“I think it is a fantastic model which needs to be shared with all South Africans and later internationally.”
Leadership development
Six faces of leadership.You at the centre.
The Super-Cube® Leadership Model is an empirically validated, multidimensional framework for developing leadership capacity at personal, organisational, and network levels. Leadership is substantially developable—through deliberate practice, structured learning, and a model built for real organisational complexity.
Empirically developed · University of KwaZulu-Natal · 2020
The Super-Cube®
A cubic framework for whole-person leadership.
Each face of the cube is a human-centric construct. Together they form an integrated system—with the individual at the centre—radiating outward from personal growth to organisational and network impact.
Born from doctoral research in an African FMCG business-network, Super-Cube® synthesises trait, relational, charismatic, evolutionary, and entrepreneurial leadership theory into a practical development framework.
Philosophically grounded in Martin Buber’s I–Thou philosophy of mutual respect, it treats people as multidimensional beings—leaders and followers in different contexts—never as objects of control.
Choices
- Decision-making intelligence
- Moral values
- Judgement
- Risk-taking
Principles
- Ethical foundations
- Contextual awareness
- Situational judgement
- Governance
Mental
- Cognitive intelligence
- Strategic thinking
- Problem-solving
- Vision
- Knowledge application
Spiritual
- Purpose
- Meaning
- Faith
- Transcendence
- Spiritual intelligence
Emotional
- Emotional intelligence
- Empathy
- Social relationships
- Motivation
- Inspiration
Physical
- Physical health
- Energy management
- Fitness
- Nutrition
- Bodily resilience
Drag to rotateDrag to rotate · Shift+drag for spin · Choices top · Principles bottom
+32.2%
Overall intervention gain
Average improvement across all six constructs after Super-Cube® development
+45.1%
Principles (highest)
Largest construct gain—integrity, context, and accountable practice
6
Human-centric constructs
Choices · Principles · Mental · Emotional · Physical · Spiritual
70–76%
Leadership developable
Through deliberate practice—not fixed by heredity alone
Six constructs
Develop leadership across every face of the cube.
Each construct is a developable set of capabilities—validated in practice and designed for deliberate growth.
Choices
Decision-making intelligence under complexity
Select wise action amid ambiguity—balancing moral values, judgement, and calculated risk.
Explore →
Principles
Ethical foundations that earn lasting trust
Lead with integrity, contextual awareness, situational judgement, and accountable governance.
Explore →
Mental
Cognitive power for strategy and vision
Think strategically, solve complex problems, set vision, and apply knowledge in context.
Explore →
Emotional
Intelligence that builds trust and inspires action
Perceive, understand, and manage emotions to strengthen relationships and collective performance.
Explore →
Physical
Energy and resilience for sustained leadership
Protect health, manage energy, and build the bodily resilience leadership demands.
Explore →
Spiritual
Purpose, meaning, and transcendent motivation
Align leadership with purpose, meaning, faith, and spiritual intelligence.
Explore →Core belief
Leadership is largely learnable.
Super-Cube® holds that roughly 70–76% of leadership capacity is developable through deliberate practice, experience, and structured intervention—not fixed by heredity alone.
Development follows Illeris’s three-dimensional learning theory: content, incentive, and interaction.
Trait theory
Attributes that contribute to effective leadership
Relational theory
Leader–follower dynamics and mutual influence
Charismatic theory
Inspirational and visionary qualities
Evolutionary theory
Leadership as adaptive to environmental change
Entrepreneurial leadership
Innovation, opportunity, and calculated risk
Scale of impact
From personal plans to industry reach.
Capacity building radiates outward—strong individuals first, then organisations, networks, and sectors.
- 01
Individual
Personal development plans
Leaders engage in structured self-improvement with pre- and post-assessments across all six constructs. Deliberate practice begins with you at the centre of the cube.
- 02
Single Business
Leadership pipelines
Systematic talent development within one organisation—building consistent leadership capacity through construct-aligned interventions.
- 03
Business Group
Coordinated organisational scale
Coordinated leadership enhancement across a multi-entity group, aligning language, standards, and development pathways.
- 04
Supply Network
Alliance & value-chain capacity
Leadership development across interconnected entities—strengthening network-wide capacity and interdependencies in the value chain.
- 05
Industry
Sector-wide impact
A framework for broader adoption—addressing growth, skills gaps, and institutional complexity at industry scale.
Evidence
Built through rigorous mixed-methods research.
Validated with confirmatory factor analysis and senior-leader thematic interviews—designed for practical utility in complex business networks.
132
Employees surveyed
Structural validity across six constructs
10
Senior interviews
Thematic validation of lived practice
0.86
CFI model fit
Acceptable confirmatory factor analysis
α
Reliable scales
Cronbach’s alpha 0.60–0.80 across constructs
Proof of growth
Not activity theatre—measured change.
Learners orient, set a six-face baseline, practice deliberately, then re-measure. Your dual radar and PDF report make growth visible for you, a coach, or your organisation.
- · Pre → post comparison across all six Super-Cube® faces
- · Downloadable growth PDF + certificate with verify ID
- · Optional private share link for coaches (journals stay private)
Sample outcome view
Baseline 3.4 → Post 4.1
Illustrative overall growth after deliberate practice across the cube—not a guarantee of individual results.
Choices+0.6
Emotional+0.9
Principles+0.5
What leaders say
Proven in practice
Voices from Imana Foods and Kerry Foods programme participants.
“The programme is what the world is waiting for.”
Q: Does the Super-Cube® leadership model positively influence your leadership behaviour?
“More than the word influence, it provokes your behaviour and calls for change.”
Next step
Build leadership capacity from the centre outward.
Whether you are designing a personal development plan or a multi-level organisational programme, Super-Cube® provides a human-centric, evidence-informed path.