How do you get leaders to learn to act from higher motivations that positively influence others and profit?
By learning about our different quotients (Q’s), also known as our emotional, spiritual, and intellectual intelligences, we can lead more sustainably and live more fulfilled lives.

One way to do this is to learn the 12 principles of spiritual intelligence (SQ). Leaders that have done this have been able to apply these principles and are able to positively influence those they work with. They become role models for more sustainable behavior that results in a positive culture.

The below is more detail of the 12 principles of SQ:

• Self-Awareness – To know who you truly are, what you believe in, value, and what deeply motivates you;
• Vision & Value Led – Acting from principles, deep beliefs & living accordingly;
• Spontaneity – To live in and be responsive to the moment. Dropping the “baggage” of assumptions and conditioned thinking;
• Holistic – Ability to see larger patterns, relationships, connections. Sense of belonging to the whole, of knowing oneself as a whole;
• Field-Independent – To be able to stand against the crowd and follow your own convictions;
• Humility – Sense of being a player in a larger drama and true place in the world. Growing beyond arrogance and self-assertion;
• Ability to Reframe – Standing back from the situation/problem and seeing the bigger picture; seeing problems and opportunities in a wider, or new, context. Changing one’s paradigm;
• Ask Fundamental  Questions – Need to understand things, to get to the bottom of them. Valuing good questions over necessarily finit and short-term answers;
• Celebration of Diversity – Regarding other people for their differences, not despite them. Opening oneself to others’ points of view;
• Positive Use of Adversity – Ability to learn from mistakes, grow and learn from setbacks and suffering, to turn problems into opportunities;
• Compassion – Quality of “feeling-with” and deep empathy. Knowing that you are not just your brother’s keeper; you are your brother;
• Sense of Vocation – To feel called upon to serve, to give something back, to leave the world a better place than you found it.

Another way is to make people conscious of the motivations that drive their behavior. Most leaders are NOT aware of the lower motivations that are leading them such as, fear, greed, power, ego, etc. When leaders are asked to take a motivation test they usually come out smelling like a rose, because most people think our motivations are high. But in a dialogue group or a coaching session where people are listening to and observing each other, the group or coach can help create a greater awareness of what is truly motivating each person’s behavior.

Dialogue groups and coaching sessions can be done at various levels—a team, an entire organization, a culture, a nation—to uncover the motivations of the people involved. Email admin@ContemplativeInterbeing.org for more information.