Leadership & Intelligence
Leadership and Intelligence
Being a leader: is this a step-by step process?
The scope of this paper is to understand the connection existing between Intelligence and leadership and, in particular, the different intelligence required among leaders and managers. We shall demonstrate that managers with different intelligent characteristics can be naturally good leaders. Before driving into the academic analysis I would like to share my experience with you. I’ve met and worked several individuals, “organically” different from each other and with different experiences and background. There is no doubt that some of them have something more than the average of us. Some of them have a natural instinct and predisposition to do things better than others. They have ability to run process faster, to think faster, to act correctly in stressful situations. They are naturally leaders.
While this process can be partly explained by Howard Gardner in Frame of Minds (2), it is very clear to me that the DNA and the family upbringing are providing a high percentage in the natural ability to be a leader. The experience and education are refining the process and provide this natural leader with a more efficient weapon to consolidate their power and positions.
As we have learnt, Leadership is a an influence process, it is the use of Power effectively and responsibly in order to understanding and Inspire People, in addition to developing a climate to arousing Motivation. Addressing effectively human aspects is not something we learn at the school. On the other hand, a person that is able to approach issues in a constructive way, restate ideas and feelings, supplying essential facts, ask good questions to stimulate the group behavior is a person with a good managerial skill, is a person able to work effectively on organizational tasks.
Then we can start to spot the initial connection between leaders and managers. We have learnt from Halpin
Being a leader: is this a step-by step process?
The scope of this paper is to understand the connection existing between Intelligence and leadership and, in particular, the different intelligence required among leaders and managers. We shall demonstrate that managers with different intelligent characteristics can be naturally good leaders. Before driving into the academic analysis I would like to share my experience with you. I’ve met and worked several individuals, “organically” different from each other and with different experiences and background. There is no doubt that some of them have something more than the average of us. Some of them have a natural instinct and predisposition to do things better than others. They have ability to run process faster, to think faster, to act correctly in stressful situations. They are naturally leaders.
While this process can be partly explained by Howard Gardner in Frame of Minds (2), it is very clear to me that the DNA and the family upbringing are providing a high percentage in the natural ability to be a leader. The experience and education are refining the process and provide this natural leader with a more efficient weapon to consolidate their power and positions.
As we have learnt, Leadership is a an influence process, it is the use of Power effectively and responsibly in order to understanding and Inspire People, in addition to developing a climate to arousing Motivation. Addressing effectively human aspects is not something we learn at the school. On the other hand, a person that is able to approach issues in a constructive way, restate ideas and feelings, supplying essential facts, ask good questions to stimulate the group behavior is a person with a good managerial skill, is a person able to work effectively on organizational tasks.
Then we can start to spot the initial connection between leaders and managers. We have learnt from Halpin