Higher level of consciousness needed for leadership

So, what is it that makes a great leader or leadership team? Are there any objective tests to tell the difference between two seemingly equal contenders? Can we tell where the weaknesses and strengths are in a team before it reaches critical periods? The answer to these questions is more positive than it used to be.

Higher consciousness the key

A study of great leaders, from our own Madiba, to Gandhi, Branson and potentially Obama finds that above all else they possess that raw, gut instinct, that ability to make conscious and consistently accurate decisions in most situations, often with imperfect information sets. They display an uncanny ability to transcend the behavioural capabilities of their peers repeatedly. This stems from what leading quantum physicists and psychologists like to call a higher level of human consciousness. The only surprise really is that it has taken the business world so long to grasp the advantage that this ability promises.

Consciousness has been a point of contention with the business elite, many of whom have tended to view the subject as ‘spiritualist nonsense'. It seems, however, that this may not be the case. Humans have a unique ability to be conscious of their consciousness. People with higher levels of consciousness are able to make quick and accurate decisions using their intuition and instinct or gut feel.

21st century needs

This comes at the right time, as levels of change in the 21st century speed up at an exponential rate, technological advantage becomes commoditised and predictability and forecasting become based on assumption rather than past information. If ever there was a time for intuitive capability, it is now. This environment puts a new emphasis on a leaders 'intuitive' ability to make the right decisions, rather than his or her ability to make decisions based on analysis and perfect information sets.

Great leaders will increasingly be found to be both intuitive and analytical. They will have high levels of consciousness, and as a result, will exhibit behaviour that is more creative, more productive, more appropriate, more accurate and more intuitive and instinctive than their less conscious peers.

The old methods of analysis tend to be insufficient in this new world. In the past, one had an impressive array of tests that could rate individuals' behaviour, attitude and even their emotional quotient as indicators of behavioural maturity. Now, it is apparent that one's level of human consciousness or their 'Consciousness Quotient' or CQ has become the determining factor in behavioural capability.

Measuring consciousness

As one of South Africa's leading leadership solutions businesses, we believe we have developed a methodology to assess consciousness and contend therefore that we are able to predict performance both in individual leaders and in teams at levels of accuracy not yet contemplated.

The Performance Predictor model measures functional competence (skill, knowledge and experience) and behavioural competence that includes the CQ of an individual or a team and compares the result to the requirement of the organisation in a particular environment.

Our new approach to leadership behaviour assessment helps clients to examine the suitability if their leadership capabilities against future strategies, then to determine the gaps and to take corrective action at levels beyond those currently available.

Speed is the key

Given that decisions in the future will be made in shorter periods and with greater consequences, it becomes critical that decisions around leadership selection and development are made to enable accuracy and inspiration as far as possible.

We believe that leadership teams that are selected and developed with the help of this fresh holistic approach will outperform their peers to create sustainable competitive advantage for their shareholders.