What shapes our perspectives?
Three approaches from three experts
Effective teamwork relies on more than good intentions. At its foundation is a shared understanding of challenges and the steps needed to address them – a process we call Team Alignment.
But what shapes our perspectives on these challenges to start with? And how can teams grow and develop to make better decisions and take more effective action? To explore this, we spoke with three experts who approach the topic from very different angles:
• Jackie Le Fevre focuses on values at work
• Robert van Broeder is an expert in organizational behavior with Trigono
• Ilja van Roon guides people through transformational inner work.
Together, their insights form a framework we call Drivers of Decisions and Actions. It shows we have more influence at the higher levels.
In this article, we share their reflections on their work and how it connects to this framework. Their perspectives shed light on what drives decisions—and where development opportunities can be found.
Jackie on values
How do values guide decision-making? Jackie highlights the importance of aligning individual and collective values to create a shared sense of purpose.
What is your reaction to this framework?
Understanding that aspects of our human biology go back literally millions of years, and at both a hardware and software level, our brains are not tailored for the 21st century, I think is core to designing realistic and pragmatic solutions. We need to bear in mind that our values serve as a ‘guidance system’, not a set of directives. Our values attend to things that matter more to us than other things, prompting us to spot and/or create opportunities to move towards outcomes that are desirable for someone ‘like me’.
What is at the heart of your approach to helping people be more effective?
Each day, each person essentially sets out to do the best they can to make progress on things that matter to them. So, it should be easy to have everyone pulling in the same direction, right? Wrong! If the company has not been clear with its people about collectively what matters most and why, or the people in a group – be that a team or a department at a particular location – have had experiences that prompt them to hold other things as more important, then there will be a disconnect between the corporate body and the people. So, at the heart of the values-based approach is a way of articulating, in emotionally rich vocabulary, what matters most to us all. These descriptions of what matters most need to be vivid: so much more than a list of single words such as Trust or Respect or Quality. Descriptions need depth to convey distinctiveness about the core idea (value) . Common ground, which effectively aligns actual shared beliefs and values, is a powerful launch pad.
Why do people use it, and what challenges does it best help with?
Values are neither good nor bad. This neutrality can effectively work around or through unhappiness generated by other approaches that put people into boxes or types that accentuate differences rather than finding alignment. If people want to take a step back, to restate or reconnect with their sense of what makes work feel worthwhile and meaningful, then a values focus can enable that.
What makes it effective?
Values are universal: we all have them. Groups socialise to values that are shared at some level by their members. So, when we work with values, we are working with something that already exists, already has impacts and has a dynamic relationship with the things we believe, the decisions we take and the outcomes that follow. Bringing something real out of the unconscious to a place where we can see it, hold it, and mould it is enlightening and enabling – it makes the most of what it is to be human.
Robert on behaviour
What role does reinforcement play in shaping behaviour? Robert shares how performance-driven approaches can unlock alignment.
What is your reaction to this framework?
For me, the distinction between conscious and unconscious behaviour is irrelevant. You see the behaviour because of reinforcement. Even unconscious behaviours require reinforcement. As soon as the causal relationship between behaviour and reinforcer breaks, people respond consciously almost immediately. For instance, when you drive a car. Many actions are automatic: you don’t think about it for a second. Why? Because the behaviour produces desired and expected results every time. But what happens if someone hits your car while you are driving? Are you still responding unconsciously? I seriously doubt that. Defence mechanisms, personality, mental models, values and beliefs are so called ‘constructs’. It is hard to prove a causal relationship between a construct and operant behaviour. For example, you may have the value that you are against violence. But what will you do if you see someone being beat up or an animal being mistreated? Will you act according to your values, or personality? My view is you assess the possible outcome of your action. When you believe the outcome is positive in some way, you will probably act. When you are sure something bad will happen to you, chances are you will not act. So, consequences drive behaviour, not mechanisms, personality, mental models and values.What is at the heart of your approach to helping people be more effective?
At the heart is the concept of ‘performance’, defined as the results and the operant behaviours required to produce these results. Step one is to make the desired results as clear as possible. Step two defines the behaviours that cause/produce exactly these results. Producing the results using the correct behaviours should lead to positive reinforcement. It’s the reinforcement mechanism that keeps performance going and improving. When you run into performance problems – e.g. the results decrease over time - you can analyse the situation and see if any desired behaviours fail to be reinforced. Or if there are any undesired behaviours that are inadvertently reinforced. Then, adjust accordingly.Why do people use it, and what challenges does it best help with?
We use it because it works! Thousands of studies show that the approach works in various industries and trades. The approach helps with two sorts of challenges. First, challenges where the required results are unclear, and people cannot achieve the desired results. Second, it works with motivational challenges, where people choose to behave differently than expected or required.What makes it effective?
Working with positive consequences makes it effective. Behaviours produce all kinds of so-called ‘behavioural consequences’. These consequences determine whether the behaviour will continue or stop. When behaviour consistently produces positive results for the performer, the chances are the behaviour that produced these results will be shown more often. On the other hand, when the behaviour fails to produce the desired consequences or produces undesired consequences (from the performer's perspective), then the behaviour will stop sooner or later.
Ilja on inner transformation work
What drives behaviors from within? Ilja explores the deep-rooted forces that shape decisions and shares how reconnecting with our core can lead to emotional maturity and empathy.
What is your reaction to this framework?
I appreciate the breadth and depth of the framework in the sense that it covers both the consciousness and unconscious mind and includes tangible behaviours and intangible values and beliefs.
What is at the heart of your approach to helping people be more effective?
As human beings, we have a core, which is the ground of our being and the source of our real talents, needs, desires and qualities. We also have a psychological defence system, which protects us from childhood trauma/pain caused, e.g. by rejection, abuse, neglect, and lack of affection or safety. This defence is limited, even counter-productive: it doesn’t address the root causes of our pain and leads to toxic behaviours that undermine how we treat others and ourselves. My approach is two-fold: healing the root causes and awakening latent parts of our inner being. As a result, people let their guard down and begin to live from their core, which leads to more emotional maturity, intimacy, presence, self-care, empathy and strong boundaries.
Why do people use it, and what challenges does it best help with?
I work with individuals and couples for one of two reasons. The majority of my clients are fed up with the dark, dysfunctional parts of their lives and urgently want to move away from them. A minority of my clients are in a relatively good place but want to take the next step in their development. Usually, it’s a bit of both.
What makes it effective?
Having a rich toolbox built across multiple disciplines helps. However, inner growth mainly occurs within the relationship between my clients and me. My clients need to have courage and determination and to really want to change. I, in turn, need to be stable, present, and authentic and approach people with unconditional acceptance. Plus, I can only take clients as far as I have gone myself, so my ongoing development is a priority. The Japanese martial art of Aikido is one key to that, and I have just started studying Buddhist psychology.
Bringing it all together
Each expert offers a unique lens on what drives decisions and actions, whether through inner transformation, values, or behaviors. And while their approaches differ, they all highlight the importance of clarity: understanding where your team stands is key to moving forward effectively.
That’s where Mirror Mirror™ plays a role. Our research-based diagnostic tool reveals alignment gaps between team members’ perspectives on shared challenges and what needs development. These insights open the door to meaningful dialogue and inform decisions about the next steps, helping teams close alignment gaps and move toward greater cohesion and effectiveness.
Whether it’s refining decision-making, strengthening team dynamics, or identifying the most impactful development opportunities, the right approach starts with understanding and a framework like this can help point the way.
Ready to discover what drives your team’s decisions and actions? Reach out to explore how Mirror Mirror can help you turn alignment into impact.