Intelligence-Centered Leadership
Author: David G. Lazear

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCE IS CHANGING THE WORLD OF BUSINESS

Multiples intelligences–A Different Kind of Smart™–applied in the workplace, is helping any in leadership positions such as managers, corporate trainers, and those charged with human resource development, make the workplace a more productive, more creative, and and more human place–all of which results in greater profitability for the company.

• How often have you wished you knew how to help each member of your workplace team maximize their potential on the job and increase their productivity?

• How often have you been frustrated because you feel that you’re just not communicating with your employees?

• How often have you felt that you’re smarter than people give you credit for?

• How often have you been surprised by a creative idea or an approach to a problem from someone you didn’t think had it in them?

•How often have you conducted training sessions that ended up being dull, boring, and a waste of time because little learning actually occurred?

In 1985 the noted Harvard psychologist and educator Howard Gardner, conducted research to find out how we come to know what we know about our world. How do we learn, process, and understand information? What is the process by which we acquire knowledge? In a nutshell, “What makes us smart? What makes us intelligent?” In this research, Gardner discovered that each of us possesses at least eight distinct areas of intelligence. He coined the phrase “multiple intelligences” to talk about this reality. I call the multiple intelligences approach to leadership "MiQ™" in order to set it apart from the assumptions of the IQ approach. They are two very different paradigms!

Most of us grew up believing that intelligence is fixed and static at birth. We believe were born with a certain amount of intelligence and are stuck with it. Furthermore, through a series of tests, involving mostly paper and pencil tasks, one’s intelligence quotient (IQ) can be assessed. After performing the tasks on a given test, one is assigned a number which, supposedly, is a valid indicator of his or her intellectual capabilities from that point on.

The MiQ™ view of intelligence calls into question the basic assumptions about our intelligence represented by the “IQ paradigm.”. The multiple intelligence understanding of our human capacities views intelligence as a biological, neurological, psychological, sensory, and cognitive phenomenon. It’s much much more than what goes on between our ears! Our intelligence occurs throughout our entire brain, mind, body system and even beyond ourselves in our sociocultural environment as well.

Furthermore, the “MiQ™ paradigm” asserts that any of the tests, which purport to measure one’s intelligence, by design are flawed, because they measure a very small range of our human intellectual capacities, namely our logical thinking abilities (per Western definitions of logic), various linguistic and math skills (which can be demonstrated in a paper and pencil manner), and fairly elementary spatial abilities such as choosing similar objects or shapes from a range of options. Why have we chosen to define this narrow range of capabilities as “intelligence” but not our ability to express deep thoughts, emotions, and ideas through music, dance, art, drama, and interpersonal relationships? Why do we not call one’s inner knowledge about the self or the natural world around us intelligence?

Multiple intelligences asks us to look at ourselves and our employees in a very different way, not asking “How smart am I? ” or “How smart are they?” MiQ™ leads us to ask “HOW am I smart?” or “HOW are they (our employees) smart?”–a very different question indeed!

For a chart comparing IQ and MiQ go to http://www.davidlazear.com/IQ_vs_MiQ.html

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David Lazear inspires and empowers people to tap their full intellectual potential! He is the one who translated Howard Gardner's research on multiple intelligences (MI) into life-changing practice!

David is the best-selling author of nine books on applications of MI for public and private sector organizations.

His most recent is OutSmart Yourself! and the MiQ™ ToolBox, an in depth self-study course for developing your own eight kinds of smart.

Each year he conducts hundreds of workshops around the world where participants learn how to awaken a different kind of smart in themselves and others. David's programs and books show how multiple intelligences can help all of us think, learn, and work smarter!

For more information please go to DavidLazear.com.

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