+ FAQs

+ Q: What if I forgot the link to TLA portal?

A: On the login screen, you can click the forgot password link which will redirect you to a password reset page. Enter your email address and click the reset password button. A password reset link will be sent to your email. Click the link in the email and follow the instructions to change your password. And viola, you have a new password and access. If for some reason this fails, please contact Eddie on support@pollyannalenkic.com

+ Q: What if catching up with the work feels overwhelming?

A: The beauty of this program is that all of the training modules are recorded so you can go at your own pace, knowing that the information is there for you when you want to revisit it. We will provide you with resources here on the dedicated website that you can review at your own pace in addition to the online membership portal that houses The Leadership Accelerator.

+ Q: How do I maximise the opportunity of this program?

A: What I've noticed over the past 20 years doing this work is that the clients who get the most from the program are the ones who take time to prepare prior and reflect post each session.

Attending the live sessions will provide a higher level of outcomes for you and the work you are doing.

+ Q: Clients will often say that I’m already stretched and haven’t got time to invest in the program.

A: What most of my clients find is that it doesn’t take as long to invest as they thought it would. It just takes some process, carving out 15 minutes in your calendar prior to each session to reflect and prepare, and 15 minutes post each session to reflect and plan.

We are here to help you and will be sending you some guiding questions, and templates to use if you want to. We will do everything we can to maximise your experiences, ROI and ROE. And the reality is that it’s up to you. Past participants who have maximised the opportunity of this work, often take some time outside of the formal program structure to review, reflect and decide how they will implement their learning in work and life.

+ Q: What can I expect from you /the program?

A: You can expect me to fiercely hold the space for you to do the work that is important to you and to the work you are doing with the communities you support.

Clients who maximise their investment in any leadership development program often find the most powerful reflection comes from examining their own expectations of the program, what they expect from the coach/facilitator, and of their fellow team members/Cohort.

The most powerful reflection often comes when we get clear on our expectations of ourselves. And our relationship with this .

+ Coaching session access

Coaching sessions are run online using Zoom. Please ensure you have zoom downloaded on your device. To attend the sessions, simply click on the link in the calendar invite sent to you. See Setting up your computer for more information.

Check the timing of all of your sessions and ensure you have all access details prior to the session start time. We recommend joining a few minutes early to ensure your technology is working.

If you are having challenges getting into the session the quickest way is to email support@pollyannalenkic.com and one of our team members will let you in.

You can interact with me using the chat box. Type your message/question into the text box and press Enter

+ What to bring to sessions

• It's always handy to have a dedicated notebook to take notes throughout the sessions

• Different coloured pens and highlighters can be useful

• A drink bottle to keep hydrated

• Your favourite beverage, coffee/tea?

+ Netiquette

Online events can be just as powerful as those in real life, and much more convenient! There are a couple of things to know so that you can contribute to making the event a success for yourself and everyone else.

• Use the chat box to contribute to the discussion. Then raise your hand icon by clicking the 'Participants' button from the meeting controls at the bottom of your screen, wave wildly or unmute and jump in! Use reactions to give your fellow participants a thumbs up, applause to acknowledge what they are contributing when you don't want to interrupt the flow. If you're having tech issues, please see below.

• If you can, keep your video on; we all have a much more fulfilling experience when we have other real humans around us.

• Keep your microphone off; the combined background noise of multiple sounds of life, nature, offices is distracting. Only unmute yourself if you're contributing to the discussion.

• If your wifi is playing up and you get disconnected, or if you arrive late help us by entering with audio and camera off to minimise disruption. Once in, please turn on your camera if you are happy to do so.

Hold off announcing your arrival verbally, feel free to wave, listen and catch up with the conversation /content for context.

+ Workbooks

All program collaterals are either in the membership portal of The Leadership Accelerator. Any additional workbooks and handouts for specific exercises will be sent /added here as PDF for you to use during/post the program. Whenever possible we prefer the use of online resources to minimise adding more paper waste into the world.

You may edit pdf worksheets using Adobe Acrobat Pro if you have it or you may also edit it online for free using https://www.sejda.com/pdf-editor

+ Setting up your computer

All online sessions are hosted on Zoom

• If you haven't used Zoom before, from the device you'll be using, visit https://zoom.us/download, and install "Zoom client for meetings" (for laptop/desktop computers) or "Zoom mobile app" (for phones/tablets).

• Once installed, you can check it's working by visiting https://zoom.us/test, which will take you to an empty Zoom room where you can get familiar with the layout of the app.

• A standard PC or MAC computer or portable device with an internet connection and speakers or a headset are required to join and hear the audio broadcast.

+ Troubleshooting guide

• Before joining a Zoom meeting on a computer or mobile device, you can download the Zoom app from the Download Center. Otherwise, you will be prompted to download and install Zoom when you click a join link found in the calendar invite sent to you.

• If your camera is not showing up in the Zoom Settings or it is selected and not showing any video, these tips can help you troubleshoot why it is not working. https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/202952568-My-Video-Camera-Isn-t-Working

• Try these troubleshooting steps if you have microphone or speaker issues after joining a meeting on the Zoom mobile app for iOS or Android. https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/204484835-My-Audio-is-Not-Working-on-iOS-or-Android

+ Need help?

• If you are experiencing technical issues, please contact Zoom Support at US: ( +1.888.799.9666 ext. 2 or +1.650.397.6096 ext. 2.) or, make an online submission

• If you have tried the above and can't resolve it, email Eddie at support@pollyannalenkic.com and she will do her best to help you.

FAQ about LSI

Dr. J. Clayton Lafferty (1928-1997), commonly known as Clay, drew inspiration from two individuals: Abraham Maslow, who focused on self-actualization, and David McClelland, who emphasised the need for achievement (N Ach). However, Clay's interests diverged from theirs in two ways:

1. He delved into the barriers that prevented people from reaching these desired states.

2. He explored what areas individuals excelled in if they lacked achievement orientation.

According to Clay, the answers to these inquiries could be found in the works of Harry Stacks Sullivan and Karen Horney. Both Sullivan and Horney described various "defensive" thinking and behavioural patterns.

+ The Circumplex

Timothy Leary: Clay examined Leary's Interpersonal Circumplex during his doctoral dissertation and was influenced by the idea of different thinking styles and their relationships within this model.

Blake & Mouton: Task vs People: This early and influential theory on managerial styles by Blake and Mouton confirmed that managers showed interest in receiving feedback about their own styles.

Harry Stack Sullivan: Satisfaction vs Security: Sullivan's influence on Leary and others attracted Clay to Sullivan's "Self System" and the idea of combining task-oriented and people-oriented approaches with satisfaction and security needs.

Karen Horney: Theory of the Self: Similar to Sullivan, Horney developed her own "Theory of the Self," and Clay appreciated the distinctions of Compliance, Aggression, and Detachment.

Abraham Maslow: Self-Actualizing: Clay greatly admired Maslow's work, believing that helping people become truly healthy and self-actualized was a significant accomplishment.

David McClelland: N-Ach: Clay considered McClelland's work brilliant as it linked specific thinking patterns to effectiveness. Teaching achievement thinking became a central focus for Clay.

Carl Rogers: Humanism: Clay believed that Maslow's, McClelland's, and Rogers' works could be integrated to describe healthy thinking patterns, with Rogers' humanism adding a softer touch to task-oriented achievement.

+ What is the meaning of the percentile rings?

The percentile rings start at the centre of the Circumplex and extend outwards. How high you score for a particular style will depend on how you compare to the norming group.

+ Why are the percentile scores more relevant to interpreting individual results than the raw scores?

The statistically normed circumplex allows individuals to compare their results for both LSI 1 and LS2 with results from a researched and matched international norming group of individuals who have completed the inventory.

The bold centering in the circumplex reflects the median score for each of the 12 styles (the 50th percentile)

+ What is a norming group and what are the characteristics of the LSI norming group?

Norms help interpret an individual’s score. By comparing an individual’s raw score to how other people score themselves (LSI1) or are described by others (LSI 2), conclusions can be drawn about the ‘strength of that raw score.

• Is it comparatively low?
• Is it comparatively medium?
• Is it comparatively high?

This leads to conclusions regarding the extent to which these styles reflect the personal thinking (LSI 1) and behaviour (LSI 2) of the individual receiving the feedback and the extent to why this thinking/behaviour is supporting or limiting in the quest to realise personal potential and effectiveness.

+ When are the LSI Norms reviewed and checked?

The LSI norms are regularly reviewed against new data sets to ensure reliability and validity.

+ Have there been significant shifts?

To this date, no, there have been no significant shifts

+ Why do the norms for LSI 1 differ from those for the LSI 2?

The LSI 2 and LSI 2 are different diagnostic tools. The LSI 1 norms are based on a sample of those who describe themselves, The LSI 2 norms are based on a sample of those describing others.

+ Why do the norms differ for each of the styles?

The differences in norms for each style reflect their degree of social desirability.

+ What does the ranking of items in the item by item report mean?

Item scores can range from 0 (essentially unlike you) to 2 (like you most of the time). These are your response scores for the LSI items listed by style.

+ How are the items ordered?

The items are listed in order of the strength of their relationship to effectiveness. Those near the top are more strongly and positively related to effectiveness items (based on LSI 2) than those toward the bottom (All items correlate, some are stronger than others).

In LSI 2, what does the median and difference (delta) relate to, and how does this support the debrief process?

The Delta (Δ, difference) Score represents your scores minus the median scores for the norming group. The goal is positive delta scores for constructive styles and negative delta scores for Defensive styles.

+ Can we use LSI for recruitment, selection or promotion?

No. The LSI was developed strictly for purposes of self-development. It is neither validated nor normed for any other purpose. The norming samples on which the percentile scores are based only include individuals who assumed that their results would be used for personal development and kept strictly confidential.

+ Why does the LSI use a 3 -point response scale that doesn’t include a midpoint option?

The LSI uses Guttman’s approach to simplex measurement .This involves presenting the respondent with a series of questions measuring the same thing, each of which could be ordered along a continuum of intensity or likelihood of endorsement. Although it does not include a midway point. The LSI incorporates Likert scale scaling due to being accustomed to having more than 2 responses. The 3-point response scale is known as a modified Guttman Scale.

+ Why are certain items that seem positive, considered to be aspects of a defensive style?

All of the styles, including those that are defensive, have positive aspects. For example, some degree of certain types of Defensive thinking and behaviour can be functional as long as it doesn’t predominate an individual general thinking and behaviourial style.To gain a deeper understanding of the styles and their results review your line by line items.

In designing the LSI inventory, Dr Lafferty was particularly interested in using the adjectival descriptive method.

+ Why the Guttman scale?

In designing the LSI inventory, Dr Lafferty was particularly interested in using the adjectival descriptive method. This involves a list of adjectives, to which the respondent basically agrees or disagrees that these are descriptive of themselves (LSI 1) or the person being described (LSI 2). Since people will use all of these thinking/behavioural descriptors at some stage, using a Likert scale (1 to 5 scale) would increase the probability of scores at the middle of the range for many items, allowing for little ‘discrimination’ (important for statistical analysis). Using a Guttman scale ‘forces’ the respondent to either agree or disagree with the descriptor. By using a ‘modified’ Guttman scale, the respondent is able to discriminate the strength of each descriptor – unlike me/this person, like me/this person quite often, like me/this person most of the time. This discrimination allows for better statistical analysis in terms of reliability, validity and test-retest measurement – all very important strengths of the LSI.