What kind of smart are you? (explore different intelligences)

Summary

The EQ Fit podcast delves into the multifaceted nature of intelligence, challenging the traditional emphasis on IQ. It explores various types of intelligence, including emotional (EQ), acquired (AQ), and conversational (CQ), highlighting their importance in success beyond rational intelligence. The podcast discusses cognitive aptitude measures, their role in personal and professional development, hiring, team building, and leadership. It encourages self-awareness and curiosity over judgment, advocating for a holistic approach to understanding one's capabilities and fostering growth.

Takeaways

• 📚 Assessments are crucial for gaining clarity, insight, and direction in today's complex world.
• 🧠 Intelligence is multifaceted and includes various types such as IQ (rational intelligence), EQ (emotional intelligence), AQ (acquired intelligence), and CQ (conversational intelligence).
• 🤔 Historically, IQ was considered the primary predictor of success, but it's not the sole determinant of success in the workplace.
• 💡 Emotional intelligence (EQ) is now recognized as being two to four times more predictive of success than IQ.
• 📈 Cognitive aptitude measures assess specific mental skills like abstract reasoning, numerical reasoning, comprehension, spatial ability, language use, retention, verbal dexterity, and logical reasoning.
• 🚀 Cognitive skills are foundational for various outcomes such as problem-solving, strategic thinking, planning, and effective communication.
• 🔍 Understanding one's cognitive aptitudes can help in personal and professional development by providing insight and direction for growth.
• 💼 In hiring, cognitive aptitude measures can help identify the right fit candidates for specific roles, ensuring a well-rounded team.
• 👥 Team building benefits from understanding the cognitive capabilities of team members, allowing for leveraging complementary strengths.
• 🛠 Leadership development is enhanced by combining cognitive capabilities with emotional, acquired, and conversational intelligence.
• 🧐 Being 'smart' is not just about cognitive skills but also integrating different intelligences and applying wisdom to achieve the best outcomes.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the EQ Fit podcast?

The main theme of the EQ Fit podcast is to explore practical ways to improve success, satisfaction, balance, and building enjoyable and beneficial relationships in various aspects of life, including home and the workplace.

Why is the podcast focusing on the topic of assessments?

The podcast is focusing on assessments because they provide clarity, insight, and direction in today's world where these are hard to find, and they are a tool for understanding different types of intelligence.

What are the different types of intelligence mentioned in the podcast?

The podcast mentions IQ (rational intelligence), EQ (emotional intelligence), AQ (acquired intelligence), and CQ (conversational intelligence) as different types of intelligence.

Why is IQ not the only measure of success according to the podcast?

The podcast explains that IQ is not the only measure of success because while many people with high IQ achieve success, others with similar or higher IQs do not, and some with lower IQs become wildly successful.

What is the significance of EQ (emotional intelligence) in predicting success?

EQ is said to be two to four times more predictive of success than IQ, indicating its importance in understanding and managing emotions, which can impact interpersonal relationships and decision-making.

What is a cognitive measure and why is it important?

A cognitive measure assesses specific cognitive aptitudes, such as abstract reasoning, numerical reasoning, and comprehension. It is important because it helps in understanding how fast and accurately someone can use a specific mental skill set.

What is an aptitude gap and how does it affect team dynamics?

An aptitude gap refers to the difference in cognitive aptitude levels between individuals working on the same issue. It can affect team dynamics by causing frustration if team members are not processing information at the same speed.

Why is understanding cognitive aptitudes important for personal development?

Understanding cognitive aptitudes is important for personal development as it provides self-awareness, removes doubt and uncertainty, and offers insight and direction for growth in areas of personal interest.

How can cognitive aptitudes be beneficial for professional development and growth?

Cognitive aptitudes can be beneficial for professional development by helping individuals understand their strengths and weaknesses, preparing for future roles that require specific cognitive skills, and overcoming self-limiting behaviors.

What role do cognitive aptitudes play in hiring and team building?

Cognitive aptitudes play a crucial role in hiring by ensuring the right fit for specific roles and in team building by leveraging complementary strengths within a team for individual and team growth.

What is the relationship between cognitive skills and leadership success?

Cognitive skills are important for leadership success as they contribute to strategic thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication. However, they must be combined with emotional intelligence and other intelligences for a holistic approach to leadership.

How does the podcast define 'being smart' and what factors contribute to it?

The podcast defines 'being smart' as a combination of effectively using cognitive skills, integrating different intelligences into a whole-brain approach, and applying wisdom, which is the effective use of skills, intelligences, and experiences for the best outcomes.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Understanding Intelligence: Beyond IQ

The podcast episode introduces the topic of intelligence, challenging the traditional focus on IQ by discussing the multifaceted nature of intelligence. It highlights the importance of assessments in gaining clarity, insight, and direction in today's complex world. The speaker, with over 35 years of experience, addresses common misconceptions about intelligence and emphasizes the existence of various types of intelligence, including IQ (rational), EQ (emotional), AQ (acquired), and CQ (conversational). The episode aims to clarify the role of these intelligences in personal and professional success, noting that high IQ does not guarantee success and that other forms of intelligence are equally, if not more, important.

05:02

📊 Cognitive Aptitude: The Building Blocks of Success

This paragraph delves into the concept of cognitive aptitude, explaining it as a measure of how quickly and accurately an individual can use specific mental skills. The speaker lists various cognitive aptitudes such as abstract reasoning, numerical reasoning, comprehension, spatial ability, language use, retention, verbal dexterity, and verbal reasoning. These aptitudes are foundational for higher-level skills like problem-solving, strategic thinking, planning, and effective communication. The paragraph also touches on the idea of an 'aptitude gap,' which is the difference in cognitive processing speed between individuals, and encourages understanding and curiosity rather than judgment.

10:04

🚀 Personal and Professional Growth Through Cognitive Assessments

The speaker discusses the importance of cognitive aptitude in personal development, emphasizing the value of self-awareness in understanding one's capabilities. Cognitive assessments provide insight and direction for growth, helping individuals identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. The paragraph also addresses professional development, suggesting that understanding one's cognitive skills can inform career choices and prepare one for future roles. Leadership development is highlighted as a key area where cognitive skills play a crucial role, alongside emotional, acquired, and conversational intelligence.

15:06

🤝 Hiring and Team Building with Cognitive Aptitude in Mind

This section explores the application of cognitive aptitude in hiring and team building. It stresses the importance of not relying solely on cognitive measures when making hiring decisions but rather using them as one of many tools to assess a candidate's fit for a role. The speaker advocates for a comprehensive hiring process that includes interviews, resumes, and background checks. In team building, understanding the cognitive capabilities of team members can lead to leveraging complementary strengths and fostering high-functioning teams.

20:08

🧐 Defining 'Smart': A Holistic Approach to Intelligence

The final paragraph wraps up the discussion by redefining what it means to be 'smart.' It suggests that being smart is not just about having high cognitive measures but also about effectively applying those skills, integrating different types of intelligence, and using wisdom to make the best decisions. Wisdom is described as the effective application of skills, intelligence, and experiences for optimal outcomes. The speaker encourages a curious and non-judgmental approach to understanding one's own and others' intelligence, concluding with the idea that better data leads to better decisions.

Keywords

💡EQ Fit Podcast

The EQ Fit Podcast is the platform where the transcript originates, aiming to equip individuals with practical ways to improve success, satisfaction, balance, and relationships in various aspects of life. The podcast serves as the medium through which the host discusses different topics, including assessments and intelligence types, as a means to provide clarity and direction.

💡Assessments

Assessments, as mentioned in the script, are tools used to gain clarity, insight, and direction. They are particularly important in today's world where these qualities can be hard to find. In the context of the video, assessments are used to understand different types of intelligence and cognitive aptitudes, helping both individuals and organizations.

💡Intelligence

Intelligence, in the video, is not limited to IQ but encompasses a variety of types including rational (IQ), emotional (EQ), acquired (AQ), and conversational (CQ) intelligence. The script challenges the traditional view that IQ is the sole predictor of success, highlighting the multifaceted nature of intelligence and its impact on personal and professional development.

💡IQ (Rational Intelligence)

IQ, or rational intelligence, is the ability to reason logically and solve problems analytically. Historically, it was considered the primary predictor of success. However, the script points out that high IQ does not guarantee success and that other forms of intelligence are equally, if not more, important.

💡EQ (Emotional Intelligence)

EQ, or emotional intelligence, refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's own emotions and those of others. The script emphasizes that EQ is two to four times more predictive of success than IQ, indicating its significant role in personal and professional effectiveness.

💡Cognitive Aptitude

Cognitive aptitude measures are specific mental skills that an individual can use effectively and efficiently. The script lists various cognitive aptitudes such as abstract reasoning, numerical reasoning, and verbal dexterity, which are crucial for different roles and contribute to overall cognitive capability.

💡Aptitude Gap

The term 'aptitude gap' in the script refers to the difference in cognitive processing speed between individuals when working through the same issue. It is not a judgment of ability but an observation that people have different levels of cognitive aptitude, which can affect the pace and effectiveness of their work.

💡Personal Development

Personal development, as discussed in the script, involves understanding one's own capabilities through cognitive assessments. It provides self-awareness and direction for growth, allowing individuals to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.

💡Professional Development

Professional development in the context of the video is about preparing for future roles that may require specific cognitive skills. Understanding one's current cognitive aptitudes can help in planning and acquiring the necessary skills for career advancement.

💡Hiring

In the hiring process, as mentioned in the script, cognitive aptitude measures can help in identifying the right fit candidates for certain roles. It is one of many factors considered to ensure that new hires have the cognitive skills necessary for the job.

💡Team Building

Team building, according to the script, benefits from understanding the cognitive capabilities of team members. It allows for leveraging complementary strengths, fostering individual and team growth, and accelerating success within an organization.

💡Leadership Development

Leadership development is critical and involves the integration of cognitive skills with other intelligences like EQ, AQ, and CQ. The script suggests that while cognitive capabilities are important for leaders, they must be combined with emotional and conversational intelligence for effective leadership.

💡Wisdom

Wisdom, as defined in the script, is the effective application of skills, intelligences, and experiences to achieve the best outcomes. It is the culmination of cognitive skills, integrated intelligences, and experiential learning, which together form a unique approach to life and work.

Highlights

The EQ Fit Podcast explores practical ways to improve success, satisfaction, balance, and relationships.

Assessments provide clarity, insight, and direction in today's complex world.

Intelligence is multifaceted, including IQ (rational), EQ (emotional), AQ (acquired), and CQ (conversational).

IQ was historically considered the most predictive of success, but this is not always the case.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is two to four times more predictive of success than IQ.

Cognitive aptitude measures assess how quickly and accurately one uses specific mental skills.

Different cognitive aptitudes include abstract reasoning, numerical reasoning, comprehension, spatial ability, language use, retention, verbal dexterity, and verbal reasoning.

Cognitive skills underpin soft skills like communication, professionalism, and strategic thinking.

Understanding cognitive aptitudes can help identify aptitude gaps in processing speeds.

Cognitive assessments are valuable for personal and professional development, providing self-awareness and growth direction.

Cognitive aptitudes are crucial for leadership success, in addition to emotional and conversational intelligence.

Hiring decisions should not be based solely on cognitive measures but considered with other assessments and interviews.

Team building benefits from understanding the cognitive capabilities of team members to leverage complementary strengths.

Being smart is a combination of effectively using cognitive skills, integrating different intelligences, and applying wisdom.

Curiosity rather than judgment should guide our approach to understanding and applying cognitive skills.

Measuring cognitive skills provides valuable insight for making better decisions in life and work.

The podcast encourages connecting for more information and inspiration on social media platforms.

Transcripts

[Music]

welcome to the EQ fit podcast our

mission is to equip people to prosper in

every aspect of their life whether

you're at home or in the workplace we

explore practical ways of improving

success satisfaction finding balance and

building enjoyable and beneficial

relationships thank you for joining us

you may have noticed that we're doing an

extended series of episodes

on various kinds of Assessments and why

that's important is in today's world

Clarity

insight and direction

are three things that are very hard to

find

and assessments are a way when used

correctly to gain Clarity gain insight

and then provide a direction the best

path forward and that's why I'm spending

time talking about

different types of Assessments and the

title for today is what kind of smart

are you

I know that's a strange question but

having utilized psychological

assessments in the business world for

more than 35 years

I get a lot of questions about

intelligence

is intelligence IQ really important is

IQ all there is

should we only hire people that have

higher IQ and the questions go on and on

and the answers to those questions

are really

more about

understanding what is intelligence

because if intelligence is the only

thing that we need to worry about then

it's going to be really easy to measure

that and make decisions about that but

bottom line it's not

there there's just so much confusion

about what intelligence is how it plays

into our lives and work and I want to

try and bring some clarity I hope to

what intelligence is it's actually many

different things

there are different types of

intelligence so we talked about IQ which

is rational intelligence

EQ is emotional intelligence

AQ is acquired intelligence and CQ is

conversational intelligence and those

are just four I'm sure you can find more

out there and different people have

different ideas of what an intelligence

is

these are a few of the primary ones that

I work with and work with people and

organizations but

it's funny if you would look up on

Google or or do your research around

intelligence

it is probably one of the most highly

discussed topics in Psychology but

there's no one agreed to definition

it will be very different for different

people

so let's start with IQ that's what most

people think of when they think about

intelligence

in the past IQ was considered the most

predictive of success

if you had a high IQ you were going to

be successful

as logical as that sounds

it never really worked out that way

yes many people with high IQ did achieve

success at high levels but others with

the same or even greater IQ measures

were not successful at all

then

other people with lower IQ actually

became wildly successful

so it isn't just IQ that is a predictor

of success although IQ is an important

part for each of us it is our rational

intelligence

you know I remember a story that I read

this has been a few years ago about a

tech CEO

and he said that their company only

hired ivy league mbas with high IQ

and in that story he went on to say

after a few years they realized

something

they realized that they had hired a

bunch of highly intelligent jerks

I thought that was a great story and a

wonderful lesson I just wonder how much

that experiment cost them because you

know there was a cause to that

we know from research

that EQ emotional intelligence

today we know it's two to four times

more predictive of success

than IQ

now I do not currently use any kind of

IQ measures

but I do use cognitive measures measures

of cognitive aptitude

so what are those and why are they

important

[Music]

so what is a cognitive measure

it is a measure of specific cognitive

aptitude

that's really helpful isn't it it almost

like I defined it with with the original

terminology

let me Define it better than that

cognitive aptitude measures are how fast

and accurately someone uses a specific

mental skill set

what do I mean by that well let me read

you a list

of different cognitive aptitudes or

think of it as different cognitive

skills

abstract reasoning

so what is abstract reasoning it's the

ability to think outside the box to to

bring the abstract into your thinking

processes so that you may be able to

innovate and be creative and

not just convergent thinking but

Divergent thinking

numerical reasoning is another cognitive

aptitude now that one's pretty easy to

understand it is how well do you do with

numbers

can you do math in your head can you

process percentages and numbers quickly

I know I learned a long time ago as a

beginning salesperson

to be able to calculate my commissions

pretty fast I I knew exactly what I'd

earn on a given sale because I knew what

my percentage rate was and I got really

really good at figuring that number

really fast now that wasn't probably

enhancing all of my numerical aptitude

or numerical reasoning but but it did

help and

you may or may not have been in a

position where you're dealing with other

people and they're dealing with numbers

and somebody's going really fast and

others aren't going so fast that's the

difference in what I'm talking about in

how high the cognitive measure is for

numerical reasoning then there's

comprehension

how well do you comprehend something you

read can you comprehend it and

understand what it's saying and then be

able to apply that information in an

appropriate way

then there's spatial ability

the ability to pack the trunk of the car

or the back end of the SUV you know the

everything fits kind of a Tetris game

right everything fits in the right place

everything works well together and and

all of that but it also it's great for

certain types of engineers and and other

people where spatial ability being able

to understand

what's going to work in what space just

that knowledge that capability to think

that way can be very beneficial

so the next one is language uses

well it could be English it could be

Spanish it could be any language but how

well does someone use their native

language

do they use it effectively if this isn't

as much about

communication skills as it is about the

use of the language itself is it

appropriate is it descriptive does it

provide the

communication impact that you want to

have

another cognitive skill is retention

how well do you retain information and

remember things that's important as well

especially if you think about certain

types of roles where you're creating

things or innovating you're in a

chemistry lab you're working with

different things how well do you retain

processes and procedures I mean this

could be any role in any organization

that could be impacted by retention

the next one is verbal dexterity

how well do you use words in verbal

dexterity

context

how well can you communicate using words

appropriately kind of sounds a little

bit like language uses but this is more

about the ability to apply

that language understanding in very

effective ways and then there's verbal

reasoning can you take things that you

hear or things that you read and

understand that and use it and be able

to communicate that to other people

and the last one I'll talk about is

logical reasoning

that one makes a lot of sense too right

how well do you logically reason through

things and underneath all of this

our brain is working to use these skills

for outcomes so what are some of the

outcomes we could talk about what about

problem solving strategic thinking

planning what about the ability to

communicate well with other people

basically if you think about all of the

soft skills that are out there

the interpersonal communication skills

uh professionalism the ability all of

the thinking skills the ability to think

well strategically or even apply

consequential thinking running what-if

scenarios trying to figure out which is

the best option to go with all of these

come out of these base cognitive skills

that we're talking about

with one caveat

other intelligences play in here as well

and we'll get to that in a few minutes

have you ever found yourself

talking with someone

about a specific situation and they seem

to be processing at a different speed

than you are

they probably are

as an example I go back to using

numerical calculations and if you're

working with a group of people or even

one other individual using numerical

calculations and and

numerical reasoning using numbers and

reasoning

um

you can tell if someone is faster or

slower than you are in actually working

through that numerical reasoning

you may find you become frustrated at

times

if others are not moving as fast as you

are but I think if we can understand

that

it may be taking them longer because

they don't have the same level of

cognitive aptitude in that area that you

do

that is what I call an aptitude Gap

they're just moving in a different speed

two or more people working through the

same issue

with different levels of aptitude that's

what I call the aptitude Gap

it's not good or bad it's not right or

wrong

it just is what it is

if we can start to understand that

different people are going to be able to

do things

in different ways

they're going to be faster and better at

some things than we are and we're going

to be faster and better at some things

than they are but if we can understand

where that's coming from

take the Judgment out

and put curiosity in its place and move

forward from there that's when we can be

more effective and more successful

really in every part of our lives

[Music]

why is all of this important

why are we focusing on cognitive

aptitudes and measuring those

well let me give you some reasons

first personal development and growth

I believe there is huge value in

understanding your own capabilities

it is a level of self-awareness that

goes beyond just what you think it's

actual measures that help you understand

where you are in different areas and I

think those measures are very helpful

it removes doubt and uncertainty and

provides insight and direction to grow

in ways that you want to grow and you

get to choose that right

that's where cognitive assessments can

help you can measure your cognitive

skills and decide what's going to help

you the most

I have found many people

who actually have high measures of a

specific cognitive skill

but that don't do it very well because

they've created a story about why

they're not good at it

this is simply self-limiting Behavior

it is choosing not to be good at

something not because your capacity is

not good but because you have created a

story or a rule that you live by that is

self-limiting

it's certainly not an aptitude problem

then there's professional development

and growth

there may be aspects to your job or

maybe a job that you would like to have

in the future that will need certain

levels of cognitive skills

in very specific areas

knowing where you are today will help

you decide and prepare for that role in

the future

leadership is one of the most common

upward movements most people can make in

their professional lives

so if you understand where you are today

then you can do something about that it

doesn't really matter what the industry

is either by the way

leadership requires some very specific

abilities to be successful now there's a

side note here

the side note is EQ or emotional

intelligence is the best indicator of

leadership success but

cognitive skills are also very important

the next thing I would talk about is

hiring

if you're going to hire people you want

to know that these are the right fit

candidates and for certain roles it's

crucial to measure cognitive aptitude

so that you make sure you get the right

fit candidate and that very much can

include cognitive skills

one thought about hiring just for a

minute

we never make a hiring decision or any

employment decision

based on one assessment or even one kind

of assessment

you have interviews you have resumes you

have background checks you have many

different steps in the hiring process

when this topic comes up about hiring

and I've got

a five video series on right fit hiring

on our YouTube channel at EQ fit

I always talk about

the right way to do things

if we're going to treat people with

respect we treat them equally

but we also don't make important

employment decisions based only on one

element

I mean think about it that way

do you make important decisions in your

life

with only one thing in mind usually not

so let's move on

what's after hiring

team building

high functioning teams is a Hallmark of

successful organizations

gaining Insight on the cognitive

capabilities of team members

allows for individual growth team growth

and accelerated success by leveraging

complementary strengths within the team

so if you can get a makeup of the

cognitive skills of individuals in a

team then you'll have a better

understanding of what complementary

skills each individual brings to the

team and then if there's something

missing

you can go find the right person to fill

that important spot

and the last one I'll talk about here is

leadership development this is all about

why these cognitive measures are

important

cognitive capabilities for leaders is

critically important for their success

but

it must be combined with emotional

intelligence acquired intelligence and

conversational intelligence along with

IQ the rational intelligence

so

let's get back to the question

what kind of smart are you

this is a question I would like to

provide some context around

it is very easy to fall into a

judgmental mindset when we compare

measures of any kind with other people

whether it's bank accounts or cognitive

measures neither one is truly a measure

of success

I promote curiosity instead of judgment

and that means for you too sometimes we

judge ourselves more harshly than we

judge other people and oh I I got a

lower cognitive measure in this area

than Sally did or Joe did or whatever

good and frankly it doesn't mean a lot

and let me explain what I mean by that

if we can approach things from a point

of curiosity not judgment it frees us up

to accomplish a whole lot more we reduce

the amount of self-limiting behavior

that we put in place

now I want to talk about being smart

when I ask that question what kind of

smart are you

being smart is really a combination of

many different factors

number one how well you use your

cognitive skills

think about it this way high measures

do not necessarily result

in better application of those skills

so I would rather have someone apply

their skills well with a lower cognitive

measure than someone who has a high

cognitive measure that can't apply it or

doesn't apply it or chooses not to

that's number one number two

how much you integrate

the different intelligences IQ EQ aqcq

that is rational intelligence emotional

intelligence acquired intelligence and

conversational intelligence into a whole

brain approach

that's critical that's part of what kind

of smart are you

and the last one and this may sound odd

to you

but the last one is wisdom

wisdom is the effective application of

skills intelligences and experiences to

get the best outcomes

so when you combine those three things

your cognitive skills how you integrate

the different intelligences and how you

bring them together with your

experiences to make the best decisions

to get the best outcomes now we get into

a place

with that definition in mind

the question of what kind of smart are

you affirms how unique we all are

the combination of how you apply skills

intelligence and wisdom create your

unique approach to life and work

so measuring cognitive skills gives you

valuable information and insight so you

can make better decisions and I'll close

with this I've got a a little phrase

that I use a lot

better data

better decisions

the more you can understand your

capabilities your skills what levels

those are right now

the more equipped you are

to grow those and develop those in the

way that you believe will be most

helpful to you in your life and in your

work

thank you for joining us for this

episode if you have any questions about

this week's episode or maybe a

suggestion for future episodes you'd

like us to explore please contact us

through our website at

eqfit.org for more information and

inspiration connect with us on LinkedIn

Facebook and YouTube at eqfit