Leadership Quotient: The Science Of Leadership by Suri

Surinder
Posted on August 8, 2012.

Most of us are familiar with the concept of IQ intelligence quotient and its measurement through specific testing
instruments. More recently, it has been established by respected researchers such as Howard Gardner that there are
multiple intelligences that represent unique and divergent talents not captured by traditional IQ tests. In fact, one of
these alternate intelligences, measured by emotional quotient (EQ), has actually been proven to be more correlated
with success in life than IQ, through the work of thought leaders such as Daniel Goleman.
Despite the expansion of thinking in this area, there has been no mention of a similar construct for a crucial element
of professional and organizational success leadership smarts. Most people would agree that if such a construct
can be established, the subject of leadership can transform from a fuzzy, amorphous concept that is well-discussed
but ill-defined, to a clearly crystallized, measurable skill that can be systematically assessed and enhanced.
This article will take the first step forward in endeavoring such a transformation by suggesting that such a construct to
measure leadership intelligence already exists. Its called leadership quotient (LQ), and this metric actually helps
distinguish successful leaders from unsuccessful ones.
If such a construct exists, what might the mathematical equation for leadership quotient look like, and how might it be
measured?
Let us begin to answer this question by asking ourselves a more fundamental question to which most of us can
relate: When we think about the great leaders in our lives, what was it about them that caused us to follow them?
Was it institutional power, positional influence, monetary leverage, personal charisma? All of the above? None of the
above?
When we asked this question of people, some common themes emerged in their diverse answers. And, those themes
can lead us to the mathematics and measurement of leadership. Here they are for your consideration and
contribution.
First, most people said that they chose the leaders to follow, not the other way around. Followers pick leaders more
so than leaders select followers. Free will and independent thinking makes it impossible to force anyone to follow
through the mandates of an organization chart, though many leaders try to do so. Managers may be appointed, but
leaders are elected.
Second, our respondents said that they picked the leaders they chose to follow through a
subconscious, instinctive process rather than a conscious, methodical one. And they did so not just because of the
position the leader had, or the institution he or she represented, or the wealth he or she possessed, or the personality
the person projected. Though those attributes did count in some way, they were secondary factors that represented
other primary currencies that successful leaders had earned from the their followers at a deeper level.
Third, broad consensus emerged on three primary currencies that leaders need to earn from their followers, and the
three key assets needed to be built to enable these currencies to be earned. Our respondents said that leaders they
chose to follow earned credibility from them by delivering distinctive, consistent results, trustby building dependable,
caring relationships, and respect by acquiring superior, relevant resources.
Think about that feedback for a bit. If, every time we followed a leader, we got the results we wanted, wouldnt it make
sense to follow that leader again? If every time we interacted with a leader, we trusted that he or she had our best
interests at heart, wouldnt we feel like following his or her lead? And if every time we heard a leader, the person
seemed to have in-depth domain expertise, wouldnt we respect his or her judgment enough to act on what we
heard? I suspect your answers to all three of these questions would be yes.
So, how are these critical currencies of credibility, trust and respect earned, and the critical assets of results,
relationships, and resources built? Therein lies the mathematics of LQ.
Resources are acquired by investing in competence in the industry, company, organization, function, competition,
customers, and the environment. In other words, by becoming smart about the things that matter. Most people call
that intelligence quotient, or IQ.

Relationships are built by investing in character work ethic, honesty, fairness, balance, humility, lifelong learning,
empathy, passion, compassion. In short, by becoming a better person on the qualities that count. Most people call
that emotional quotient, or EQ.
Results are delivered by investing in capabilities visioning, communicating, coaching, motivating, influencing,
negotiating, selecting, de-selecting, prioritizing, executing. Essentially, by becoming an effective person on the
actions that accomplish. We call that execution quotient, or XQ.
And there you have it. The mathematics of leadership straight from the heads, hearts, and hands of those who really
count the unnamed many who choose to follow the privileged few on whom the mantle of leadership is bestowed.
Sizeable specifically, improvable incrementally. The basic formula for finishing first in the fight for followers is this: LQ
= IQ + EQ + XQ. Follow it, and beneficial results will begin to occur.

What is Your LQ: Leadership Quotient?

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Leadership Skills

Leadership Quotient?
Determine your leadership skill in 15 minutes by taking this quick Leadership Quotient self-evaluation for
effective leadership development in any area of your life:
"The unexamined life is not worth living."
- Plato
Whether leading yourself toward a higher path, leading a family, community, congregation, or an entire
organisation, this is a good time to reexamine your leadership effectiveness.
On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, how would you rate yourself as a leader?

Leadership effectiveness, what I like to call LQ or Leadership Quotient, is primarily determined by a

combination of Physical Intelligence, Mental Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, and Spiritual Intelligence.
These four areas (Body, Mind, Heart, and Spirit) are essential toward the making of a whole leader.
Let's explore the key leadership factors that bring wholeness:
1. Inspire with Integrity (Spirit or Conscience)
2. Initiative and Innovation (Body and Mind)
3. Impactful Influence (Heart)
An easy way to remember this is LQ = 6I (Inspiration, Integrity, Initiative, Innovation, Impact, and
Influence). This exercise will only take about fifteen minutes in which you answer some questions and
honestly rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 for each factor.

1. Inspire with Integrity (Spirit or Conscience)

Are you energised with a larger than life vision or transcendent goal that serves the greater good and
inspires others, or is your focus limited to only your own immediate needs? Are you aware of your highest
purpose?
Great leaders subordinate their ego to their spirit or conscience by putting the needs of others before their
own and finding a cause or purpose that's greater than themselves. This gives a leader the moral
authority to lead others.
On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself for Inspiration ___10______
Do your actions reflect your vision, beliefs, and values? Do you do as you say and Honor your word?
Andrew Carnegie once said, "As I grow older, I pay less attention to what [people] say. I just watch what
they do."
On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself for Integrity ____8_______

2. Initiative and Innovation (Body and Mind)

Once you know what your highest purpose and core genius is, how well do you execute on your vision
and key priorities? Are you focused on doing the right things, what's important, or are you spending too
much time on urgent but not important activities and doing things right?
Leadership is about doing, taking initiative, and getting things done. Do you usually wait for things to
happen and wait for others to initiate, or do you make things happen and initiate things on your own?
Additionally, the body is the temple of the spirit. Are you taking care of your body by exercising regularly
and eating healthy so you have enough energy to take lots of action, or are you often succumbing to
whims of the day?

On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself for Initiative ____6_______

Are you continually growing and innovating as a leader in the never ending pursuit of excellence, or are
you settling for mediocrity by being comfortable with the status quo?
Are you using your creative problem-solving skills and imagination to become a change-agent by
experimenting with new ideas, solutions, and technology, or are you continually in fire-fighting mode by
being frequently blindsided with change?
On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself for Innovation _____7______

3. Impactful Influence (Heart)

Are you reaching out to people and making an emotional impact in their lives? Are you getting to
intimately know people in your circle of influence and taking the time to find out their fears, desires,
challenges, and goals? Are you touching people's lives by serving? The old adage, "people don't care
about what you know, until they know you care," applies here.
The hero's journey is about following your bliss and doing what you love doing in service to others.
Interestingly, through the heart, by making an emotional impact in people's lives and serving, the spiritual
dimension is tapped. Rabrindranath Tagore once said, "I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and
saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy." In other words, service is spirit.
On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself for Impact _____9______
Finally, influence is a measure of your character that comes with time and experience. How wide and
impactful is your influence? Are people seeking you out for your leadership, mentorship, and guidance?
What is the quality of people you have attracted in your work and life?
We are in many ways the sum total reflection of the people in our circle of influence. Look around you.
What type of people have you attracted in your sphere of influence? The majority of people you attract in
your life, whether negative or positive, bright or ignorant, are mostly a reflection of your own character. If
you're not happy with the quality of people in your circle of influence, it's time to work on yourself.
On a scale of 1 to 10, rate yourself for Influence _____9______
After you've rated yourself for all six factors (Inspiration, Integrity, Initiative, Innovation, Impact, and
Influence), add all the scores and divide by six. This indicator will give you a rough idea of your total LQ
and where you need to make improvements. Make it a goal in this year to raise the bar in every category.
We have now come full circle in the leadership cycle starting with spirit (call it whatever you want) and
ending with spirit; for everything rises and falls on leadership, everything comes from the spirit and returns
to the spirit like the dust in the wind. Our highest purpose comes from spirit and returns to it in the form of
service.
By subordinating our vision to the spirit, our conscience, our highest purpose is revealed. If you are not
sure about your purpose, ask your higher self for guidance. A great way to do this is to ask a question
before you go to sleep fully expecting an answer to be revealed in a dream or when you wake up. It might

take several tries, but that's Ok, keep at it -- and the answer will be revealed to you. A question you could
ask might be, "What is my highest purpose?" or "How can I use my core genius to serve the greatest
good?"
Personally, I've found prayer to be the most effective means and have recently adopted a prayer that
Oprah Winfrey has used for several years, "Use me God. Show me how to take who I am, who I want to
be, and what I can do, and use it for a purpose greater than myself."
May your own hero's journey meet with the crest of the rising sun.
This article was contributed by Sharif Khan
Sharif Khan is a copywriter and communications specialist, inspirational keynote speaker, and author of
the leadership bestseller, "Psychology of the Hero Soul." He publishes his monthly Hero Soul ezine for
cutting-edge advice on success, leadership and personal growth. To contact Sharif Khan about his
business writing and motivational speaking services, call: 416-417-1259.

Leadership Skills Training

ASSESS YOUR LEADERSHIP QUOTIENT

LEADERSHIP ASSESSMENT TEST

This assessment is based on Dr. Stephan R Covey's

definition of leader which I liked the most.
Use your immediate instinct to select the best
answer without spending time on thinking if you
want to be honest to yourself.
Once you assess your degree of leadership and find
where you stand on the manager-to-leader ladder,
adjust the answers to get to 100% and see where you
missed to hit. Note that this is what I liked and
the qualities may vary based on one's perspective
of leadership. I take Gandhi as the leader and Hitler
may be the leader for you.
And please help me and others by casting
your vote in the poll to the right of this assessment.
I welcome your suggestions.
Thank you and have fun -

Scenario

Sridhar

Choice 1

Choice 2

Proactive

Reactive

Most of the times, I am ___

Personal

Authority

Everybody enjoys to be followed. People

follow me because of my ___.

Charisma

I get motivated by the ___ I get from my

work

Money

Excitement

Rules help to bring in consistency. I would

like to ___ such rules

Follow

Make

Details

Vision

taken

mitigated

used

resolved

taking

giving

Details cannot be ignored. I focus on ___

I feel the risk is to be properly ___

Conflicts are common in teams. They are to

be ___ for good output
Good work always yields the best. Ienjoy ___
that credit

search for new

take existing

roads

roads

Teams fail sometimes. If my team fails, it's

important for me to ___ the blame

take

give

Successful outcome is not an option. I look

for ___

results

Risks are part of life. I always try to ___

achievements

I would like to have ___ first and then ___ in

my job

control, passion passion, control

facilitate

When it comes to decisions, I like to ___

them

Whenever I take up any activity, I focus on

___

Transaction

head

control

undergo

at ease
While approaching me, my team will be ___
Your Leadership Quotient is

Score

Your Category

10%-25%

You are a Manager

25%-50%

You are a Good Manager

50%-75%

You are a prospective Leader

75%-100%

You are a Leader

http://leadershipquotient.blogspot.com/

Transformation

heart

Application of head and/or heart is needed in

any activity. I mostly work from my ___
When it comes to emotions, I always ___
them

make

cautious

Scenario

Most of the times, I am ___

Everybody enjoys to be followed. People follow me
because of my ___.
I get motivated by the ___ I get from my work
Rules help to bring in consistency. I would like to ___
such rules
Details cannot be ignored. I focus on ___
I feel the risk is to be properly ___
Conflicts are common in teams. They are to be ___ for
good output
Good work always yields the best. Ienjoy ___ that credit
Risks are part of life. I always try to ___
Teams fail sometimes. If my team fails, it's important for
me to ___ the blame
Successful outcome is not an option. I look for ___
I would like to have ___ first and then ___ in my job
When it comes to decisions, I like to ___ them
Whenever I take up any activity, I focus on ___
Application of head and/or heart is needed in any
activity. I mostly work from my ___
When it comes to emotions, I always ___ them
While approaching me, my team will be ___

Choice 1

Choice 2

Proactive

Reactive

Personal Charisma

Authority

Money

Excitement

Follow

Make

Details

Vision

taken

mitigated

used

resolved

taking

giving

search for new roads

take existing roads

take

give

results

achievements

control, passion
facilitate
Transaction

passion, control
make
Transformation

heart

head

control

undergo

at ease

cautious

Your Leadership Quotient is

Score

Your Category

10%-25%

You are a Manager

25%-50%

You are a Good Manager

50%-75%

You are a prospective Leader

75%-100%

You are a Leader