From early childhood to spiritual intelligence: the path to conscious leadership

With the global challenges our society currently faces, a new type of business leader is required to demonstrate awareness and compassion. Based on conscious capitalism and its emphasis on conscious leadership, this research aims to shed light on the determinants of consciousness in business leaders. Using a qualitative approach, and ten semi-structured interviews, we have sought to understand the life stories, and underlying processes of conscious leaders. The data analysis led to four main themes: early formative years, impactful experiences, role models and spiritual intelligence. For each of these groups, other subgroups 20were identified to better classify the determinants for conscious leadership. This research proposes that the learnings and experiences from the early formative years, both from school and parents—together with the development of an individual’s spiritual intelligence—are the foundation upon which individuals become ready for their raise of consciousness and transformation when other determinants of conscious leadership emerge. This foundation enables leaders to perceive impactful experiences and their encounters with role models in a way that raises consciousness so as to lead business as a force for positive change in society. Connecting psychology, business, sustainable development and spirituality, this research aims to enhance leadership that effectively changes business models to address global challenges and societal needs. It has an important contribution to conscious capitalism and conscious leadership frameworks, as it brings evidence to support these concepts while capturing the voice of these leaders. This research also has important implications for business management, particularly for leadership recruitment and development. In addition, the importance of early childhood and education on conscious leadership, might also imply that a change is required in our education system to help better raise women and men who can make a difference.