Spiritual Intelligence: A leadership superpower
In a world that has become increasingly polarised, spiritual intelligence stands out as a much-needed competency to promote interconnectedness and a sense of ‘I am because you are’ or ‘Ubuntu’, a philosophy South Africans have understood and embraced for eons, writes Dr Phyllis Ndlovu, CEO of Kisima Psychological Services.
For a leader, spiritual intelligence is about three things, namely personal purpose in one’s role in an organisation, the meaning one attributes to one’s life experiences, as well as one’s reflection on one’s interconnection with others.
It has been suggested that spiritual intelligence is the apex of human development, which commences with physical intelligence or mastery over the physical body, followed by intellectual or cognitive intelligence (IQ), emotional intelligence (EQ), which centres on self-regulation, and, finally, spiritual intelligence.
Key to this is a sense of interconnectedness between individuals, organisations, society and the natural environment, as well as the transcendental. Spiritually intelligent leaders are aware that all elements of their corporate ecosystems are intricately connected, with everything contributing value to the overall optimisation of that corporate outfit. It is in this sense that ‘I am because you are’ and vice versa bears relevance to the workplace.
Because at its core, spiritual intelligence rests on purpose, leaders need to ask themselves ‘what is my why?’. Leaders tend to cast a long shadow in the organisations they oversee, so when they have a clear sense of purpose, the decisions they make are more meaningful and sustainable than the largely mechanical decisions made by leaders who rely solely on intellect.
When leaders understand their “why”, they embrace that businesses are embedded in much larger social, cultural, political and ecological systems, and where the role of companies is not only profit maximisation but also contributing to the creation of a flourishing world. This means a shift from only focusing on internal organisational efficiency to creating shared value for all stakeholders within the company’s ecology.
Here, neuroscience comes into play. Three functions of the brain are enablers of spiritual intelligence.
Holistic function – this is the brain’s capacity to see the whole as more than the sum of its parts, meaning spiritually intelligent leaders recognise that the company’s ecosystem is one holistic unit as opposed to several different departments, allowing them to promote interconnections and connectedness.
Causality – causality is the brain’s ability to establish cause and effect. For example, leaders noticing that when they treat all stakeholders within their ecosystem with humanity and dignity, stakeholders tend to go the extra mile, even becoming innovative. Those who can connect these dots lead better.
Enquiry – this is our brains’ curiosity capacity, which asks questions and generates ‘what if’s’. This is powerful, because when you can say ‘how else can we approach this’ or ‘how else do we need to show up’, we are opening ourselves up to more than just business as usual. In fact, when we ask ourselves: ‘is there another way of running this business better, we shift the brain from self-preservation to the possibility of innovation, which can lead to a higher, more optimal way of functioning as an organisation.
When leaders activate these three brain functions, they can emulate the principles of spiritual intelligence in the workplace and model to others how to emulate those principles too.
Given the significant role of spiritual intelligence as a competency, it follows, then, that leadership teams need to invest time in discussions about collective purpose, rather than merely about the bottom line and targets, which is a given. They need to consider these reflection points as part of their regular agenda items:
-
What is our business purpose beyond profit?
-
How well are we doing in achieving this purpose?
-
Are individuals within the organisation aligned with this purpose?
-
If not, what must we do as a leadership team to create that alignment?
-
Is society able to identify with the business or brand we are becoming?
These need to be ongoing reflective questions. When leaders don’t reflect on these, they risk working themselves out of business. This is because as the gap between rich and poor widens, many businesses that don’t repurpose themselves are in fact directly contributing to creating a declining pool of potential customers for themselves in the coming years.
Our sense of purpose at a personal and collective leadership level is not some lofty idea that is not grounded in our immediate practical contexts. It’s a business imperative. We are therefore invited to disrupt our own thinking. As Africans and South Africans, we are well positioned to get ahead of the curve and co-create a different society, one that future generations will thank us for.
