Leadership assessments such as Leadership Profile (DISC) and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) have long emphasized the importance of style awareness and style shifting—the ability to adjust one’s behavioral approach in response to situational demands. These models rightly recognize that no single leadership style is optimal across all contexts.
The Elastic Leadership framework extends this principle by introducing the concept of cognitive stances—internally driven patterns of perception, interpretation, and response that shape how leaders think, decide, and act under pressure. Unlike surface-level behaviors, cognitive stances operate beneath awareness and are often activated automatically, especially in high-stakes or emotionally charged environments.
Elastic leadership is not achieved by eliminating these stances, but by shifting among them intentionally.
What Are Cognitive Stances?
A cognitive stance is a default internal posture a leader adopts in response to uncertainty, threat, demand, or complexity. It reflects how attention is focused, how meaning is constructed, and how action is initiated or withheld.
Cognitive stances are not inherently good or bad. In fact, most are adaptive responses developed over time to manage risk, maintain performance, or preserve identity. Problems arise when a stance becomes dominant, rigid, or over-relied upon, reducing flexibility and constraining leadership effectiveness.
When this occurs, the stance becomes an Elastic Interference.
The 12 Cognitive Stances That Commonly Interfere With Elastic Leadership
Research, field observation, and applied leadership work consistently reveal twelve cognitive stances that—when overused—interfere with elasticity. Each can be a strength in one context and a limitation in another.
Analyzer – Over-reliance on logic, analysis, and cognitive distancing, often at the expense of emotional connection or timely action.
Comparer – Habitual comparison to others that drives self-evaluation, competition, or diminished satisfaction.
Controller – Strong need to manage people, processes, or outcomes to reduce uncertainty or anxiety.
Deflector – Avoidance of discomfort through distraction, delay, or sidestepping difficult conversations or decisions.
Doubter – Persistent second-guessing and need for reassurance that slows commitment and forward movement.
Endurer – Identity tied to suffering, over-working, or proving worth through hardship rather than effectiveness.
Guardian – Hyper-vigilance and risk scanning that protects against threat but can limit trust and flexibility.
Harmonizer – Over-prioritizing harmony and approval, often at the cost of boundaries, candor, or self-advocacy.
Performer – Self-worth anchored to productivity, achievement, or external validation.
Precisionist – Perfectionistic focus on details, correctness, and flaw avoidance that can stall progress.
Pretender – Masking uncertainty or vulnerability to maintain an image of strength or competence.
Seeker – Constant pursuit of novelty, stimulation, or new direction that interferes with sustained focus and completion.
Each of these stances can polish leadership in specific situations—and each can interfere when over-activated or applied indiscriminately.
Why Strength Alone Can Limit Leadership Outcomes
A common misconception in leadership development is that becoming “stronger” in a behavior always leads to better outcomes. In reality:
- Being strong in many stances simultaneously can create internal conflict and decision paralysis
- Being strong in only a few can produce rigidity and blind spots
- Being low in certain stances can be just as limiting as being high in others
Elastic leadership is not about maximizing scores—it is about range, balance, and adaptability.
The Importance of Style Shifting
Just as DISC and MBTI emphasize situational flexibility, Elastic Leadership depends on the ability to shift cognitive stances intentionally.
Style shifting means:
- Recognizing which stance is currently dominant
- Assessing whether it fits the present context
- Softening, suspending, or counterbalancing it when needed
- Accessing alternative stances to meet situational demands
Elasticity emerges when leaders can move fluidly between stances rather than being governed by one.
From Awareness to Elasticity
The goal of the Elastic Interference Index (EII) is not diagnosis or correction. It is awareness and choice.
By understanding how these twelve cognitive stances operate—and learning when to shift rather than default—leaders reclaim agency, expand capacity, and increase the quality of their decisions, relationships, and outcomes.
Elastic leadership is not about becoming someone different.
It is about becoming more available to who you already are—at the right time, in the right measure, for the right reason.