Roshan Thiran has developed a model for leadership development based on over 25 years of research. The model identifies two key factors in developing world-class leaders: organizational infrastructure and individual development. Individual development occurs in four phases - foundational, formative, practical, and executing leadership. Each phase focuses on developing different leadership skills and experiences based on the individual's age and life experiences. Character development, gaining self-awareness and vision, building competencies, and dealing with crucible moments are some of the important aspects of individual leadership development highlighted in the model.

1. Science of Building Leaders
Roshan Thiran
www.facebook.com/roshanthiran.leaderonomics
roshan.thiran@leaderonomics.com

2. The world
needed a little
fixing…
We thought we’d try.

4. Organisational
Infrastructure
Individual
Development
There are 2 ‘significant’ factors in developing
‘best-in-the-world’ leaders

6. Our Research on Organisational Factors
Our Diagnostics Model
Note: The 4 constraints model is based on the work of
Roshan Thiran who spent more than 25 years studying
various successful and failed organisations. The model is
copyrighted to him and has been used in many successful
organisational growth, transformation and scaling projects
• Leaders with NO clarity

7. 23-35
EXECUTING
>36
FOUNDATIONAL
0-20
EMERGING
21-35
Developing character, values, experiences
Formative leadership skills and experiences
Shaped by environment, friends and mini wins
Character – Values finalisation
Identity Formation
Development of vision, purpose and leadership POV
Crucible moments/stress defines vision & POV
Test phase for leadership styles
Formation of Leadership competencies required for vision
Cementing vision, purpose and leadership POV
Executing phase of leadership
Mastery of decision-making
Legacy Phase of Leadership – teaching, give back
Sharing of Leadership POV to next generation
The journey of leadership development as we see it
The Science of Building Leaders

8. Foundational
Leadership
The Science of Building Leaders
FOUNDATIONAL EMERGING EXECUTING
Age 0 - 12 13 - 18 25 - 34 35 - 50 > 5019 - 24
EMERGING EXECUTING
Formative
Leadership
Practical
Leadership
Leadership
POV
Executing
Leadership
Teacher & Builder
Of Leaders
Develop ‘moral’ character
and ‘performance’ character
Value
development
First leadership
experiences
Intelligence
development
First role models
encountered
‘Value’
stabilisation
Developing vision for self
and clear sense of purpose
Developing vision for
organisation
Build technical/functional
competencies to support vision
Practicing leadership – build initial
success stories (traits, competence)
Developing
basic leadership
competence
Self-awareness
Develop clear
goals and
aspirations
‘Change’ according
to vision/goal Knowledge
transfer
Mentor to
others
Connect the
‘dots’
Enhance decision-
making skills
Builders of
communities
of love
Clear leadership
POV
Sense of what leadership is for self
(strengths, styles, skills)
“Agency”
Stress/ Trauma
Competition
Identity Formation
Crucible Moments

9. Secure base
First leadership
experiences
First role models
encountered
Competition
Practical leadership – build initial success
stories (traits, competence)
Build technical/functional
competencies to support
vision
Value Stabilisation
Develop clear
goals and
aspirations
Sense of what leadership is for self (strengths,
styles, skills)
Clear leadership
POV
Enhance decision making skills
Builders of
communities of
love
Connect the ‘dots’
Mentor to others /
Knowledge
transfer
‘Change’
according to
vision/goal
Knowledge
transfer
Agency
Stress / Trauma
Developing basic
leadership competence
Develop ‘moral’, ‘performance’ and
‘intellectual’ character
Developing vision
for self and clear
sense of purpose
Developing vision for
organisation
Age 0-12 19-2413-18 25-34 35-50 >50
Foundational
Leadership
FOUNDATIONAL EMERGING EXECUTING
Formative
Leadership
Practical
Leadership
Leadership
POV
Executing
Leadership
Teacher & Builder
Of Leaders
Self-awareness
& identity
formation
Crucible Moments
Intelligence
development
Living the values
Character /
values formation
First job & and
boss
Mentoring experiencesSecure base
Self-awareness
and vision
Intelligence and
capabilities
development
Agency
Critical events
All three types of character
development are essential in
a well-rounded person.
Character informs the values
people hold dear, and these
together determine their
actions throughout their lives.
From an early age, the
feeling that you have a
secure base, someone to
turn to when things are bad
makes you feel encouraged
to try different things. The
feeling should persist
throughout one’s life, with
mentors, colleagues, bosses
and friends and relatives
taking on this role in different
situations. The individual
should also form a secure
base for others around them.
The importance of developing self-
awareness as well as a vision for
oneself is crucial in determining a
drive and direction for an individual.
This will also affect other aspects of
leadership development, such as
capabilities development.
The ability to act independently and
according to one’s own will is another
crucial element to leadership.
A love of learning is something that
needs to be developed early on.
Various leadership skills and
competencies (capabilities), will
have to be developed at various
stages of one’s life, according to the
vision they have for themselves and
what is required to achieve that.
Critical events that occur in one’s life
shape the person that they become.
Their character is key in determining
how they choose to deal with these
events, usually negative – especially
their intellectual character.
The Science of Building Leaders
This model is copyrighted to Roshan Thiran and is based on more than 20 years of research amongst global leaders of top
Fortune 500 companies and numerous Asian leaders in all fields (business, NGOs & successful organisations of all kind)