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Announcing My Partnership with the telos institute: Bringing Vertical Leadership Development to the Next Level

By David Cicerchi, Certified Leadership Maturity Coach


Today I’m excited to share a new chapter in my work as a leadership maturity coach: I’ve joined the expert panel at the telos institute, a firm that’s been at the forefront of leadership and organizational transformation for over 25 years.


Founded by Rick and Amy Simmons, telos has long focused on helping leaders navigate uncertainty—and not just survive it, but transform through it. Their book Unleashed captures this beautifully, offering a powerful lens on what they call liminal space: those uncomfortable, in-between periods where the old ways no longer work, but the new ways aren’t fully formed yet.

We often find ourselves in liminal space involuntarily—a key employee leaves, the economy shifts, a competitor disrupts the market, a new leader changes the cultural tone. But what if we could intentionally enter these spaces of uncertainty, not as victims, but as leaders? What if we could use liminality as a catalyst for personal and organizational transformation?


That’s exactly the premise of telos’ work—and it aligns perfectly with my own coaching approach over the past 7+ years: vertical leadership development.



What Is Vertical Development—and Why Does It Matter?


Most leadership programs focus on horizontal development—adding new skills, tools, and knowledge to a leader’s existing toolbox. And that’s important. But vertical development addresses something even more essential: the leader’s capacity to make meaning, hold complexity, and exercise wisdom.


Vertical development helps leaders evolve how they lead, how they think, and who they are becoming—not just what they know.

Research over the last 50+ years shows that leaders evolve through predictable, sequential stages of development. Very similar to the Leadership Maturity Framework that I have been certified in, Bill Joiner's Leadership Agility Framework outlines three stages that impact how an individual leads:


  • Expert Stage: “Do it right.” Focused on knowledge, expertise, and best practices. Think checklists, certifications, rule-following.

  • Achiever Stage: “Get it done.” Prioritizes results, strategy, and long-term goals. Sees a wider horizon—3, 5, even 10 years out—and knows how to rally teams to meet measurable targets.

  • Catalyst Stage: “Change the game.” Aware of invisible dynamics like culture, values, and psychological safety. Catalysts don’t just lead tasks—they shape systems, evolve culture, and foster resilient, adaptive teams.


Leaders at later stages of development are better equipped to navigate VUCA environments—those marked by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. In fact, research from the Center for Creative Leadership shows that leaders who hold a both/and mindset outperform leaders who hold an either/or mindset—precisely the capacity that improves with vertical development. In addition, Bill Torbert's research shows that later-stage leaders are more effective at driving transformation and innovation, precisely because they can see more, hold more, and integrate more.


The Vertical Frontier Leadership Program


That’s why I’m so thrilled about telos’ Vertical Frontier Leadership Program. It translates this deep, research-based vertical development framework into an accessible, practical experience for leaders at all levels.


Under the leadership of President and Chief Experience Officer Mike Herzog, the program draws from the broader field of vertical development—including the work of Bill Joiner, Bill Torbert, Robert Kegan, and Richard Barrett—to offer a practical framework for vertical development in real-world contexts.


And it’s all centered around a simple, yet sophisticated metaphor: Leadership Aperture.


Leadership Aperture: Training Leaders for Range and Wisdom


Think of a camera aperture—you can zoom in to capture detail, or zoom out to capture the whole scene. Great leaders need that same kind of range.


  • A narrow aperture helps you solve urgent, tactical issues (“Fix the broken pipe now.”)

  • A medium aperture steps back to assess strategy and systems (“Why are these pipes breaking?”)

  • A wide aperture looks at the whole social ecosystem (“What are the underlying patterns and conditions that give rise to the flawed systems and processes?”)


But range alone isn’t enough. What makes this approach transformational is the emphasis on wisdom: knowing when to zoom in, when to zoom out, and when to shift gears entirely. That’s what the telos Vertical Frontier program teaches. It trains leaders to develop that inner lens—and use it dynamically to respond to real-time challenges with insight, adaptability, and intention.


Real Results for Real Organizations


This isn’t merely an interesting theory. telos has already worked with companies like United Airlines, Benjamin Moore, University Hospitals in Cleveland, and others to deliver lasting leadership development through the telos Vertical Frontier program. Their approach has been widely praised for its clarity, accessibility, and effectiveness in real-world settings.


If you’re interested in learning more about this open enrollment or custom-tailored program, you can find more information at www.telosverticalfrontier.com.


What This Means for My Clients


For years I’ve been coaching leaders one-on-one through the vertical development journey—from Expert to Achiever to Catalyst and beyond. What telos brings is a scalable, structured way for organizations to engage with this process as part of their larger leadership development strategy.


Whether you’re:

  • Building a leadership pipeline for the next generation

  • Trying to navigate organizational complexity or cultural change

  • Looking to increase innovation, resilience, or psychological safety

  • Or simply want your leaders to see the bigger picture and lead with wisdom…

…I can now bring you a powerful, proven framework through my collaboration with telos.


Why It Matters More Than Ever


In today’s fast-moving, disruptive world, horizontal skills aren’t enough. What’s needed are leaders who can:

  • Think systemically

  • See farther into the future

  • Integrate conflicting priorities

  • Respond with clarity amidst ambiguity

  • Foster cultures that learn, adapt, and evolve


That requires vertical development—and that’s exactly what the telos Vertical Frontier Program delivers.


Let’s Talk


If you’re an HR leader, People & Culture partner, or business executive responsible for developing your company’s leadership capacity, I’d love to explore how we can bring this approach to your team.


Reach out to schedule a conversation about how the Vertical Frontier can integrate with your current leadership programming.


Together, we can equip your leaders with the range and wisdom to meet today’s challenges—and shape tomorrow’s possibilities.



This article was written based on this impromptu video below, combined with ChatGPT and feedback from Mike Herzog:



Further Resources


To dive deeper into the research, theory, and practical frameworks behind vertical leadership development—and the work of telos institute—explore the resources below:


Vertical Development & Stages of Leadership Maturity


  • Rooke, D., & Torbert, W. R. (2005). Seven Transformations of Leadership. Harvard Business Review. Widely cited HBR article describing leadership stages and their effectiveness in handling complexity.

  • Joiner, B., & Josephs, S. (2007). Leadership Agility: Five Levels of Mastery for Anticipating and Initiating Change. The model Telos adapts for its Vertical Frontiers program—clarifies the Expert, Achiever, and Catalyst stages in practical language.


telos institute & Liminal Leadership


Leadership in Complexity & VUCA Environments




 
 
 

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