The Science of
Building Leaders (SOBL)

 

THE SCIENCE OF BUILDING LEADERS (SOBL)

A lifetime blueprint for developing leaders — from childhood to legacy.

The SOBL is a blueprint of what are the different elements that we need to develop in order to help a person become an effective leader. In our research, we have found that this is a journey that starts from birth and spans one’s entire life. At different stages of life (indicative age brackets), there are different elements (traits, skills and qualities) to develop, and focusing on these at the right stage of life will give a better chance of getting it right along the way.

At Leaderonomics Group, we believe leadership is not a personality lottery. Leadership is built — through the right inputs, at the right stages of life, within the right environments. SOBL is our leadership development framework (and original study + synthesis) that maps:

• what must be formed early,

• what must be clarified in young adulthood,

• and what must be strengthened in the executing years — so a person becomes an effective leader, not just a “successful” one.

WHAT WE MEAN BY LEADERSHIP (AND EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP)

Leadership is influencing a group of people towards a common goal, while enabling them to grow in their own ways. And “effective leadership” is not just charisma or performance.

We look at outcomes:

• Does the leader truly make a positive difference to results and direction?

• Do people perform better because of the leader — and do they want to emulate the leader?

• Is the group healthier, stronger, and more sustainable because of this leadership?

SOBL IN ONE VIEW: 3 PHASES OF DEVELOPMENT

1) FOUNDATIONAL (0–20): Character, values, beliefs, mini-wins, healthy formation: This stage shapes the internal “operating system” — integrity, discipline, gratitude, justice, mindset/worldview, and the ability to persevere.

2) EMERGING (21–35): Identity, purpose, vision, leadership POV, crucible moments : This stage is where leaders clarify who they are, what they stand for, and how they make decisions under pressure. This is where purpose becomes real — not a slogan.

3) EXECUTING + LEGACY (mid-career onward): Mastery, decision-making, influence, teaching/giving back : This stage is where leaders execute consistently, build cultures, develop other leaders, and eventually create legacy by transferring their leadership POV to the next generation.

Screenshot-2020-05-05-at-5-01-57-PM.png

THE DEVELOPMENT THREADS: WHAT SOBL BUILDS (BEYOND “SKILLS”)

SOBL tracks a few core threads that repeatedly show up in high-impact leaders:

1) CHARACTER + WORLDVIEW

  • Character is not motivational fluff — it is the foundation of trust.

  • Worldview shapes how a leader interprets pressure, failure, people, and power.

Strong early formation makes it easier later to align to organisational values and build healthy cultures.

2) SECURE BASE + INFLUENCE

Great leaders typically had some form of “secure base” — a person/community that gave both safety and challenge. It creates the confidence to explore, fail, learn, and try again.

3) IDENTITY + VISION

Leaders don’t lead well without internal clarity. Identity formation shapes decision-making, courage, boundaries, and the ability to resist unhealthy applause.

4) COMPETENCE + DECISION-MAKING

Competence matters — but SOBL emphasises competence WITH sound judgement.

Decision-making is where values meet reality.

5) PERFORMANCE CHARACTER (GRIT, SELF-CONTROL, CURIOSITY, OPTIMISM)

This is the engine that sustains the leader when the work gets hard. It’s the difference between “potential” and “consistent execution”.

Click To Read More
SOBL Editable [Last Updated 20210115].png

Origins of the Study

We set out the answer…

 “Is there a science for effective leadership development? If so, are there patterns/trends we can replicate in order to develop others who are interested into effective leaders?” 

- If leadership is something that can be developed, we want to find out whether there is a scientific way to develop effective leaders. 

- Bringing together existing theories and understandings of leadership development.   

Our Research Methods

 
 
Screenshot-2020-05-15-at-11-33-51-AM.png

Literature Review

of existing studies

 
Screenshot-2020-05-15-at-11-34-43-AM.jpg

Structured Interviews

for a select pool of current, local leaders and international ones.

 

Analysis on biographies

and accounts of famous leaders in history.

Screenshot-2020-05-15-at-11-34-52-AM.png

A survey to a sample of the selected leaders’ followers

will be conducted to understand how these followers perceive them, and what stands out in terms of their leadership to them.

Screenshot-2020-05-15-at-11-34-59-AM.png

Data analysis of information from participants

through the different programmes that Leaderonomics runs.

 

Podcasts for further depth

For a deeper understanding of The Science of Building Leaders, please listen to this podcast on:

Raise Your Game: Unveiling The Science Of Building Leaders

Do also check out the HOME podcast series.

Topics include: (more to be added over time) 
- Overview of SOBL framework (episode 1) 
- To what extent can parents influence their children’s personality 
- How children learn best 
- Developing character in children 
- Instilling a growth mindset in our children 
- Developing our children’s curiosity 
- Why is grit so important When your child wants to quit 

We have a variety of podcasts tackling some more specific elements of SOBL: BFM Raise Your Game Episodes: (2019-2020) 

Agency And Its Importance In Leadership Development Being Utterly Curious, And Nurture It Throughout Life
Making The Most Of Role Models For Our ChildrenCharacter - Building The Right Foundations In The Leaders Of Tomorrow 
Developing a vision for self and a clear sense of purpose
Developing a vision for an organisation / group 
Dealing with and prevailing Crucible moments 
Secure base - what it means at different stages of life 
Mentoring others / knowledge transfer 
Identity Formation Building technical competencies to support vision 
Driving change 
Importance of sportsmanship - how to develop throughout life 
Changes in personal life affecting career 
Leaving a legacy 
Building initial success stories 
Aligning personal to organisational values 
Unlocking the growth mindset at any age