“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” — Anaïs Nin
As leaders, we often face situations where people disagree, teams get stuck, or strategies don’t land the way we expected. We listen to one side, make decisions fast, and try to fix things. But what if we’re only looking at half the picture? Or maybe even less?
This is where the AQAL model by Ken Wilber can help. It’s a powerful framework that helps you see beyond the obvious—so you can lead with greater clarity, empathy, and effectiveness.
AQAL stands for: All Quadrants, All Levels
It’s a model created by Ken Wilber, a respected American philosopher known for his work on Integral Theory. AQAL is like a map of human experience. It helps you see every situation from four different perspectives—not just one. And that’s the beauty of it.
Let’s look at each one.
This is the inner world of the individual. Thoughts, feelings, values, fears, motivations.
Example: One of your team members is suddenly disengaged. You can’t fix this by just assigning more work. You need to understand what’s going on inside—are they feeling unsupported? Anxious? Unheard?
This quadrant reminds us:
This is what you can see and measure: actions, habits, productivity, performance.
Example: A team member always misses deadlines. This quadrant says: Look at the behavior. Do they need better time management tools? Clearer KPIs?
This is the shared meaning within the team: trust, communication, values.
Example: Is your team collaborating or working in silos? Do they trust each other? Can they give and receive feedback?
Culture doesn’t show up on a dashboard—but it’s the glue that holds the team together.
This is the external system: tools, processes, workflows, hierarchy.
Example: Your team is stressed. Before blaming people, ask: Are our tools outdated? Is our workload too high? Do we have a broken approval process?
Most leaders focus only on what’s visible—the behavior, the metrics, the outcomes. But real leadership is about seeing the invisible. It’s about asking:
The AQAL model trains you to zoom out and look at the full picture.
When you do that, your leadership becomes more:
Here’s a quick checklist you can use before making decisions:
| Question | Quadrant |
|---|---|
| How is the person feeling? | “I” – Inner Individual |
| What actions or patterns do I see? | “It” – Behavior |
| What are the team dynamics like? | “We” – Culture |
| Is the system or structure helping or hurting? | “Its” – System |
When you use the AQAL lens, you stop blaming and start understanding. You don’t just react—you respond with wisdom. And your people feel it.
In a world that’s complex and fast-changing, we need leaders who can see all sides of the puzzle. That’s what the AQAL model gives us.
Not just better decisions. But more human ones.
Book: A Theory of Everything by Ken Wilber
Website: IntegralLife.com
Short Video Intro: What is Integral Theory? (YouTube)
All credit for the AQAL model goes to philosopher Ken Wilber and the Integral Institute. This blog is a simplified interpretation for leadership education.
💬 How do you look at problems on your team?
💬 Which quadrant do you naturally focus on—and which one might you be missing?
Share Your Thoughts
