My IQ is not Big, what to do?

I’ve never measured my IQ. Sometime I feel like I have a huge IQ (close to a genius mind), and then some other times I will feel so clueless that I’m ashamed of myself.

What do you do when  you feel like your IQ is not very big to be successful in a situation or in life?

I think IQ tests are stupid, they put a permanent value on something that is not permanent: human intelligence and abilities. Second, as we know better now, there isn’t one intelligence (the logical mind the IQ tests measure) but several (Read Howard Gardner book on the 7 types of Intelligence). Gardner discovered that there are 7 types of intelligence:

1. Linguistic intelligence involves sensitivity to spoken and written language, the ability to learn languages, and the capacity to use language to accomplish certain goals. This intelligence includes the ability to effectively use language to express oneself rhetorically or poetically; and language as a means to remember information. Writers, poets, lawyers and speakers are among those that Howard Gardner sees as having high linguistic intelligence.
2. Logical-mathematical intelligence consists of the capacity to analyze problems logically, carry out mathematical operations, and investigate issues scientifically. In Howard Gardner’s words, it entails the ability to detect patterns, reason deductively and think logically. This intelligence is most often associated with scientific and mathematical thinking.
3. Musical intelligence involves skill in the performance, composition, and appreciation of musical patterns. It encompasses the capacity to recognize and compose musical pitches, tones, and rhythms. According to Howard Gardner musical intelligence runs in an almost structural parallel to linguistic intelligence.
4. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence entails the potential of using one’s whole body or parts of the body to solve problems. It is the ability to use mental abilities to coordinate bodily movements. Howard Gardner sees mental and physical activity as related.
5. Spatial intelligence involves the potential to recognize and use the patterns of wide space and more confined areas.
6. Interpersonal intelligence is concerned with the capacity to understand the intentions, motivations and desires of other people. It allows people to work effectively with others. Educators, salespeople, religious and political leaders and counsellors all need a well-developed interpersonal intelligence.
7. Intrapersonal intelligence entails the capacity to understand oneself, to appreciate one’s feelings, fears and motivations. In Howard Gardner’s view it involves having an effective working model of ourselves, and to be able to use such information to regulate our lives.

Recently, Gardner summarized the different kinds of intelligence in a more practical way that you can use to build for example a business team. It called the 5 minds frames:

• The Disciplinary Mind: the mastery of
  major schools of thought, including
  science, mathematics, and history, and of
  at least one professional craft.

• The Synthesizing Mind: the ability to
  integrate ideas from different disciplines
  or spheres into a coherent whole and to
  communicate that integration to others.

• The Creating Mind: the capacity to
  uncover and clarify new problems,
  questions and phenomena.

• The Respectful Mind: awareness of and
  appreciation for differences among
  human beings and human groups.

• The Ethical Mind: fulfillment of one’s
  responsibilities as a worker and as a
  citizen.

Most people will be very strong in one to two kinds of mind, and excel at displaying their abilities in situations and contexts that favor these kinds of mind. In other situations and contexts where their dominant mind frame is not required, they will be clueless like me the other day.

Don’t worry your IQ, instead identify your dominant mind frames and hire people who are smarter than you in areas where you are not good enough. Borrow minds and put together teams players that bring in different kind of minds.

This post is not related to event marketing or promotion, but I felt compelled to write it to calm myself down. Ouf !