Leading with Soul: The Power of Spiritual Intelligence | Yosi Amram | 589

In this episode of Thought Leadership Leverage, host Bill Sherman sits down with Yosi Amram, a political psychologist, CEO, leadership coach, and the award-winning author of Spiritually Intelligent Leadership: How to Inspire by Being Inspired. Yosi delves into the concept of Spiritually Intelligent Leadership, a fresh take on leadership that integrates spiritual qualities like passionate purpose, compassionate service, trust, gratitude, integrity, and humility into daily life and work. Yosi's journey began in Israel, where he was drafted into the military at 18, despite his pacifist leanings. The rigid military structure fueled his desire to create a leadership model built on humane values that support individual growth. This desire led him to the U.S., where he studied at MIT, launched companies, and ultimately burned out from trying to maintain control and inspire simultaneously. His burnout sparked a deep interest in psychology and leadership, which introduced him to the idea of spiritual intelligence through Dana Zohar's book "SQ: Connecting With Our Spiritual Intelligence" which was about rewiring the corporate brain. Determined to explore this concept, Yosi interviewed 71 spiritual leaders from various traditions to uncover universal themes of spiritual intelligence. He developed the first academically validated measure of spiritual intelligence and discovered that it accounts for 46% of leadership effectiveness. Now, Yosi's mission is to elevate Spiritual Intelligence to the same level of recognition and understanding as Emotional Intelligence. Looking forward, Yosi is exploring the intersection of spirituality and science, faith and reason, and the evolving role of historical religious traditions in our modern world. His quest is personal as much as it is professional, as he navigates his own Jewish heritage and its relevance in contemporary leadership. Three Key Takeaways: • Spiritually Intelligent Leadership: Yosi Amram introduces Spiritually Intelligent Leadership as a new leadership model that integrates spiritual qualities such as purpose, compassion, trust, and integrity into everyday decision-making and leadership practices. • Universal Spiritual Themes: Through extensive research with spiritual leaders across various traditions, Yosi found that spiritual intelligence is a universal concept, with common virtues that transcend individual beliefs and contribute significantly to effective leadership. • Validated Impact: Yosi's studies show that spiritual intelligence accounts for 46% of leadership effectiveness, highlighting its critical role in both leadership success and overall quality of life, much like the established concept of Emotional Intelligence. Yosi has found a section of thought leadership that is both interesting and impactful. Is your thought leadership hitting the same mark? If you are unsure this article by Peter Winick might help answer that question.