Most leadership models focus heavily on horizontal development, encompassing skills, behaviors, competencies, and techniques. These are valuable, but they do not fundamentally change how leaders see, interpret, or respond to reality.

As a result, many leaders are extensively trained yet rarely evolve.

This gap shows up in predictable ways:

. difficulty navigating increasing global complexity

. emotional reactivity under pressure

. cultural breakdowns inside teams

. failed change initiatives despite training

. recurring organizational patterns that do not improve with scale

This is not a failure of intelligence. It is a limitation of meaning-making—the internal structure that enables leaders to understand themselves, others, and the world.