Career Tips - Issue # 14 (April 2005)

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You've Seven Intelligences, Not One!

How intelligent are you? This question can be music to the eyes of those who "believe" they are intelligent or who were academically good. To some, however, it can be an uncomfortable reminder of that classmate who never allowed anyone to top the class or that crucial exam they couldn't clear or that degree they couldn't get.

Actually, the above question is wrong. The right question should be: "What is your dominant intelligence?"

General belief is that intelligence is a single entity, which can be measured by IQ tests or academic performance. This belief was shattered long time ago (1983) by Howard Gardner (Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Professor of Psychology at Harvard University). Gardner is the author of twenty books and recipient of several prestigious awards and honours.

Based on his research, Gardner came out with a theory that intelligence is not a single entity. According to Gardner's theory (known as Theory of Multiple Intelligences), each of us is a unique blend of seven intelligences:

1. Linguistic intelligence: sensitivity to language/words (poets, writers, speakers...)

2. Logical-Mathematical intelligence: ability in mathematics, scientific investigation and logical problem solving (scientists, mathematicians...)

3. Musical intelligence: ability to understand and create music (musicians, composers...)

4. Spatial intelligence: ability to perceive wide spaces and the visual world accurately (painters, architects, designers...)

5. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence: ability to use one's body in a skilled way (basketball players, dancers, gymnasts...)

6. Interpersonal intelligence: ability to understand the desires, motivations and intentions of other individuals (politicians, leaders, teachers, therapists...)

7. Intrapersonal intelligence: understanding of one's own feelings, fears and emotions (philosophers...)

Education system and society itself are heavily biased towards the first two types of intelligences: Linguistic and Logical-Mathematical. People who have other types of intelligences are often seen as inadequate, unless they beat the odds and do something truly extraordinary.

>>CAREER TIP: Each of us is endowed with a unique blend of seven intelligences. But which are your dominant intelligences? For pop star Sir Elton John, it is Musical intelligence. For architect (in charge of reconstruction of World Trade Centre, NY) Daniel Libeskind, it is Spatial intelligence. For novelist Stephen King, it is Linguistic intelligence. What about you?

Knowing our dominant intelligences and aligning our work accordingly can be a rewarding step in one's career. For example, if you know that you have a high degree of Interpersonal intelligence, you can aim for leadership positions. On the flip side, we can avoid major frustrations by keeping away from the work that would expose our weak intelligences. So, once we know our musical intelligence is rather dormant, we would better settle to be a bathroom singer than dream of cutting a CD.

To find your dominant intelligences, go to the Internet and search for online tests. There are plenty of free tests. If you wish to go deeper into this subject, get hold of the following book by Howard Gardner:

Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences

To Learn, Shoot!

Have you ever attended a seminar at the end of which speaker invites questions and the whole place goes dead silent?

I witnessed the above phenomenon recently when I attended a seminar on "Future of Marketing" by Dr. Dipak C. Jain, the Dean of Kellogg School of Management. About thousand people attended the event but fewer than fifteen dared to stand up and ask questions after the talk. I was in the majority.

Why do we hesitate to ask questions? The obvious reason is the fear of making fool of ourselves. But there is another deep-rooted reason: We have been conditioned not to ask questions but to answer them. And the credit (or dis-) for this goes to the education system.

In a typical educational setting, teachers ask questions and students answer them. Yes, some reverse questioning does take place in the class rooms but there are no marks (or incentive) for asking questions. The focus of education system is on answers, not on questions. And we pay a heavy price for this conditioning. How?

Look at kids who haven't been in school system for long. They learn the opposite way: They ask questions and let others worry about the answers. Why the moon is round? Why do we fill petrol in a car? What is ice cold?

Kids learn so much by simply posing questions (and revealing their ignorance). We learn a little by not asking questions (and hiding our ignorance).

>>CAREER TIP: Whether you're attending a meeting or seminar or a discussion or just thinking about something, use the power of questioning. Questions open doors to learning and deeper understanding.

In fact, interviewers judge the suitability of candidates not just by the answers they give but also by the questions they pose. Asking questions is that important!

Also, when you are explaining something to others, gauge their level of understanding by the quantity and quality of their questions. "No questions" is an indication of lack of interest, impact or understanding.

At the end of a day, judge how much you learnt by the number of questions you asked on that day.

Finally, to shed the fear of asking stupid questions, remember the following quotation by author Tom J. Connelly:

"He who asks a question may be a fool for five minutes, but he who never asks a question remains a fool forever."

Note: If you want to see the slides of Dr. Jain's presentation, contact me.

Will be back after two weeks.

Atul Mathur

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***Copyright 2005 Atul Mathur***

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