this situation?
    
    

56. How might you embrace uncertainty rather than resolve it immediately?
    
    

57. What might wise leadership require in this moment?
    
    

58. What broader system might influence this situation?
    
    

59. What unintended consequences might exist?
    
    

60. What might the long-term impact be?
    
    

Reflective Practice

61. What did you learn from that experience?
    
    

62. What surprised you about that outcome?
    
    

63. What might you do differently next time?
    
    

64. What did this situation reveal about you?
    
    

65. What patterns are you noticing in yourself?
    
    

66. What insight is emerging for you?
    
    

67. What part of this experience feels most meaningful?
    
    

68. What growth might be happening beneath the surface?
    
    

69. What is this moment inviting you to learn?
    
    

70. What might reflection reveal that action cannot?
    
    

Responsibility and Choice

71. Where do you have choice in this situation?
    
    

72. What responsibility might you hold here?
    
    

73. What might be within your influence?
    
    

74. What might be outside your control?
    
    

75. How might you respond intentionally rather than react automatically?
    
    

76. What choice aligns most with your values?
    
    

77. What choice would the leader you want to become make?
    
    

78. What choice would create the most growth?
    
    

79. What new response might be possible now?
    
    

80. What step might move you forward?
    
    

Transformational Insight

81. What insight is beginning to emerge for you?
    
    

82. What shift in thinking might be occurring?
    
    

83. What feels different about how you see this now?
    
    

84. What new awareness is becoming available?
    
    

85. What deeper truth might be surfacing?
    
    

86. What might transformation look like here?
    
    

87. What growth edge might you be approaching?
    
    

88. What possibility feels most energizing now?
    
    

89. What might your future self thank you for doing today?
    
    

90. What commitment might you make moving forward?
    
    

Integration and Growth

91. What will you take forward from this conversation?
    
    

92. What learning feels most important?
    
    

93. How will you integrate this insight into your leadership?
    
    

94. What new practice might support your development?
    
    

95. What support might help you grow further?
    
    

96. What intention would you like to set?
    
    

97. What action would reflect your new awareness?
    
    

98. What experiment might you try next?
    
    

99. What step could deepen your development?
    
    

100. Who are you becoming as you move forward?
     
     

Adult Development Theory (ADT) is widely used in leadership and executive coaching to understand how adults evolve in their way of thinking, meaning-making, and leadership capacity. Much of the modern framework comes from the work of Robert Kegan.

Below are three core elements commonly used in developmental coaching.

1. The 5 Orders of Consciousness (Adult Development)

These describe how people construct meaning about themselves and the world.

1. Impulsive Mind (Early Stage)

Typically seen in childhood.

Characteristics:

• Driven by impulses and immediate needs
  
  

• Little emotional regulation
  
  

• Difficulty seeing other perspectives
  
  

Coaching implication:
Focus on basic awareness and emotional regulation.

2. Instrumental Mind

Common in adolescents and some adults.

Characteristics:

• Rule-based thinking
  
  

• Focus on personal advantage
  
  

• Transactional relationships
  
  

Leadership style:

• “What do I get from this?”
  
  

Coaching focus:
Develop empathy and perspective-taking.

3. Socialized Mind

Very common in professional environments.

Characteristics:

• Identity shaped by external expectations
  
  

• Strong desire to belong
  
  

• Values loyalty and group norms
  
  

Leadership style:

• Consensus-driven
  
  

• Concerned with approval
  
  

Coaching focus:
Help leaders develop independent thinking and internal values.

4. Self-Authoring Mind

Typical of strong senior leaders.

Characteristics:

• Internal belief system
  
  

• Independent judgement
  
  

• Strong sense of purpose
  
  

Leadership style:

• Vision-driven
  
  

• Strategic and accountable
  
  

Coaching focus:
Expand ability to hold complexity and challenge personal assumptions.

5. Self-Transforming Mind

A rare but highly developed stage.

Characteristics:

• Able to hold multiple perspectives simultaneously
  
  

• Comfortable with paradox and uncertainty
  
  

• Continuously evolving identity
  
  

Leadership style:

• Systems thinking
  
  

• Deep humility and curiosity
  
  

Coaching focus:
Support integration, wisdom, and systemic awareness.

2. 12 Transformational Questions Used in ADT Coaching

These questions help clients examine the assumptions shaping their thinking.

1. What assumptions might be shaping how you see this situation?
   
   

2. What meaning are you making from this experience?
   
   

3. What belief might you be holding that could be questioned?
   
   

4. What might someone with a completely different worldview see here?
   
   

5. What part of your identity feels challenged in this situation?
   
   

6. What values are guiding your response right now?
   
   

7. What might be true that you have not yet considered?
   
   

8. What tension exists between your current beliefs and this experience?
   
   

9. What might growth be asking of you here?
   
   

10. What new perspective might expand your understanding?
    
    

11. Who are you becoming through this experience?
    
    

12. What shift in thinking might this moment be inviting?
    
    

These questions help people move from automatic thinking to reflective awareness, which is a key developmental shift.

3. Seven Stages of Adult Development (Leadership Development Lens)

Some coaching programs expand ADT into seven leadership stages to describe how leaders evolve.

1. Opportunist

Focus: personal survival and short-term gain.

Traits:

• Self-protective
  
  

• Reactive
  
  

• Manipulative behavior sometimes present
  
  

2. Diplomat

Focus: belonging and harmony.

Traits:

• Avoids conflict
  
  

• Loyal to authority
  
  

• Seeks approval
  
  

3. Expert

Focus: competence and expertise.

Traits:

• Strong technical skills
  
  

• Confidence in knowledge
  
  

• May struggle to see other perspectives
  
  

4. Achiever

Focus: goals and performance.

Traits:

• Strategic thinking
  
  

• Accountability for results
  
  

• Effective management of teams
  
  

5. Individualist

Focus: personal values and self-awareness.

Traits:

• Reflective
  
  

• Questions assumptions
  
  

• Appreciates complexity
  
  

6. Strategist

Focus: systems transformation.

Traits:

• Long-term vision
  
  

• Ability to manage complexity
  
  

• Develops leaders and organizations
  
  

7. Alchemist

Focus: transformation of systems and culture.

Traits:

• Deep wisdom and humility
  
  

• Ability to influence large systems
  
  

• Focus on legacy and societal impact
  
  

Why Coaches Use Adult Development Theory

Developmental coaching helps clients expand their capacity to think, lead, and respond to complexity.

Instead of just asking:
“What should you do?”

ADT coaching asks:
“How are you making meaning of this situation?”

When the way someone thinks evolves, their leadership capability expands dramatically.

3 powerful frameworks alongside ADT, immunity to change framework, vertical vs horizontal leadership

Developmental and executive coaching often combines Adult Development Theory (ADT) with several powerful frameworks that help leaders expand their thinking, behavior, and leadership capacity. Three of the most influential approaches come from the work of Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey.

Below are three powerful frameworks commonly used alongside Adult Development Theory.

1. Immunity to Change Framework

The Immunity to Change framework explains why people often fail to change even when they genuinely want to.

It suggests that hidden competing commitments and unconscious beliefs protect the status quo.

This framework was developed by Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey.

The Four-Column Model

Column 1 – Improvement Goal
What the person genuinely wants to change.

Example:
“I want to delegate more to my team.”

Column 2 – Behaviors That Work Against the Goal
Actions that unintentionally prevent change.

Example:

• Micromanaging
  
  

• Reviewing every decision
  
  

• Stepping in to fix problems
  
  

Column 3 – Hidden Competing Commitments
Unconscious commitments that protect the person from perceived risks.

Example:

• Commitment to never appearing incompetent
  
  

• Commitment to staying in control
  
  

• Commitment to avoiding mistakes
  
  

Column 4 – Big Assumptions
Deep beliefs that drive the competing commitments.

Example:

• “If I delegate, things will fail.”
  
  

• “If things fail, people will lose confidence in me.”
  
  

Coaching Focus

The goal is not forcing behavior change, but helping the client test and update their hidden assumptions.

When assumptions shift, behavior change becomes natural and sustainable.

2. Vertical vs Horizontal Leadership Development

Leadership development happens in two fundamentally different ways.

Horizontal Development

This is the traditional model of training and skill building.

Examples:

• Learning negotiation skills
  
  

• Learning presentation skills
  
  

• Learning management techniques
  
  

It adds more knowledge and tools.

Think of it as adding apps to the phone.

Vertical Development

Vertical development changes how leaders think and make meaning.

It expands their mental complexity and perspective.

Examples:

• Seeing multiple perspectives
  
  

• Thinking systemically
  
  

• Handling ambiguity and paradox
  
  

• Questioning assumptions
  
  

Think of it as upgrading the operating system.

Why Vertical Development Matters

Modern leadership challenges involve complex systems and uncertainty.

Technical skills alone are not enough.

Leaders must develop the ability to:

• Hold competing perspectives
  
  

• Navigate ambiguity
  
  

• Integrate conflicting priorities
  
  

This is why developmental coaching focuses heavily on vertical growth.

Three Conditions That Enable Vertical Development

Many leadership programs focus on three developmental conditions:

1. Heat Experiences
Challenging situations that stretch current thinking.

Examples:

• Leading a major transformation
  
  

• Navigating a crisis
  
  

• Managing conflicting stakeholder expectations
  
  

2. Colliding Perspectives
Exposure to viewpoints that challenge existing assumptions.

Examples:

• Diverse teams
  
  

• Coaching conversations
  
  

• Strategic debates
  
  

3. Elevated Sense-Making
Reflection and coaching that help leaders interpret their experiences.

Examples:

• Executive coaching
  
  

• Reflective journaling
  
  

• Leadership dialogue
  
  

3. Deliberately Developmental Organizations (DDO)

Another powerful framework emerging from Adult Development Theory is the concept of Deliberately Developmental Organizations.

This idea also comes from the work of Robert Kegan.

In a DDO, personal growth is built into the culture of the organization.

Instead of hiding weaknesses, people are encouraged to work openly on their developmental edges.

Principles of Developmental Organizations

1. Everyone is a work in progress
Growth is normalized across all levels of the organization.

2. Weaknesses are openly discussed
Instead of hiding mistakes, they are used for learning.

3. Feedback is continuous
Learning happens through regular reflection and feedback.

Examples of Developmental Practices

Organizations that adopt this approach often include:

• Regular reflection practices
  
  

• Coaching conversations across teams
  
  

• Transparent feedback systems
  
  

• Leaders modeling vulnerability and learning
  
  

Why These Frameworks Matter in Executive Coaching

Adult Development Theory shifts the coaching question from:

“What should this leader do?”

to

“How does this leader make meaning of the world?”

When leaders expand their capacity for sense-making, they become better able to:

• Navigate complexity
  
  

• Lead transformation
  
  

• Develop others
  
  

• Create adaptive organizations
  
  

Here’s a detailed overview of the Leadership Circle Model and the 7 Transformational Leadership Archetypes, both widely used in executive and developmental coaching.

1. The Leadership Circle Model (LCM)

The Leadership Circle Model is a framework that links a leader’s inner assumptions, beliefs, and habits to their observable behaviors and organizational results.

It’s used in executive coaching to increase self-awareness and shift from reactive to creative leadership.

Developed by The Leadership Circle, it integrates adult development theory, emotional intelligence, and leadership effectiveness research.

Core Components of LCM

A. Two Primary Domains

1. Reactive Tendencies (Limiting Behaviors)
   
   

• Driven by fear, ego, or old habits
  
  

• Examples: controlling, protecting, complying, or withdrawing
  
  

• Results in limited leadership effectiveness
  
  

2. Creative Competencies (Strength-Based Behaviors)
   
   

• Driven by vision, purpose, and self-awareness
  
  

• Examples: strategic thinking, relational skills, empowerment, systems thinking
  
  

• Results in high-impact leadership
  
  

B. The Three Circles of LCM

1. Leadership Behaviors (Outer Circle)
   What others see: your day-to-day actions and style.
   
   

2. Underlying Beliefs and Assumptions (Middle Circle)
   What drives behaviors: beliefs, fears, and motivations.
   
   

3. Inner Operating System (Core Circle)
   The deepest assumptions about self, others, and the world.
   
   

Key Coaching Insights from LCM

• Leaders’ reactive tendencies are often linked to unconscious beliefs.
  
  

• Development involves shifting from reactive patterns to creative competencies.
  
  

• Transformation requires awareness, reflection, and repeated practice.
  
  

• LCM provides visual feedback (360 assessments) showing both strengths and limiting patterns.
  
  

2. The 7 Transformational Leadership Archetypes

These archetypes describe common ways leaders express themselves at different stages of growth. They are often used alongside ADT and the Leadership Circle Model.

1. The Visionary

• Focus: Big-picture impact and future possibilities
  
  

• Strengths: Inspires others, articulates a compelling vision
  
  

• Shadow: Can overlook execution and details
  
  

2. The Builder

• Focus: Growth, structure, and results
  
  

• Strengths: Drives performance, achieves measurable goals
  
  

• Shadow: Can be rigid, prioritize results over relationships
  
  

3. The Servant Leader

• Focus: Empowering others and building trust
  
  

• Strengths: Nurtures teams, values collaboration
  
  

• Shadow: Can avoid difficult decisions, over-accommodating
  
  

4. The Strategist

• Focus: Complexity, systems thinking, and foresight
  
  

• Strengths: Sees patterns, manages ambiguity, integrates perspectives
  
  

• Shadow: Can become isolated or over-intellectualize
  
  

5. The Innovator

• Focus: Change, transformation, and creativity
  
  

• Strengths: Introduces new ideas, challenges the status quo
  
  

• Shadow: Can be impulsive or neglect stability
  
  

6. The Guardian

• Focus: Stability, ethics, and sustainability
  
  

• Strengths: Protects culture and values, ensures compliance
  
  

• Shadow: Can resist change, slow decision-making
  
  

7. The Alchemist

• Focus: Transformation of self, organization, and society
  
  

• Strengths: Integrates vision, strategy, and purpose; inspires legacy thinking
  
  

• Shadow: Rare archetype, can feel distant or abstract
  
  

Why These Archetypes Matter in Coaching

• Help leaders understand their dominant style and growth edges
  
  

• Provide a framework to integrate shadow patterns into conscious leadership
  
  

• Support alignment between inner values, beliefs, and behaviors
  
  

• Offer a roadmap for progressive development toward systemic impact
  
  

 Key Insight
When combined with Adult Development Theory and the Leadership Circle Model, the 7 Transformational Leadership Archetypes give a practical, actionable way for leaders to map growth, recognize blind spots, and cultivate high-impact behaviors.

Integration of ADT, LCM, and 7 Transformational Leadership Archetypes

1. Adult Development Theory (Foundation)

• Purpose in coaching: Expands how leaders make meaning of the world.
  
  

• Focus: Orders of consciousness, stages of leadership identity, increasing cognitive and emotional complexity.
  
  

• Example: Moving from Socialized Mind → Self-Authoring Mind → Self-Transforming Mind.
  
  

• Effect: Prepares leaders to hold multiple perspectives, handle ambiguity, and navigate complexity.
  
  

Think of ADT as the operating system that allows more advanced leadership thinking.

2. Leadership Circle Model (Applied Awareness)

• Purpose in coaching: Connects inner beliefs, assumptions, and tendencies to observable leadership behaviors.
  
  

• Focus:
  
  

  • Reactive tendencies (limiting patterns)
    
    

  • Creative competencies (strength-based behaviors)
    
    

  • Core assumptions about self and others
    
    

• Example: A leader’s fear of losing control → micromanaging → reduces team empowerment.
  
  

• Effect: Makes unconscious patterns visible, enabling conscious change.
  
  

Think of LCM as the dashboard and feedback system that shows how your inner world drives your leadership impact.

3. 7 Transformational Leadership Archetypes (Expression & Growth)

• Purpose in coaching: Gives leaders archetypal identities to model and aspire to, linking ADT stages and LCM feedback to practical leadership styles.
  
  

• Focus:
  
  

  1. Visionary
     
     

  2. Builder
     
     

  3. Servant Leader
     
     

  4. Strategist
     
     

  5. Innovator
     
     

  6. Guardian
     
     

  7. Alchemist
     
     

• Example: A leader in the Self-Authoring stage (ADT) with high creative competencies (LCM) may express themselves as a Strategist or Innovator archetype.
  
  

• Effect: Provides tangible leadership roles to guide development and behavioral integration.
  
  

Think of Archetypes as the avatars or leadership “personas” through which inner development and competencies are expressed externally.

How They Integrate in Coaching

Component

Focus

Coaching Use

Example

ADT

Inner cognitive & emotional complexity

Helps leader understand how they construct meaning; identifies growth stage

CEO moves from Socialized → Self-Authoring Mind

LCM

Inner beliefs → Observable behaviors

Reveals reactive tendencies & creative competencies; provides 360 feedback

Fear of losing control → micromanaging team

Archetypes

Expressed leadership style

Guides how development translates into behavior and leadership identity

CEO channels Innovator or Strategist archetype

Integration Flow:

1. ADT identifies the leader’s stage of consciousness → awareness of limitations and growth potential.
   
   

2. LCM assesses inner patterns and behaviors → shows which competencies are reactive vs creative.
   
   

3. Archetypes provide a practical expression → leaders adopt personas that align with higher-order consciousness and creative behaviors.
   
   

Example in Practice

• Leader: CEO struggling with delegation and team empowerment.
  
  

• ADT Lens: Currently in Socialized Mind (strongly influenced by group norms and approval).
  
  

• LCM Lens: Reactive tendencies → micromanagement; Creative competencies → strategic thinking potential.
  
  

• Archetype Lens: With development, could evolve toward Servant Leader → empowers team, balances vision with support.
  
  

 Key Insight

When combined, these frameworks create a powerful developmental coaching system:

• ADT → expands internal capacity for complexity.
  
  

• LCM → surfaces inner patterns impacting behavior.
  
  

• Archetypes → show practical ways to express leadership growth.
  
  

This integration allows coaches to diagnose, guide, and accelerate leadership evolution in a structured yet flexible way.