Use Of Self: The 9 Developmental Clusters

These are the 9 developmental clusters for the use of self identified by Mee Yan Cheung-Judge. This can serve as a road map for which skills to develop.

  • Mission / purpose: these clusters inform our work.

    1. Values Cluster
    2. Courage Cluster

    Leadership and power work can support these clusters.

  • Diagnostic Work: this is what we need for effective diagnostics.

    1. Self-work Cluster
    2. Cognition Cluster
    3. Emotional Distinction Cluster

    Trauma, therapy and coaching work can support these clusters.

  • Intervention / maintenance work: this is what we need to see the work through.

    1. Skills Cluster
    2. Character Cluster
    3. Discipline Cluster
    4. Continuous Self-Work & Growth Cluster

    Action learning sets and community practice groups can support these clusters.

Values Cluster

  • Appreciation of diversity
  • Commitment to Equality and inclusion practice
  • Commitment to using democratic processes
  • Willing to maintain a learning and developmental stance
  • Champion partnership at work with clients
  • Commitment to justice and fairness
  • Commitment to partnership processes
  • Humanitarian value
  • Committed to scientific inquiry
  • Hold strong client centric value

Courage Cluster

  • Desire for impact
  • Sense of self-efficacy
  • Sense of self-agency
  • Able to take evocative and provocative stance when necessary
  • Dare to differentiate and hold one’s own opinion
  • Ability to engage in straight talking and point out the unspeakable issues
  • Presenting the reality in a crisp and accessible manner
  • Courage to put self on the line

Self-work Cluster

  • Aim to do work to up our sense of awareness of self and others
  • Sense of roundedness
  • Authenticity, being real and transparent
  • Being congruent
  • Call for mindfulness
  • Continue to work on unresolved issues in own life
  • Willingness to engage to deepen our awareness of self
  • Willing to invest in doing our own inner work
  • Knowing how to stay choiceful and intentional
  • Commit time for self-care
  • Increase our ability to up our internal awareness
  • Maslow - “if you want to help people, improve yourself first. cure yourself.”

Cognition Cluster

When our own assessments are not clear, our emotions are unreliable.

  • Cognitive power to sift through data
  • Strategic insights in seeing the whole system
  • Ability to frame and reframe the issues to support the client’s own observation
  • Know our trade (developing deeper and deeper trade knowledge)
  • Perceptual insights to see others and situational dynamics and realities
  • Ability to tolerate ambiguity
  • Ability to separate data from interpretation
  • Is a Systematic thinker

Emotional Distinction Cluster

  • Being empathetic
  • Holding positive regards for people
  • At ease in showing compassion to others
  • Showing grace for others
  • Willing to extend oneself in service of others
  • Pays attention to emotional reaction (self and others)
  • Able to sense level of safety people need to do the work
  • Not afraid to show emotion at work

Skills Cluster

  • Good listener
  • Tolerate confusion and able to work with ambiguity without rushing clients to come to premature decision or action
  • State things succinctly, clearly and directly
  • State observations that people can hear
  • Able to take advantage of issues of differences marginality, and attraction with client and self
  • Capable to take risk to achieve result
  • Able to do experiments on the go
  • Use inquiry in relationship building

Character Cluster

  • Trustworthy
  • Show humility
  • Respectful to others
  • Grounded level of confidence
  • Desire to serve others
  • Relationship centric - work hard to build good connection with others
  • Sensitive to the flow of feedback
  • Desire for continuous learning and growth
  • Attempt to be non-judgemental of others
  • Have patience and willing to stand still to watch the unfolding of events

Discipline Cluster

  • Continue to seek feedback and learning opportunities
  • Undertake supervision
  • Practice those skills that have high impact on others
  • Cultivate those habits that will increase the ability of generative thoughts and emotional renewal
  • Participate in life-long habit of doing our own work
  • Practicing relating to others without judgement
  • Learn when to share (or not to share issues)
  • Stay non-reactive to challenging situations and people
  • Can separate serving my needs from those of the clients

Continuous Self-Work & Growth Cluster

  • Continuous inner self-work
  • Stay curious about the evolving self
  • Growing impact on one’s behavioural patterns
  • Continuous development of trade knowledge
  • Growth in skills, range, selfmanagement
  • Continuous development to increase cognitive, perceptive, affective capacity
  • Reflective practitioners
  • Willing to track how my behaviours, habits and default reactions impact on the needs of the clients
  • Consciously develop my presence through more integrative work
  • Learn to be more effective in managing boundaries
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