Integrating the Geese Framework with Richard Boyatzis’ “Intentional Change Theory

A Coaching Model for Sustaining Energy and Purpose in Fractional Leadership

1. Why Intentional Change Theory (ICT) Matters for Fractional Leaders

Boyatzis’ Intentional Change Theory proposes that sustainable transformation — in people, teams, or organizations — follows a natural, cyclical pattern of energy and renewal.

It’s not a linear process of “fixing” or “improving.” It’s a wave-like journey driven by emotional resonance, aspiration, and reflection — the same rhythmic flow that geese demonstrate in their migration.

Fractional leaders and CXOs are often caught in perpetual forward motion — leading multiple transformations, managing crises, and continuously re-engaging teams. Without renewal cycles, they risk becoming the exhausted lead goose: still flapping, but no longer lifting.

ICT provides the inner structure to regulate leadership energy intentionally, not reactively.

2. The Five Discoveries of Intentional Change Theory

Boyatzis describes five interconnected discoveries that define how sustainable change occurs.When overlaid with the Geese Framework, they form a Leadership Energy Cycle.

ICT Discovery	Geese Framework Connection	Coaching Insight
1. The Ideal Self – Who do I want to be? What’s my purpose?	Lead Burst – taking flight with vision	Leadership starts with aspirational energy. The “why” gives lift. Coaches help leaders reconnect with their Ideal Self before launching into new initiatives.
2. The Real Self – Who am I now? What are my strengths and gaps?	Glide Mode – reflection and recalibration	Glide time allows honest self-assessment. The coach helps leaders observe without judgment, strengthening self-awareness and resilience.
3. The Learning Agenda – What do I need to change to close the gap?	Formation Tune – aligning learning and support structures	Learning agendas are like adjusting formation. Coaches work with leaders to build supportive relationships and feedback loops that keep direction steady.
4. Experimentation and Practice – Trying new behaviors and leadership rhythms	Lift Share – sharing energy, testing co-leadership	Leaders experiment with distributed authority. The coach reinforces psychological safety and celebrates progress over perfection.
5. Resonant Relationships – Sustaining change through trust and emotional connection	Rest & Renew – regenerating through community and reflection	Renewal happens in connection. Resonant relationships act like the flock’s updraft — they sustain lift through empathy and shared rhythm.

3. Coaching Flow: Applying ICT in Fractional Leadership Context

Here’s how a CXO coach can apply ICT step by step — mapped to the Geese energy rhythm.

🕊 Step 1: Activate the Ideal Self (The Vision Flight)

Purpose: Ignite emotional resonance and clarify the deeper “why.”

Analogy: The lead goose sets the direction before others align.

Coaching Prompts:

• What is your “north star” for this leadership season?

• What future state excites you enough to sustain turbulence?

• What kind of leader do you want to be remembered as in this formation (not forever, but for now)?Practice: Create a Leadership Flight Map — a single-page visual aligning purpose with current initiatives.

🌬 Step 2: Reflect on the Real Self (The Glide Phase)

Purpose: Build awareness of the present — strengths, blind spots, fatigue patterns.

Analogy: When the goose drifts back, it observes the entire formation from a wider view.

Coaching Prompts:

• When do you feel most in flow? When do you feel drag?

• What signals tell you that your leadership energy is waning?

• How aligned are your current activities with your Ideal Self?

• Practice: Use Energy Journaling — track daily energy highs/lows and triggers.

🪶 Step 3: Define the Learning Agenda (The Formation Tune)

Purpose: Identify growth areas and design support mechanisms.

Analogy: The formation adjusts spacing for optimal lift.

Coaching Prompts:

• Which capability, mindset, or behavior would increase your “lift”?

• What experiments could you run in the next 30 days to test new rhythms?

• Who in your organization can give you honest feedback about your leadership energy?

• Practice: Create a Learning Flight Plan — three small behavioral experiments aligned with the Ideal Self.

🔄 Step 4: Experiment and Share Lift (The Collaborative Rotation)

Purpose: Practice new ways of leading without needing to “own” every outcome.

Analogy: The geese rotate leadership; influence circulates.

Coaching Prompts:

• How can you invite others to take the lead temporarily?

• What systems or rituals could enable shared decision-making?

• What’s the smallest safe-to-try experiment you can delegate?

• Practice: Run “Micro-Rotations” — 1–2 week periods where others lead a meeting, project, or narrative. Reflect on the team’s response and your energy change.

🌤 Step 5: Sustain Resonant Relationships (The Renewal Glide)

Purpose: Anchor learning through emotional connection and trust networks

Analogy: The flock maintains formation through constant feedback and calls — resonance in motion.

Coaching Prompts:

• Who uplifts your leadership energy when you feel depleted?

• How do you express gratitude or appreciation within your flock?

• Where do you find stillness or reflection away from turbulence?Practice: Establish a Resonance Circle — 3–5 trusted peers or mentors for regular reflection sessions.

4. The Meta-Lesson: Energy Is the Medium of Intentional Change

Boyatzis’ research shows that lasting transformation occurs not through willpower but through emotional resonance — a state where energy flows freely between the leader’s vision, relationships, and learning.

Fractional leaders must therefore learn to manage energy coherence, not just time allocation.That means knowing:

• When to lead (vision energy),

• When to listen (reflective energy),

• When to experiment (creative energy), and

• When to renew (restorative energy).

The flock succeeds when no single leader burns out — because leadership becomes collective, cyclical, and conscious.

5. Coaching Integration: The “Energy Intentionality Cycle”

You can visualize this as a five-phase coaching map combining ICT + the Geese Framework:

[1] Vision Flight  →  [2] Glide Reflection  →  [3] Formation Tune  →  
[4] Collaborative Rotation  →  [5] Renewal Glide  → (back to Vision)

Each loop strengthens emotional intelligence and builds systemic resilience.

6. Key Reflection Questions for the Coach

• Which phase of the Intentional Change Cycle is the leader currently inhabiting?

• Are they flying too long in front (overexerted vision) or too long in back (disconnected)?

• How can the coach design interventions that restore rhythm — not just productivity?

• What emotional tone (resonant vs. dissonant) is shaping the leader’s current energy system?

7. Closing Insight

“Intentional change is not about accelerating harder — it’s about aligning your rhythm with purpose.”

The Geese Framework, when grounded in Boyatzis’ ICT, teaches leaders to migrate through change not by force, but by flow — leading, gliding, and renewing with intention.

Fractional leadership, in this sense, becomes not a role but a rhythm — a living practice of self-regulated energy, resonant relationships, and purpose-driven transformation.