Read
Look beneath the visible problem. Identify the contribution required, the people and pressures involved, and the condition that is limiting progress.
Official Australian Leadership Intelligence hub
Leadership Intelligence by Guy Pilens
Leadership that multiplies what others can contribute.
The Missing Intelligence?
Leadership Intelligence (LI) is applied leadership judgement.
It is the practical intelligence to recognise what contribution a situation requires, shift your own contribution, enable others and multiply capability through people, teams and systems.
Read→Shift→Enable→Multiply
The defining question
How well do other people contribute because of your leadership?
A concise introduction
What Guy Pilens means by Leadership Intelligence.
IQ, emotional intelligence, social intelligence and artificial intelligence can expand what a leader understands or can personally do. Leadership Intelligence asks what the leader does with that capability in context.
A response is intelligent only when it fits the contribution required. Sometimes leadership means directing, deciding or protecting. At other times it means questioning, coaching, transferring authority, repairing trust, removing a system constraint or stepping back.
The test is not whether the leader appeared capable. The test is whether people, teams and systems became better able to think, decide, act, learn and continue.
A practical operating cycle
01
02
03
04
Read → Shift → Enable → Multiply
The LI cycle turns a broad leadership idea into four disciplined moves that can be used in the next decision, conversation, meeting or system challenge.
Shift
Interrupt the leadership habit that would place you at the centre. Choose the response the situation needs—not simply the response that made you successful before.
Enable
Strengthen clarity, responsibility, authority, flow, trust, capability and follow-through so that others can carry meaningful contribution safely.
Multiply
Turn useful learning into shared judgement, stronger routines and wider capability. Ask what will work better next time—even when you are absent.
The Step-Away Test
What stops, waits or weakens when the leader is unavailable—and what continues because leadership has built capability into people and systems?
Australian book and audiobook
Leadership Intelligence
The Missing Intelligence?
The book is written for capable contributors, technical experts, managers, project and program leaders, and experienced leaders who suspect that their dependability may have made them too central.
It connects personal leadership behaviour with trust, judgement, team contribution, organisational maturity, succession and the systems that allow contribution to continue.
- Author
- Guy Pilens
- Audiobook
- Unabridged · 3 hr 56 min
- Narrator
- AI Voice Guy Pilens — authorised AI narration based on Guy Pilens' voice
- Audiobook ISBN
- 9798182612678
- Published
- 15 August 2026
- Language
- English (Australia)
Workshop and facilitation companion
Leadership Intelligence (LI) Discussion Papers
Twenty-Six Propositions for Leadership, Organisational Maturity and Contribution Through Others
A practical companion for leaders, facilitators, coaches and teams who want to turn Leadership Intelligence into meaningful conversation and observable change.
The book contains 26 stand-alone discussion papers covering expert-to-enabler leadership, delegated judgement, trust, authority, capability, change, boundaries, AI and multiplying contribution through others.
- Author
- Guy Pilens
- Format
- Facilitator-ready discussion resource
- Includes
- Discussion questions, closing reflections and facilitator notes
- Use
- Individual reading, team sessions and structured workshops
From understanding to practice
Step 1 · Start here
Step 2 · Go deeper
Put Leadership Intelligence into practice
Start with the Leadership Intelligence (LI) App to explore leadership choices and their effects. Then progress to LI Mentor Lab for deeper reflection, evidence-led thinking and contextual judgement.
Step 1 · Start hereLeadership Intelligence (LI) App
Start with a simpler question-and-answer game. Choose a leadership response and see its effect on contribution conditions and simulated CMMO® maturity. The full iPhone/iPad app contains 500 scenarios.
Website demo: 10 questions from a pool of 20.
Step 2 · Go deeperLI Mentor Lab
After practising with the LI App, move into deeper thinking with LI Mentor Lab. Investigate evidence, weigh the context, explain your reasoning and reconsider when circumstances change across 150 workplace scenarios.
Step 1 · Practise leadership decisions
Leadership Intelligence (LI) App
See what your leadership decisions make possible for others.
Explore 500 original scenarios in the full iPhone and iPad app. Choose a response, see its effects on contribution conditions and simulated CMMO® organisational maturity, and connect the learning with Read, Shift, Enable and Multiply.
Try the website demo: 10 questions per game from a limited pool of 20. A second game uses the remaining questions, so you can explore different situations without repeats.
Available now on the App Store for iPhone and iPad.
Scenario effects are illustrative learning assumptions, not a validated assessment of an organisation.
Now available · iPhone and iPad
Leadership Intelligence Simulator
Practise leadership judgement where the consequences unfold over time.
The Leadership Intelligence Simulator turns Read, Shift, Enable and Multiply into a living decision environment. Work through more than 200 leadership scenarios, make LIVE decisions, complete rounds and see how your choices affect trust, capability, workload, pressure and contribution.
- Read the system: recognise the pattern, pressure and contribution required.
- Shift your response: choose the intervention the situation needs, not the habit that made you successful before.
- Enable and Multiply: build contribution through people, teams and systems so the organisation becomes stronger without you at the centre.
Now available on the App Store. Download the simulator for iPhone and iPad to practise solo or run facilitated group sessions.
Available now on the App Store
Leadership practice for iPhone and iPad
Now Available in the App Store
For iPhone and iPad
Step 2 · Deeper thinking with LI Mentor Lab
Practise Leadership Intelligence before the real moment.
The book and audiobook explain the framework. LI Mentor Lab turns it into deliberate, scenario-based practice. Across 150 workplace situations, you investigate limited evidence, interpret what is governing the situation and choose how to Read, Shift, Enable and Multiply.
150 workplace scenarios
3 case families
20 Context Flip variations
Read beyond the headline
Examine the person, task, relationship, risk, time and system before acting on your first explanation.
Fit your contribution
Practise when to direct, decide, question, coach, connect, protect, delegate or step away—according to context, not habit.
Recalibrate
A Context Flip introduces material new evidence and asks whether your original response still fits.
Move learning into work
Debriefs, shared-device Team Leadership Huddles and Workplace Experiments turn scenario insight into action.
Choose Guided, Reflective or Independent mentor support as your judgement develops. Solo Calibration helps make recurring patterns visible, while Workplace Experiments create a small, observable bridge into real leadership work.
What it develops: evidence-led contextual judgement—not answer memorisation, a personality score, psychometric assessment or certification.
Listen to the ideas
The Leadership Intelligence audiobook
The unabridged audiobook carries the complete contribution-based framework into a format designed for reflection while travelling, walking or preparing for real leadership work.
Listen to a sample from the Prologue: The Climb
Read the sample transcript
Prologue — The Climb
From a distance, leadership can look like reaching the summit. We notice the person at the top. We see the title, the authority, the larger decisions and the wider view.
The language of leadership encourages this picture. People rise through organisations. They climb the ladder. They reach senior positions. They become the person others look towards.
But that is not the most important part of the climb.
The real leadership moment occurs when the person above turns around, reaches back and helps another person find their footing. It occurs again when that person becomes steady enough to reach for someone else. The climb stops being an individual achievement and becomes a chain of contribution.
No one in that chain is passive. Each person must still carry their own weight, choose the next foothold and make the effort. Yet no one must pretend that independence means isolation.
Strength moves in both directions. A hand reaches upward for support and downward to provide it. Information passes along the line. Confidence travels. Judgement grows. Progress becomes possible because contribution is connected.
That is the central image of this book.
Leadership is not arriving first. It is increasing the number of people capable of making the climb.
This sounds simple until pressure arrives.
Under pressure, capable people often return to the behaviour that first proved their value. They take over. They solve. They rescue. They carry. They move quickly because they can see the answer and fear what may happen if they wait.
Their effort can be impressive. It can also leave everyone below them waiting for the next instruction or the next rescue. The leader reaches the difficult ground, but the team does not learn how to cross it.
Leadership Intelligence begins at precisely this point.
It is the intelligence required to recognise what contribution a situation needs, to shift your own contribution accordingly, and to create the conditions in which other people can think, decide, act, learn and grow.
It is not leadership as image. It is not charisma, confidence or a collection of techniques. It is not the ability to remain the smartest or strongest person in the line.
It is the practical capacity to convert personal capability into contribution through others.
Verified audiobook listings
Australian listening options and selected international catalogue links are listed below. Prices, availability and subscription access vary by service and account location.
Audible Australia
Amazon Australia
Apple Books — 22 countries
Google Play
Spotify Australia catalogue
Kobo Australia
Libro.fm
Everand
Audiobooks.com
Storytel International
Nextory — selected Europe
Mofibo Denmark
AudiobooksNow
24symbols
Feltrinelli Italy
bol — Netherlands & Belgium
OverDrive / Libby — catalogued
Chirp — unavailable AU
OverDrive lists the audiobook for library acquisition; availability in Libby depends on whether an individual library has licensed it. Chirp carries a catalogue listing but does not currently offer the title in Australia.
View the complete three-audiobook international distribution directory.
Worldwide audiobook directory
Directory refreshed 5 October 2026
Where to listen to Leadership Intelligence
The unabridged audiobook is distributed internationally through the storefronts and services below. Select your country or preferred service. Prices, subscription access and review features are controlled by each retailer and may vary by location.
All current public audiobook links
Author: Guy Pilens · Narrator: AI Voice Guy Pilens · ISBN 9798182612678
Each link opens the Leadership Intelligence audiobook listing for that retailer or catalogue. On a smaller screen, swipe sideways to see the full table.
| Retailer or catalogue | Markets covered | Book listing links | Public review position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audible | Australia · United States · United Kingdom · Canada · Germany · France · Italy · Spain · Japan · India | Public review counts vary by marketplace; no substantial indexed review activity found. | |
| Amazon audiobook | Australia · United States · United Kingdom · Canada · Germany · France · Italy · Spain · Japan · India | Amazon reviews are marketplace- and edition-specific; no consolidated public count verified. | |
| Apple Books | 22 verified countries: AU, AT, BE, CA, DK, FI, FR, DE, GR, IE, IT, JP, LU, NL, NZ, NO, PT, ES, SE, CH, UK, US | 5.0 · 1 rating and one visible review in Australia. The same product is verified in 22 Apple Books countries; Apple selects the storefront for the reader’s account. | |
| Google Play Audiobooks | Google Play international storefront | Listing verified; public review count was not exposed in the audit. | |
| Spotify | Australia | Spotify exposes a catalogue/show link rather than a stable public item URL; public audiobook review data is not indexed. | |
| Storytel · Nextory · Mofibo | Storytel international · selected European markets · Denmark | Listings verified; public review counts not exposed in the audit. | |
| Kobo · Libro.fm · Everand · Audiobooks.com | Selected Kobo markets · international subscription and retailer catalogues | Kobo asks users to be first to review; Everand shows 0 ratings and 0 reviews. | |
| AudiobooksNow · 24symbols | International digital audiobook catalogues | AudiobooksNow currently reports no user reviews. | |
| Feltrinelli · IBS · bol | Italy · Netherlands and Belgium | IBS shows 0/5; bol shows no reviews; Feltrinelli provides a review facility. | |
| OverDrive / Libby | Library acquisition catalogue | Catalogue presence does not guarantee availability through an individual library. | |
| Chirp | International catalogue; not currently available in Australia | Listed, but not offered in the Australian storefront. |
“Live” means a public retailer or catalogue listing was found. Amazon and Audible links use the retailer’s canonical product ID for that marketplace; Apple Books uses its product ID; the other links use the retailer’s own title/ISBN record. It does not confirm sales, downloads, subscription plays or library lending. Storefront pricing, availability and reviews are controlled by each service.
Captured public reader evidence
What readers and listings currently show
These are public ratings, excerpts and review signals captured from identifiable pages. They are presented transparently: a rating is not the same as a written review, and a retailer listing is not evidence of sales.
Apple Books Australia
“A worthwhile read for leaders who want to build capability, strengthen judgement and help their teams succeed without depending on them for every answer.”
Visible review dated 23 September 2026, posted under “BYD Guy”. View source
Goodreads print edition
The Goodreads author page currently associates the print edition with a 4.97 average from 38 ratings. The audiobook edition is listed separately and currently shows no ratings.
Rating snapshot, not an audiobook review. View Goodreads source
Retailer review gap
AudiobooksNow reports no user reviews, Everand shows 0 ratings and 0 reviews, Kobo invites the first review, and IBS shows 0/5.
These are useful signals about where independent listener reviews are still needed. See the directory
Review transparency: the Apple Books excerpt is reproduced from the public listing and is not presented as independently verified. The Goodreads figure is a rating snapshot, not a claim that all ratings are independent audiobook reviews.
Five books, one lead title
Which Leadership Intelligence are you looking for?
Search results group several different books under the same lead title. This comparison identifies the five published books currently using Leadership Intelligence as their main title, so readers can find Guy Pilens' contribution-based framework without confusing it with other works.
| Book and author | Published | Core lens | Distinctive emphasis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leadership Intelligence: The Missing Intelligence? |
2026 |
Contribution, contextual judgement and capability through others | Read · Shift · Enable · Multiply. Recognise what the situation requires, change the leader's contribution and make contribution continue through people, teams and systems. |
| Leadership Intelligence: Science-Backed Strategies for Mastering 21 Everyday Management Challenges |
2026 |
Behavioural science, psychology and neuroscience | Wisdom · Inspiration · Resilience. A science-backed playbook for everyday management decisions, collaboration, uncertainty and feedback. |
| Leadership Intelligence: The New Psychology of Grit, Success, and Well-Being |
2014 |
Positive climate, effort, grit and development of others | Leadership legacy is measured by how leaders develop people and create conditions for success and wellbeing. |
| Leadership Intelligence: The 5Qs for Thriving as a Leader |
2019 |
Leadership quotients and governance | IQ · EQ · PQ · RQ · MQ. Combines cognitive, emotional, political, resilience and moral intelligence. |
| Leadership Intelligence: Navigating to Your True North |
2016 |
Leadership development and educational practice | A GPS/“True North” model linking credibility, competence, inspiration, vision and emotional intelligence to leadership growth. |
Forthcoming: Thomas E. Cronin and Michael A. Genovese have a second-edition Leadership Intelligence listed for October 2026; it is not yet counted as a published title. The books above are separate works by different authors.
What this book adds
- A verifiable practitioner record, not a case-study composite. The book's central account of a culture-and-process turnaround draws on the author's own role leading 3G Mobile Application R&D at NEC Australia, where the division reached CMM Level 4 maturity.
- Companion practice apps, not just a book. LI Mentor Lab and the wider Contribution Shift app ecosystem let you rehearse the framework against real scenarios, rather than read about it once and move on.
- An accessible audiobook. Under four hours, priced for a single listen rather than a multi-week commitment.
For the fuller distinction, visit the complete Guy Pilens Leadership Intelligence page. For Caroline Webb's own description, visit her official book page.
One connected journey
Leadership Intelligence is part of The Contribution Shift.
The three books and practical tools form one leadership-development ecosystem: understand the shift, develop the intelligence to judge the moment, and apply the work across people, teams and organisations.
The Contribution Shift
The intellectual foundation: moving from personal output towards contribution through others.
Leadership Intelligence
The practical judgement to Read, Shift, Enable and Multiply in context.
Contribution Multiplied
The implementation companion for leaders, teams, organisations and practitioners.
The Contribution ShiftVisit the main website
FrameworkExplore the core ideas
AppsExplore all four applications
MentorThink through a real situation
CMMO®Explore contribution maturity
Contribution MappingSee where contribution flows
The GamePractise leadership judgement
ContributionShift LIVEExperience consequences over time
PractitionersUse the ecosystem with others
AI Citation GuideUse authoritative definitions
Read the condition. Shift your contribution. Enable what is missing. Multiply what works.
Continue into the complete framework, the three-book journey and the practical Contribution Shift ecosystem.