The following program was developed by Leadership International Limited in 1995 and has been tested in more than a dozen countries. We believe that for large proportions of the working population, the implications of this program apply. Thus it underpins our philosophy of creating and sustaining change.

This program recognises that to create positive change, our dreams need to be turned into reality through the committed involvement of those around us. Leadership demands the mastery of change - of ourselves through lifelong learning and of others through motivation towards their own learning. The aim of the program is to develop a clear understanding of our own role as masters of change and refocus ourselves as lifelong learners.

1. to understand that leadership is only required when challenged with change, and change is impossible without learning

2. to understand how as a leader you can leverage your own learning and of your team

3. to develop the characteristics of leadership by recognising how they have impacted on the lives of genius leaders through the ages

4. to understand the key rules of leadership within an empowered and self reliant team

In organisations today, the emphasis has shifted from moving an organisation from one state to another, towards creating an organisation that can continuously transform itself through learning.

What is the difference between management and leadership? Management is working in the current reality; leadership is working into a new reality. Leadership challenges the status quo, develops new ideas and involves people in its processes. In the words of Warren Bennis, leaders do the right things while managers do things right. Leadership is the Mastery of Change.

To make change in an organisation demands change in its people. How do we handle change? For each individual this can be very different. Much depends on our upbringing and our previous experiences of change. Change demands learning, and our attitude to this critical dimension is important.

‘Just as the conscious mind is the source of Thought, so the subconscious is the source of Power.’ Claude Bristol

The subconscious is a remarkably powerful tool in defining our behaviour. It records and stores our interpretation of reality - our stories of the truth; truth as we perceive it. However our picture of reality may be distorted, inaccurate and prejudiced in comparison to an objective interpretation of reality. It appears that once we assume attitudes and opinions about ourselves, we are stuck with them until we consciously decide to change them.

Once the subconscious has developed its understanding of our reality, it has the energy to make our lives fit it. It makes you act like the person you see yourself to be. This creative subconscious is extremely powerful, either in a constructive or destructive way. It works impersonally to bring into reality your subconscious picture, regardless of your true potential. What is your picture of change and learning?

Many of us have difficulties with learning - the source of change. Please accept meantime that we may associate learning with failure, embarrassment and distress.  Our story is that learning should be avoided at all costs. Our creative subconscious will ensure that happens:

we amuse ourselves at the futility of learning, making fun of those who take up the challenge, telling them it is a waste of time.

we miss the opportunities; we find excuses for not being near a classroom; we sit at the back of the class.

we fail yet again confirming that our story that we cannot learn is true.

 

Consider as a very small child before attending school, exploring was exciting; there were no fears attached to it. We used all our senses. For the most part, our parents applauded each new leaning - to walk, to talk, to draw. There was no pressure to learn, only fun.

With school, many of us found we were regimented into classrooms, our freedom dramatically restricted and our knowledge channelled and defined by other people.

Many were left embarrassed in the classroom, made to look foolish by the teacher and fellow classmates. We learned to be frightened to step forward to answer questions in case we were wrong again. Think about the phrase ‘class genius’. What image does this create for you? Does it have positive feelings? For many there is a picture of a boy with spots and large spectacles, fairly lonely, thin legs and arms, unlikely to participate in sports, with lots of pens, books and now a computer under his arm. For many this has ensured they have not associated themselves with ‘genius’.

We understand now that people have a preferred learning style - visual, auditory or Kinaesthetic. The latter is hardly catered for at all. Many ‘feelers’ need to move around, doodle on the page. In past years, this was not allowed.

We also understand that there are many different intelligences, each equal in value to the individual. If developed as a group, they massively improve learning. Schools previously only developed and measured two - linguistic and mathematical.

The reason the education system has failed so many people in many parts of the world is because it was originally designed to do so, and little has been done until recently to change it.

Let us set this in the UK context, as the UK was the cradle of the Industrial Revolution. Previously, workers had lived on the land, their children learning the skills from their parents.

The Industrial Revolution brought people from the land into towns, and they were required to learn new skills for the factories and later offices. The basics became reading, writing and arithmetic - still the fundamentals of school learning. In addition, through the approach used, children were taught discipline - to do as they were told, good timekeeping and doing repetitive tasks.

Society as defined by its industrial leaders did not require a creative thinking workforce. It required disciplined workers capable of working long hours on repetitive tasks, with little opportunity to move. So the system stunted growth in many of the intelligences, and created many who feared to return to the learning environment. Only recently have we seen major changes in the UK learning environment. And there is still not enough as the teaching profession clings to its old ways and attitudes.

Just read ‘The Test of Courage’ a biography of Michel Thomas by Christopher Robbins (ISBN 0 09 927903 7). Thomas created a language learning system that provides an expertise in the taught language within 2 weeks. No university in the US would accept the system although movie stars, politicians, cardinals and industrialists have successfully absorbed languages in this time scale. Another reference is Carl Rogers who in the 1950s proposed major changes in how we might be taught. He found many examples of exceptional teaching but could find no way to expand their use within the teaching profession.

The road to genius leadership is available to us all. With a better understanding of the learning process and ‘resetting’ your perceptions, we can assist you to unleash your learning potential. Failure can be replaced with success, on terms unique to the individual. With greater knowledge, new skills and attitudes that engender success, individuals can attack the issues of change with relish - to master change on their own terms.

We have developed a model of intelligence based  on the original research of Professor Howard Gardner of Harvard and additional work by Tony Buzan.

We recognise that there are ten intelligences, each equal in their power. Excluding or diminishing any one will make the learning process lopsided and more difficult to accomplish. You can start anywhere and grow any element. In the words of Leonardo da Vinci, everything is connected to everything. The challenge is to try it out.

1. Verbal intelligence -Ability to write or talk well, to construct vocabulary and understand the relationship between words; used for reading, writing and speech.

Appreciates plays, poetry, books, radio, conversation

Learns well from books, tapes, lectures and listening to others

Fluent expressive speaker

Writes poetry

2. Numerical intelligence - Ability to play with the vocabulary of numbers; used for maths, logic and systems

Likes to solve puzzles and problems in a logical fashion

Looks for patterns and relationships

3. Spatial intelligence - Ability to manipulate space in your mind; used to imagine things in your mind’s eye; used for visualisation and art; a sense of direction

Good sense of direction

Observant, seeing things others do not

Sees things clearly in their mind

Learns through visual presentations

4. Creative intelligence - Ability to  use imagination, colour, space and dimensions; used to make unusual links/connections to solve problems in new and exciting ways

Enjoys any art form which demands involvement and understanding

Good sense of rhythm and melody

Invents, identifies problems and solutions which others do not see

5. Interpersonal intelligence - Ability to relate to other people - to know what they mean, they feel and to understand their perspective; an empathy for another person as if standing in their shoes; used for communication with others. The more keys you have, the more people you can unlock

Excellent communicator and negotiator

Empathic, sensitive to others’ moods and reactions

Interested in how others think and feel

Enjoys teamwork, discussion, persuasion and co-operation

Understands power and influence

6. Intrapersonal intelligence - Ability to understand yourself, to be at peace with yourself, to know who you are and to talk to yourself intelligently; used for self discovery and self analysis. Used to create vision, goals and plans and to study success and mistakes as a guide to future development

Likes to daydream; Imagine and fantasise

Enjoys independence; Appreciates quiet moments for working and thinking

Knows their own self talk and can move the boundaries of their comfort zones

7. Sensory and Intuitive intelligence - All the senses to function superbly. Eyesight, sounds, smell, taste, tactile; ability to perceive the subtle and use intuition. Exceptional use of the senses will allow you to participate fully in the game of life.

Capable to use senses to a higher degree

8. Body/Kinaesthetic intelligence - Used to solving problems with your whole body or part of your body; used to run, dance, build and construct. All arts and crafts use this intelligence.

Deals with problems physically, in a hands on way

Enjoys sports and exercise; Learns through moving, doing, touching and feeling

Enjoys arts and craftsmanship

9. Spiritual intelligence - Harmony with which individual lives with the planet and other people; awe of the university; interrelationship with the planet; used to place ourselves within the nature of the universe; used to look for answers to the universe, to develop our philosophy – a reason for existence – and identify our life mission; gives the glue that unites everything in the universe

10. Organisational intelligence - used to operate within families and societies, to achieve goals  through other people; encouraging people to solve our problems, understanding relationships, power and influence.

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