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BIG FIVE LEARN · EDUCATION ARM

Accelerating leadership development in Africa

Super-Cube ethical leadership for nations and enterprises.

Vision, mission and food-security alignment

Educate · Group north starSOFI 2026 · FAO / IFAD / UNICEF / WFP / WHO
Vision

A prosperous Africa — for everyone on it

Well-being is not a privilege. Families eat with dignity, leaders decide with integrity, and communities build economies they own.

Mission

Feed. Educate. Empower.

Educate is Super-Cube® — whole-person leadership so programmes, ministries and enterprises can hold multi-stakeholder complexity.

HumanityInnovationIntegrityExcellenceImpact
UN SOFI · How this pillar answers

Challenge: Food-system failures are also leadership failures: tools without ethical judgment multiply harm. SDG 2 needs people who can govern delivery under pressure.

Our response: Doctoral Super-Cube® formation for executives, public servants and youth — Ubuntu, ethics and deliberate practice.

70–76%
Leadership linked to learning (DBA research)
6
Super-Cube® constructs

External hunger and nutrition figures are multi-agency UN SOFI / JME estimates — not Big Five audited counts. SOFI 2026 source · Full Group VMV

Leadership can be learnt. We help people measure it, practise it and see it grow.

Big Five Learn is the Educate pillar of Big Five Group, built on doctoral research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (thesis 2020, degree 2021) and set out in full in Leadership Is Learnable (2026).

The Super-Cube model

You at the centre. Six faces of the cube.

Developed by Dr. Craig Ross Muller (DBA, University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2021), Super-Cube is a multidimensional, human-centric framework, developed and tested in an African FMCG business network. Each face is a developable domain: taught, practised, tracked and assessed.

ChoicesMentalEmotionalPrinciplesPhysicalSpiritualYouat the centre
  • Choices

    Decision-making intelligence under complexity

    Select wise action amid ambiguity, balancing moral values, judgement and calculated risk.

    Choices skills: Decision-making intelligence · Moral values · Judgement · Risk-taking

  • Principles

    Ethical foundations that earn lasting trust

    Lead with integrity, contextual awareness, situational judgement and accountable governance.

    Principles skills: Ethical foundations · Contextual awareness · Situational judgement · Governance

  • Mental

    Cognitive power for strategy and vision

    Think strategically, solve complex problems, set vision and apply knowledge in context.

    Mental skills: Cognitive intelligence · Strategic thinking · Problem-solving · Vision · Knowledge application

  • Emotional

    Intelligence that builds trust and inspires action

    Perceive, understand and manage emotions to strengthen relationships and collective performance.

    Emotional skills: Emotional intelligence · Empathy · Social relationships · Motivation · Inspiration

  • Physical

    Energy and resilience for sustained leadership

    Protect health, manage energy and build the bodily resilience leadership demands.

    Physical skills: Physical health · Energy management · Fitness · Nutrition · Bodily resilience

  • Spiritual

    Purpose, meaning and transcendent motivation

    Align leadership with purpose, meaning, faith and spiritual intelligence.

    Spiritual skills: Purpose · Meaning · Faith · Transcendence · Spiritual intelligence

Five levels of application, from self to systems
  1. LEVEL 1
    Individual · Personal development plans

    Structured self-improvement with pre- and post-assessments across all six faces, starting with you at the centre of the cube.

  2. LEVEL 2
    Single business · Leadership pipelines

    Systematic talent development within one organisation, through face-aligned interventions.

  3. LEVEL 3
    Business group · Coordinated organisational scale

    Coordinated leadership development across a multi-entity group, with one language, standard and pathway.

  4. LEVEL 4
    Supply network · Alliance and value-chain capacity

    Leadership development across interconnected entities, strengthening capacity across the value chain.

  5. LEVEL 5
    Industry · Sector-wide impact

    A framework for broader adoption, addressing growth, skills gaps and institutional complexity at industry scale.

Origins, theory and how the model was tested

Core output of Dr. Muller's DBA thesis at UKZN: a leadership skills development model for an African FMCG business-network. Grounded in Ubuntu, Martin Buber's I–Thou philosophy and the integral AQAL approach; integrates trait, relational, charismatic, evolutionary and entrepreneurial leadership theory and Illeris's three-dimensional learning (content · incentive · interaction). Tested with confirmatory factor analysis (n=132) and interviews with ten directors; peer-reviewed in SAJEMS and JCM (2022). Genes explain only about 24–30% of who holds leadership roles; about 70–76% is linked to experience, environment and learning.

Scope note: single-case study focus — results are context-specific; wider industry testing is recommended and welcomed.

The evidence

Tested before it was taught.

After a 12-week, accredited Super-Cube leadership intervention with leaders at Imana Foods and Kerry Foods, average assessment scores rose on every face.

Overall
+32.2%
Overall
Average across all six faces
Principles
+45.1%
Principles
Ethical foundations that earn lasting trust
Emotional
+39.5%
Emotional
Intelligence that builds trust and inspires action
Spiritual
+24.6%
Spiritual
Purpose, meaning and transcendent motivation

Average pre- to post-assessment gains, in percentage points, as reported in Leadership Is Learnable (2026), Chapter 18. The doctoral study built and tested the model; it did not measure these gains. A measured result, not a promise.

Where the model comes from

Super-Cube came out of doctoral research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (DBA thesis, 2020; degree 2021): a survey of 132 people and interviews with ten directors in an African FMCG business network, published in peer-reviewed journals in 2022.

Research method and model fit
Mixed-methods design
A quantitative survey first, then qualitative interviews to explain and deepen the findings.
132 survey respondents
Employees in an African FMCG business network tested the structural validity and reliability of the six faces.
Acceptable model fit
Confirmatory factor analysis: CMIN/DF 2.232, CFI 0.86 and RMSEA 0.097.
Ten director interviews
Thematic analysis of interviews with ten directors supported all six faces in lived leadership practice.

Gains from the 12-week, accredited Super-Cube® leadership intervention (NQF levels 3–5) with leaders at Imana Foods and Kerry Foods: average pre- to post-assessment improvement. The doctoral study built and tested the model; it did not measure these gains. Not a promised outcome and not live programme data.

All six results, and what they could mean for Africa

A 12-week, accredited Super-Cube® leadership intervention with leaders at Imana Foods and Kerry Foods, a South African and an international business in the African fast-moving consumer goods value chain — building whole-person capacity so decisions, ethics and performance improve together.

  • +26.6%Choices
  • +45.1%Principles
  • +29.7%Mental
  • +39.5%Emotional
  • +27.7%Physical
  • +24.6%Spiritual

What these lifts mean for Africa

When leaders across the FMCG value chain improve on every face of the Super-Cube®, the gains do not stop at individual scorecards — they compound into stronger firms, fairer markets and more resilient food systems that Africa’s people can trust.

Ethical commerce at scale
A +45% lift in Principles strengthens integrity, governance and trust — reducing corruption risk and unlocking capital that requires transparent counterparties.
Smarter decisions under complexity
Choices (+26.6%) and Mental (+29.7%) capacity help operators navigate FX, logistics, policy and multi-country supply — keeping goods moving when conditions shift.
People-centred growth
Emotional (+39.5%) and Spiritual (+24.6%) gains build empathy, purpose and culture — so enterprises retain talent and serve communities, not only quarterly targets.
Resilient value chains
Physical (+27.7%) intelligence supports energy and sustained performance — critical for long shifts, field leadership and delivery pressure across African corridors.
Jobs, food security & trade
Stronger FMCG leadership multiplies factories, distributors and retail — feeding households, creating dignified work and positioning African brands for regional and global markets.
African capability, not dependency
Developable leadership (whole-person, Africa-centric) builds sovereign human capital — so Africa’s next wave of industrial and retail growth is led from within.

Average pre- to post-course assessment gains (percentage points) from the 12-week, accredited Super-Cube® leadership intervention with leaders at Imana Foods and Kerry Foods. Source: Leadership Is Learnable (2026), Chapter 18. Results are case-specific; wider testing continues.

Programmes · on super-cube.me

Kids, Adolescents and Adults.

One model for every stage of life. The six faces stay the same as people grow; the language, examples and reporting change with who they are.

Ages 5–12

Super-Cube® Kids

Growing character, curiosity and kindness.

A guided Super-Cube® journey for younger learners: simple language, stories, play-based practice, and parent and teacher support. Builds the six faces of leadership as everyday strengths.

R99 once · lifetime access
Ages 13–21

Super-Cube® Adolescents

Identity, influence and wise decisions.

For teens and young adults navigating school, sport, first jobs and digital life. Develops choices, principles, mindset, emotions, body and purpose, with real-world scenarios.

R99 once · lifetime access
Ages 22+

Super-Cube® Adults

Human-centric leadership for work and life.

The full professional Super-Cube® pathway: pre-assessment, six face courses, deliberate practice, post-assessment and a personal development report for workplace leaders.

R99 once · lifetime access

Every programme includes: Lifetime access · Pre-assessment baseline · 6 face courses (age-adapted) · Practice labs and checks · Post-assessment and personal report.

Skills by face, for each programme
Example skills on each face of the cube, by programme
FaceKidsAdolescentsAdults
ChoicesMaking good decisions · Thinking before actingDecision-making under pressure · Healthy risk-takingDecision-making intelligence · Judgement
PrinciplesBeing honest · Keeping promisesIntegrity and trust · AccountabilityEthical foundations · Governance
MentalCurious thinking · Solving puzzlesStrategic thinking · Vision for your futureStrategic thinking · Problem-solving
EmotionalNaming feelings · KindnessEmpathy · Relationships and peer influenceEmotional intelligence · Inspiration
PhysicalMoving your body · Rest and energyStress and recovery · Resilience under loadEnergy management · Bodily resilience
SpiritualWhat matters to me · Helping othersPurpose and identity · MeaningPurpose · Spiritual intelligence
The Super-Cube learning platform

Measure, practise, prove.

  1. 01
    Free baseline

    A free, 10-minute, age-appropriate baseline gives a starting score on each of the six faces.

  2. 02
    Sessions and practice

    Short sessions for each face, with a weekly practice plan that starts with the weakest faces. Streaks and badges keep the habit going.

  3. 03
    Re-measure after 21 days

    A second assessment at the end of the 21-day journey, so growth is measured, not assumed.

  4. 04
    Growth report

    Before and after on every face, with a growth radar and a plan for what to practise next.

  5. 05
    Verifiable certificate

    A certificate with a QR code and a public verify ID that anyone can check at super-cube.me/verify.

Private by design: journals stay private, and coaches see scores and completion only when learners consent.

GROWTH REPORT · BEFORE → AFTER
EXAMPLE ONLY
Growth radar from super-cube.me's public sample report: before (dashed) and after (solid) scores on the six faces. Example data, not a real learner.
From the public sample report on super-cube.me: an illustrative composite, not a real learner and not a research result.
Schools · organisations · pilots

Growth you can show a principal or a board.

Seat packs, cohort codes, consented dashboards and a before-and-after report. Big Five Learn plans the pilot with you.

For schools

Grow young leaders, and see the growth.

An age-adapted Super-Cube® pathway for learners aged 5 to 21. One model from Grade R to matric and beyond, so the language of leadership stays consistent as learners grow.

  • Cohort codes for teachers: completion and growth snapshots, journals stay private
  • Run under your school’s safeguarding and parental consent policies, with no public score comparisons
  • Learners and guardians get a personal growth report; the school gets a cohort summary
For organisations

Develop leaders you can measure.

For companies, NGOs and multi-entity networks that want leadership growth they can see, not just training hours. Assess, develop and re-assess across six faces, then take the report to your board.

  • Online at each leader’s pace, with optional facilitated cohort sessions
  • Cohort view with consent: pre → post change by face, plus individual growth reports
  • Certificates with a public verify ID
Plan a pilot with Big Five Learn

An 8-week pilot, ready to run, with a facilitator calendar.

The 8-week pilot, week by week
  1. WEEK 1Orient and join · Safety, purpose, cohort code, orientation
  2. WEEK 2Baseline · Full six-face pre-assessment
  3. WEEK 3Choices and Principles · Decision craft and ethical spine
  4. WEEK 4Mental and Emotional · Cognition and regulation under pressure
  5. WEEK 5Physical and Spiritual · Presence, energy, purpose
  6. WEEK 6Integration week · Catch-up, weakest-face deep practice
  7. WEEK 7Re-measure · Post-assessment and growth report
  8. WEEK 8Celebrate and certify · Certificates, verify IDs, next pathway
Coach and cohort dashboards
  • Cohort codes and roster
  • Cohort heat maps (consented scores only)
  • Before-and-after impact by face
  • CSV export and an ROI pack (PDF)
  • Verify links for every certificate

Consented scores only, never journals. Run under your school's safeguarding and parental consent policies; facilitators never grade ‘character’, only completion and growth effort.

Pricing · as on super-cube.me

Start free. Unlock the full pathway once.

FREE BASELINE
R0

Orientation and a six-face measure in about 10 minutes, without paying.

FULL PROGRAMME, PER PERSON
R99 once

About $6 USD. Lifetime access to the programme, report and certificate, for Kids, Adolescents or Adults. No subscription.

SEAT PACKS · SCHOOLS · COMPANIES
Seat packs: pay once, get a cohort code
10 seatsClassroom or small team pilotR891$54
20 seatsDepartment or grade cohortR1 683$102
50 seatsSchool or company licence packR3 960$240

Prices as listed on super-cube.me/pricing on 7 October 2026. Each seat is lifetime access for one learner. For a grade, a whole school, facilitation or custom reporting, we send a quote.

Cover of The Super-Cube® Leadership Model by Dr Craig R. Muller

Free book · New edition

The Super-Cube® Leadership Model

The six faces of leadership explained simply, with you at the centre

Dr Craig R. Muller’s book, redesigned and rewritten from his doctoral research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal: 36 practices, six self-assessment workbook pages and a 30-day action plan. Free to download and share.

PDF · 1.9 MB · English · no sign-up. Stories in the book are illustrative composites.

Cover of Leadership Is Learnable by Dr Craig R. Muller

Out now in paperback and Kindle · Comprehensive edition

Leadership Is Learnable

The Super-Cube® model, the evidence behind it, and how to develop leaders at every level

312 pages on the research and evidence behind the Super-Cube® model, each face in depth, and how to develop leaders at every level. Out now in paperback and Kindle.

Paperback R299 / $17.99 · ISBN 978-1-0483-6161-2
Kindle $8.99 · ISBN 978-1-0483-6160-5 · Big Five Group, October 2026

Dr. Craig R. Muller, Founder & CEO of Big Five Group
Founder · creator of the model

Dr. Craig R. Muller

Founder and CEO of Big Five Group and creator of the Super-Cube leadership model, with more than twenty years in blue-chip FMCG, supply-chain optimisation and global consulting.

Author of Leadership Is Learnable (2026).

DEVELOP WITH US · BIG FIVE LEARN PROFILE · PDF · 14 PAGES

Build leaders who build nations.

Start a free Super-Cube baseline today, plan a pilot for your school, team or network, or take the profile to your principal, board or L&D team: the model, the research, the programmes, pilots and pricing in one document.

Big Five Learn is the Educate pillar of Big Five Group. Learners start on super-cube.me.

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