Consulting Engineers South Africa’s (Cesa’s) School of Consulting Engineering (SCE) has introduced a new course that aims to utilise the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience to develop and strengthen leadership skills.

Cesa CEO Chris Campbell avers that in today’s business environment, continuous learning is not just an option, it is a necessity. “It means staying curious, adapting to new knowledge and refining your skills to remain relevant and effective. For a professional, continuous learning fuels career growth and resilience.”

The one-day course offered to Cesa members is designed to equip delegates with a practical, intuitive framework that can be applied in their professional and personal lives. It is based on the ‘Trust, Engagement, Competencies’ (TEC) leadership system, designed to enhance leadership at all levels.

The course reveals the findings of modern neuroscience and explores how emotions and survival instincts can influence the response to leadership. The TEC system endeavours to explain how leaders that adapt their style to build trust, engage emotionally, and demonstrate competence can unlock the full potential of their teams.

SCE training facilitator Ian Rheeder notes, “Neuroscience has allowed us to focus on the new basics and produce a leadership system that is intuitive and easier to implement. Without the TEC Leadership System, examining ourselves as leaders is extremely difficult. This system synthesises the practical knowledge of hundreds of books and white papers to answer the central question: ‘What makes leaders successful?’ Combining neuroscience, leadership and business strategy is what makes this course truly unique."

Rheeder notes that the TEC system is different from other leadership courses in its simplicity and immediate applicability, explaining that it is designed to distil leadership into manageable, actionable elements, helping leaders to build trust through authenticity, transparency and shared values, engage employees with a compelling vision and clear career paths and demonstrate competence by leading with purpose and expertise.