Part 1: The Research Behind Becoming Christlike | An Interview with Ryan Gottfredson

This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in September
2021. Listen to the follow-up conversation here: Part 2: The
Research Behind Becoming Christlike. Ryan Gottfredson, Ph.D., is a
cutting-edge leadership development author, researcher, and
consultant. He helps organizations vertically develop their leaders
primarily through a focus on mindsets. He is also an associate
leadership professor at the College of Business and Economics at
California State University-Fullerton. He holds a Ph.D. in
Organizational Behavior and Human Resources from Indiana
University, and a B.A. from Brigham Young University. As a
consultant, he works with organizations to develop their leaders
and improve their culture. Ryan is the author of The Elevated
Leader and Success Mindsets. He has written multiple articles for
Leading Saints, presented at a live event about mindsets, and is a
repeat podcast guest. As Ryan reviewed leadership research, he
found it primarily answered one question: “What do leaders need to
do to be effective?” The focus of his work has been on “What do
leaders need to be to be effective?” In this podcast, Ryan and Kurt
discuss the concept of vertical development and how it applies to
individuals and leadership. Highlights 06:25 Vertical development
is the next topic Ryan has been studying and writing about. It
applies to us emotionally and spiritually, and possibly even
physically. 07:40 Overview of mindsets: Mindsets are the mental
lenses we wear that shape how we view the world 09:10 What vertical
development is Three adult developmental stages that are a function
of effort, both horizontally and vertically Elevating our ability
to make meaning of our world in more cognitively and emotionally
sophisticated ways 12:00 Examples of how people in different levels
respond to constructive criticism 13:45 The three different levels
Mind 1.0: Focused on our comfort, safety, and belonging.
Self-protective. Dependent thinkers, exchanging power and
independence for these needs. Mind 2.0: Focused on being seen,
advanced, and getting ahead. Independent thinkers, in self-reward
mode. Mind 3.0: Focused on contributing and adding value,
externally focused on lifting and elevating others. Interdependent
thinkers, able to see from different perspectives and sit with
complexity. Only 1% of adults get to this place. 20:00 Becoming
more like the Savior happens through vertical development Example
of Mind 1.0 recommendation for seeking information Approaching
teaching from the perspective of vertical vs. horizontal
development 25:15 The tension between safety and truth Example of
people protecting the safety of beliefs in a Sunday School lesson
Being a seeker of truth and learning to sit with complexity instead
of becoming defensive It is in the interpreting that we connect
with God 31:05 Leaders operate differently depending on their
vertical development Do we even allow for a conversation about
interpretation? “Aspiring” fits into Mind 2.0 Mind 3.0 leaders are
focused on creating a culture that is inclusive and allows for
growth and development 37:25 The culture of aspiring to leadership
39:00 How do we go about developing vertically? What makes meaning
for us are our mindsets Example of an inward vs. outward mindset
and how it helps us become more like Jesus Christ Seeing others as
doing their best: “What has happened to you?” vs. “What is wrong
with you?” 46:20 Learning acceptance: Healing from our own traumas
as we recognize Christ accepting us Vertical development involves
calming our response so we have a greater tolerance The new “Sunday
School answer”: get to where you can have 100% acceptance before
doing anything 51:35 When we help people repent we help them change
their hearts and how they make meaning with their world, not their
behaviors and actions 55:00 Where to start 57:55 Our vertical
development is about hea...