People + Leadership | SPG Research Group
A 10-domain diagnostic that distinguishes competent leaders from high-performing ones
Most leaders who plateau aren't missing competency. They're missing calibration. The Leadership Differential is a 360 behavioral diagnostic built to surface the specific cognitive and relational patterns that separate leaders who perform well from leaders who compound over time.
The Leadership Differential is a behavioral self-report and observer-report instrument. Scores are directional indicators of behavioral tendency based on self-reported and observer-reported patterns. They are not validated psychometric measurements, clinical assessments, or personality classifications. Results should be used as development inputs, not selection criteria.
The problem this solves
Consulting firms measure organizational maturity: data pipelines, governance structure, process integration, tech stack. They answer whether your AI infrastructure is set up correctly. SPG measures the human cognitive and behavioral layer: calibration, judgment under pressure, information triage, decisional courage, institutional navigation. We answer whether your leaders are equipped to govern it.
What org-maturity frameworks measure
Data governance, model oversight, process integration, change management, tech stack readiness. Systems and structures.
What the Leadership Differential measures
Calibration bias, decisional courage, complexity navigation, institutional intelligence, self-awareness gaps. People and judgment.
The diagnostic architecture
Each domain surfaces a distinct behavioral pattern that differentiates high-performing leaders from competent ones. Scores reflect self-reported and observer-reported tendencies: not fixed traits.
D1
The degree to which a leader's self-model matches the model others hold of them: and the tendency to update that self-model when discrepant data arrives.
The primary source of the self vs. observer gap. Illuminated by the Johari Window: what you know about yourself that others don't, and what others see that you don't.
Non-negotiable triadD2
The quality of the systems a leader builds and maintains to receive accurate, timely, and honest information about their performance, decisions, and impact.
The most underestimated domain. High-performing leaders actively engineer their feedback environment rather than passively receiving what surfaces.
Underestimated domainD3
The capacity to build, hold, and navigate accurate mental models of complex systems: including the ability to distinguish signal from noise, identify second-order effects, and reason across longer time horizons.
The map-building domain. The foundation for anticipatory leadership.
High-leverage differentiatorD4
The capacity to translate decisions into sustained, coordinated action: including managing priorities under competing demands, maintaining follow-through, and building reliable implementation cultures.
Hits a ceiling effect at senior levels: strong execution discipline becomes table stakes, and leaders plateau when paired with low D3 (running hard in the wrong direction).
Ceiling effect at senior levelD5
The capacity to build and sustain interpersonal trust: not as a social skill, but as a strategic resource that enables candor, accelerates collaboration, and provides the psychological safety necessary for high-quality decision-making.
High-leverage differentiatorD6
The capacity to make and defend consequential decisions under uncertainty, resistance, or social pressure: without deferring prematurely, seeking excessive consensus, or reversing position in response to discomfort.
The most visible differentiator between competent and high-performing leaders at the executive level.
Non-negotiable triadD7
The capacity to translate complex thinking into clear, audience-calibrated communication: including the ability to shift register across audiences, manage meaning in ambiguous or high-stakes contexts, and shape narratives that move organizations.
High-leverage differentiatorD8
The capacity to update beliefs, strategies, and mental models rapidly and accurately in response to new information: particularly in high-velocity environments where yesterday's working model becomes today's liability.
The map-updating engine. Pairs with D3 (map-building) and D9 (navigation without a map).
Non-negotiable triadD9
The capacity to recognize genuine complexity, resist premature closure, hold contradictory framings simultaneously, and sustain productive action under conditions that resist analytical resolution.
Meta-dimension integrating D3 and D8: covers what they miss when no good map exists yet. Draws on adaptive leadership theory (Heifetz) and complexity science (Snowden).
D10
The capacity to accurately read and navigate organizational power structures, informal influence networks, and the tacit rules that govern how decisions actually get made, independent of formal authority and explicit relational trust.
The glass-ceiling domain. Explains why technically excellent leaders plateau. High D10 without a D1 anchor creates manipulation risk; the combination is what matters.
Glass-ceiling breakerD1 + D6 + D8 form the non-negotiable foundational triad. D3 + D5 + D7 are the high-leverage visible differentiators. D9 and D10 are the ceiling-breakers.
The archetype layer
Unlike personality-based tools where you pick a type, Leadership Differential archetypes emerge from your domain score pattern. They describe how you currently lead: with a clear developmental vector for where to go next.
The Compounding Leader
High D1 + D6 + D8. Gets better over time by design.
The Strategist
High D3 + D7 + D9. Sees clearly; hesitates to decide.
The Executor
High D4 + D2 + D7. Delivers reliably; maps poorly.
The Architect
High D5 + D10 + D3. Builds coalitions; avoids confrontation.
The Statesperson
High D7 + D10 + D3. Commands rooms; misses signals.
The Developer
High D1 + D5 + D2. Grows people; under-delivers on strategy.
The Navigator
High D10 + D5. Moves institutions; lacks values anchor.
The Synthesizer
High D9 + D8 + D3. Thrives in ambiguity; struggles to execute.
The Operator
High D4 + D10 + D2. Runs the machine brilliantly; can't redesign it.
The Principled Actor
High D1 + D6 + D5. Trusted and courageous; can't navigate the labyrinth.
Each archetype includes: domain profile, signature strength, primary shadow, growth leverage, and HR signal. Archetypes are developmental outputs: not fixed identity labels.
Two valid use modes
You complete the full 10-domain instrument as a self-rater. Results show your current behavioral tendencies, your archetype profile, and a developmental priority sequence. Valid as a standalone development input, used in executive coaching, leadership development programs, and individual succession readiness assessments.
The leader completes the self-report, then invites observers (peers, direct reports, manager) via an anonymized invitation chain. SPG holds the aggregation layer. The resulting report overlays self-ratings against observer composite scores domain by domain: the gap IS the diagnostic insight.
How it differs from existing tools
The Leadership Differential is not a personality inventory, a strengths assessment, or a derailer profile. It measures empirically-validated behavioral differentiators specific to leadership effectiveness under real organizational conditions.
| Tool | What it measures | What Leadership Differential adds |
|---|---|---|
| Myers-Briggs / MBTI | Personality preferences (16 types; trait-based, self-selected) | Behavioral patterns under real conditions; observer-validated; domain-specific development priorities |
| DiSC | Communication and behavior style preferences | Decisional courage, institutional intelligence, complexity navigation, calibration gaps: not covered by behavioral style |
| Hogan Assessments | Personality predictors and derailers under stress | 360 observer gap analysis; self-awareness calibration; archetype profiles with positive developmental vectors |
| Enneagram | Core motivations and core fears (9 types; motivation-based) | Observable behavioral patterns mapped to governance-specific domains; empirical grounding; HR-deployable rubrics |
| CliftonStrengths | Talent themes (34 themes; self-reported strengths) | Shadow patterns, developmental gaps, ceiling effects, and the domains that plateau competent leaders: not captured in a strengths-only lens |
Research foundations
Korn Ferry / Zenger-Folkman
Large-scale leadership effectiveness research identifying the behavioral differentiators that predict executive performance at scale.
Heifetz + Linsky: Adaptive Leadership
Distinction between technical problems (solved with expertise) and adaptive challenges (require new thinking). Foundation of D9.
Luft + Ingham: Johari Window (1955)
Four-quadrant self-knowledge model (Open, Hidden, Blind Spot, Unknown). Maps directly onto the D1 self vs. observer gap.
Pfeffer + Ferris: Power in Organizations
Empirical research on how informal power actually operates in organizations, independent of formal hierarchy. Foundation of D10.
Snowden: Cynefin Framework
Domains of complexity (Simple, Complicated, Complex, Chaotic). Informs the distinction between analytical problem-solving and adaptive complexity navigation in D9.
Kegan + Lahey: Immunity to Change
Research on the hidden competing commitments that prevent leaders from changing even when they want to. Informs shadow-side analysis across the archetype layer.
Full framework credits and theoretical foundations available in the Leadership Differential Framework document (v2.0).
Get access
Deploy the Leadership Differential as a facilitated 360 diagnostic for your leadership team, executive cohort, or succession candidates. SPG manages the full process: instrument administration, anonymous observer invitations, report aggregation, debrief facilitation, and development planning.
Book a discovery call → Send us an email50 behavioral statements across 10 domains. Takes 15 to 20 minutes. Results include your leadership archetype, a domain radar chart, your top 3 development priorities, and any notable score patterns. Free. No email required.
Take the self-report → Book a debrief sessionPart of the SPG People + Leadership ecosystem
The Leadership Differential sits on the same theoretical foundation as the Strategic Intelligence Assessment (SIA) and the Competency Dictionary: but answers a different question. SIA maps your cognitive engines. The Competency Dictionary defines what good looks like for each engine. The Leadership Differential measures whether your leaders are actually using those engines in practice.
Intelligence Atlantique
Diagnostic frameworks, research insights, and practitioner tools: delivered to leaders who act on evidence.
No case data. Unsubscribe at any time.