Elea launches Future Fit Leader series
The first in a six-part series of webinars hosted by Elea managing director Juliette Fourie took place recently. The Future Fit Leader series explores how leadership must evolve to meet the demands of a world that is increasingly complex, fast-moving and unpredictable.
In the opening session, Juliette unpacked the shift from the once-familiar VUCA framework – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous – to a new reality described as BANI: Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear and Incomprehensible. Coined by futurist Jamais Cascio, BANI captures the erratic and fragmented nature of today’s business landscape.
“We need a fresh leadership model,” said Juliette, noting that traditional approaches are no longer enough to navigate such instability.
Drawing on research from Forbes, Harvard Business Review, the World Economic Forum and McKinsey, the session highlighted five core capabilities that define the future-fit leader:
- Human-centred leadership, or “empathy with edge” – balancing compassion with accountability
- Adaptive resilience and change agility – responding quickly and thoughtfully to uncertainty
- AI and data fluency – using sound judgement to connect technology with clear business outcomes
- Systems thinking and strategic foresight – understanding interconnections across people, profit and planet
- Collaboration across boundaries – building coalitions in hybrid and cross-functional environments
“These capabilities define leaders who are both deeply human and digitally fluent,” Juliette explained. “They think systemically, act decisively and inspire trust.”
The webinar also introduced Elea, an AI-powered blended learning solution developed by the OMT Group, which also includes Evalex, Odyssey Talent Management and VIA video interviewing. Elea aims to transform leadership development by combining diagnostic assessment, personalised feedback and targeted growth pathways.
Using AI, Elea analyses leaders’ responses to simulated business challenges to identify real behaviours and competencies.
“When under pressure, people revert to their core capabilities,” said Juliette. “That’s where true leadership patterns emerge.”
The system’s virtual psychologist, Eva, interprets these responses to produce rich, actionable insights.
Elea’s structured framework groups leadership into three domains – Thought, Delivery and People – covering 13 behavioural constructs and 38 measurable competencies. This approach enables organisations to identify development needs, measure progress and link learning directly to business outcomes.
Juliette emphasised that traditional leadership training often falls short because it’s theoretical and difficult to measure. Elea addresses this by offering reassessments to track improvement over time and by integrating learning agility indicators to assess how leaders adapt and grow.
“Leadership development has never been more important,” Juliette concluded. “But to be effective, it must be evidence-based, measurable and continuous. With Elea, we’re helping leaders become truly future-fit.”