The Authentic Action Wheel
The Authentic Action Wheel Leadership Model was developed by Dr. Robert Terry and has been used for more than 30 years in organizations worldwide.
The Authentic Action Wheel is an issue and action-framing tool. It was created to provide the answers to two core leadership questions:
- What is really, really going on?
- What are we going to do about it?
The ability to frame an issue correctly is essential to leadership. As we correctly frame issues, so too will we solve them. Without a reflective answer, action is misdirected, misunderstood and mismanaged. Unless we know what is really going on, we misconstrue the issues and act with unanticipated, even dire, consequences.
The theory and use of the Action Wheel Leadership model are found in Authentic Leadership: Courage In Action ~by Dr. Robert Terry
What is the Premise of the Action Wheel?
- All human action is structured the same—every act, in every situation.
- In other words, the generic features of action are related to each other in a particular and universal form.
- All six aspects of the model are implicitly present in every human action.
- Therefore all features of action must eventually be addressed in any proposed action.
- What is critical is the location of our attention and the direction of our engagement at the outset of the leadership task.
Get started using the Action Wheel with the Action Wheel Assessment.
The six components of every human action are:
- Meaning
- Mission
- Power
- Existence
- Structure
- Resources
90% of all leadership solutions begin “above the line” in Meaning, Mission, and Power. 90% of leadership’s time is typically spent “below the line” in Existence, Resources and Structure.
The six dimensions of the Action Wheel are further clarified by the Leadership Metaphors that help define them.
What Are Some Outcomes of Using the Authentic Action Wheel?
- Frame and define what is really, really going on
- Create a common language
- Identify and focus attention
- Avoid misinterpreting reality
- Focus energy toward authentic action and long-term solutions
- Align people, systems and strategy
- Engage people and systems
- Identify ethical challenges, dilemmas and solutions
The completed act, action or fulfillment, is the ultimate goal and outcome. It is achieved when all six features of the Authentic Action Wheel are addressed.
Fulfillment is the completed action that embraces existence, resources, structure, power, mission and meaning. Anything you are considering, trying to understand, create, or adopt can be put in the center of the wheel in place of the word “Fulfillment.”
Our signature Leadership Assessment Tools can be your starting point.
“Over the years, I have found that most issues center on meaning, mission and power, but that our leadership slides too quickly toward structure, resources and existence. We reorganize (structure), throw money at the problem (resources), or pray for a miracle (existence)!” ~Bob Terry
What is the definition of authenticity?
Here is Bob Terry's answer: "Authenticity is knowing, and acting on, what is true and real inside yourself, your team and your organization AND knowing and acting on what is true and real in the world. It is not enough to walk one’s talk if one is headed off, or leading one’s organization, community or nation, off a cliff! ~ Bob Terry
Bob Terry's Original Version of the Authentic Action Wheel
Leadership is a relationship between leader and led that presses to know what is really going on, to act courageously on that understanding, and to live authentically. ~Bob Terry
Books and Ebooks By Our Company Founder, Dr. Robert Terry:
 
The Leadership Series for Successful Living
Related Pages:
Action Wheel Assessment
Leadership Tools
Leadership Assessment Tools
Leadership Metaphors
Leadership Models
Ethics in Leadership
Leadership Essay
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