An Adult Development Journey with Dr. Otto Laske

After completing the

Georgetown University Leadership Coaching Certificate Program, I was eagerly looking for intellectual stimulation. My Georgetown coach suggested exploring Dr. Otto Laske's courses. I signed up quickly for a free session and my two years' journey with Dr. Laske commenced. I was fascinated with the holistic approach, the mental challenge, the solid theoretical background and the practical applications to the fields of coaching and organization development. Dr. Laske taught our small, international cohort with passion and great insight. He had two main objectives in mind: to demystify philosophy and social science as to what pertain to adult development and to introduce measurement. He believes strongly that evidence-based procedures are of a pivotal importance to our helping profession.

Dr. Laske is a developmental and organizational psychologist. He is the founder and the educational director of the Interdevelopmental Institute (IDM). He was attracted to adult development in the early 1990s because it seemed to offer ways of understanding himself and others that were out of reach for him previously. Perhaps his social science legacy is separating social-emotional and cognitive development in his 1999 thesis on which Constructive Developmental Framework (CDF) is built. He is both a teacher and a student of the human condition.

Dr. Laske's contributions to adult development are immense. He has brilliantly integrated/expanded the works of Robert Keagan, Elliott Jacques, Ken Wilber, Th.W. Adorno, Michael Basseches, H. Murray and Roy Bhaskar. Over the last few years, he published multiple articles and two books on the subject:

• Measuring Hidden Dimensions: The Art and Science of Fully Engaging Adults(2006)
• Measuring Hidden Dimensions of Human Systems: Foundations of Requisite Organizations (2009)

In addition to being a distinguished intellectual and a prolific writer, Dr. Laske is a composer, a painter and a poet. He studied music in Germany while he was in his middle twenties and established "cognitive musicology" in the seventies. He is fascinated by Rilke, Benn and Creely. His favorite piece of poetry now is Vergil's GEORGICS.

Studying with Dr. Laske has deeply broadened my understanding of myself and that of my clients. I am honored and grateful for the opportunity to glimpse at an ocean of knowledge and wisdom. Thank you, Otto.           

If you wish to get in touch with Dr. Otto Laske, his e-mail address is: otto@interdevelopmentals.org.

Think of someone whose voice you really love listening to...what qualities does that voice have? Now think of someone whose voice you dislike and grates on your ears? What qualities does that voice have?

The difference between a full, rich and robust voice and a high, thin voice may be the difference between a leader's success or failure.  Voice or vocal presence is a critical component in a leader's ability to get their message across or project a powerful presence out to the world. This is particularly important with women leaders, whose voices often detract from their power and lack a strong, resonant quality.

What is vocal presence? It is the leader's ability to align their voice and intention. It is the use of voice tone, color and richness to complement other non-verbal cues in communicating a message that is consistent with the speakers' verbal content. When your voice matches the content of your words you bring more power and consistency to your message.

As a coach, you use many physical, emotional, and mental lenses through which to collect observations about your coaching clients. The Vocal Presence methodology is a perfect complement to other lenses used in leadership coaching: it combines your intuition with recognizing specific vocal qualities needed to increase your client's leadership presence. Those leaders whose voice does not serve them well always have a "story" about their voice and that's a great place to begin helping your clients increase their vocal presence.  

To find vocal exercises, videos, and descriptions for ways to help your clients help you develop the skills needed to increase vocal presence visit:

• http://www.vocalpresence.net 
• http://fullvoicebook.wordpress.com 

A great resource is also "Full Voice: The Art and Presence of Vocal Presence" by Barbara McAfee

Special thanks to Kari Uman, President of Uman Resource Associates, a certified Leadership Coach, offering face-to-face vocal presence coaching in the Washington, DC area.

All episodes of Visionary Leader, Extraordinary Life are available via podcast.

The Voice

"The voice, like the eyes and the face, is traditionally a window to the soul...The voice carries the emotional body of the person speaking. Without verbal explanation, but simply through sound, it tells us who is speaking, and, in the meeting room, who has come to work. The voice is as important to identity as anything we possess."

-- David Whyte, The Heart Aroused