Leaders in the Loop – Episode 08 – Expanding our Context Windows with Chief Creative Officer Dr. Jonathan Reams

Dan Jenkins and Gaurav Khanna are joined by Dr. Jonathan Reams, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer at the Center for Transformative Leadership, founder of Adeptify, and author of Maturing Leadership, to explore what leadership development looks like in an AI-saturated environment—especially when information is abundant but developmental capacity is not.

Episode Overview

This episode frames leadership growth as a developmental process rather than a knowledge-transfer problem. Drawing on adult development theory, neuroscience-informed models of prediction and emotion, and applied AI practice, the conversation explores how leaders expand capacity, interrupt reactivity, and remain accountable in complex systems.

Topics Covered

• Leaders “create the weather” through emotional and relational climate
• The bricoleur mindset and adaptive learning
• Predictive processing and constructed emotion
• Horizontal vs. vertical development
• Downward assimilation of complex concepts
• Psychological Aikido and interrupting reactive cycles
• Learning loops and dynamic skill theory
• Context windows and attention (human and AI parallels)
• Intentional AI collaboration and ethical acceleration

Key Takeaways

• Leadership behavior reflects predictive models shaped by early experience.
• Capacity expansion—not content accumulation—drives developmental growth.
• Complex ideas degrade when leaders lack the capacity to hold them.
• Iterative learning loops enable meaningful skill development.
• AI tools require deliberate framing and human accountability.
• Ethical maturity must keep pace with technological capability.

Examples & References Discussed

Adult Development & Learning

• Robert Kegan – Harvard profile
• Jean Piaget – Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• Kurt Fischer – Dynamic Skill Theory
• Theo Dawson – Lectica

Neuroscience & Psychology

• Lisa Feldman Barrett – Official site
• Benjamin Libet – readiness potential research
• Andy Clark – University of Edinburgh profile

Leadership & Organizations

• The Leadership Circle
• Arbinger Institute
• Amy Edmondson – Harvard Business School
• Peter Senge – The Fifth Discipline (Publisher page)

AI, Technology & Culture

• Google AI Studio (Gemini)
• Claude (Anthropic)
• Visual Studio Code
• Kilo Code (VS Code extension)
• The Coming Wave – Official site
• Co-Intelligence – Publisher page
• Algorithmic Justice League

Stay curious. Stay human.