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Energizing Multiple Intelligences to Maximize Performance

When we think in terms of multiple intelligences the question changes from "How smart are you?" to "How are you smart?" This slight change in language shifts our thinking and opens us up to consider multiple possibilities rather than settling on a simplistic label such as "dumb", "brilliant", "dull" or "merely average." Instead of stamping a label on your forehead like an IQ number, MI encourages us to think carefully and descriptively about a full range of abilities evident in everyday life and work that have value. Think back to your elementary school days. In nearly every third grade classroom teachers daily reinforce the "intelligence hierarchy" so every child knows where he/she stands on the ladder of smartness. If you get an A on the math test it means you're smart but an A on the art project doesn't. A good reader is intelligent but the skillful dancer is not. If you can spell well then teachers will love you but the wisecracking class clown is "nothing but trouble and headed nowhere." The playground peacemaker goes unrecognized while the studious bookworm is praised.

Once out of the classroom these simplistic distinctions and predictions soon begin to fade when we are faced with solving a wide range of real life problems rather than boring textbooks, multiple choice tests and written assignments. As supervisors of adults we need to let go of our old third grade conceptions of "who's smart and who's not" and "who will be successful and who will not." We must ask ourselves- How different is our workplace from high school? Do the students who excelled in Algebra work well in the accounting department while football stars labor on the loading dock? Are cheerleaders good at public relations while editors of the school newspaper become excellent technical writers? Unfortunately, people in the real world don't always sort themselves out quite so neatly as these scenarios imply. Too often people are held back by high school stereotypes that pigeonhole them into positions that limit their potential development (and contribution to the company's goals). I believe that we must look beyond the myth of IQ in order to plan and manage for long-term professional and corporate growth.

However, it can be a difficult transition from an IQ to an MI-inspired viewpoint especially if we were among those students classified by our teachers (and peers) as "smart" based solely on our academic performance. As Howard Gardner has observed about teachers, we can all commit the "narcisstic fallacy." This means that we think- "If I am good at something then you should be too and if you're not then you're stupid." Unfortunately, it is all too often also true that we can brand ourselves as being inferior if our strengths lie outside the classroom (or workplace) so that they go unrecognized and under appreciated. The girl who is strong in the naturalist intelligence as evident in her extensive training of many pets may never consider for herself a future career as a scientist. The notion of multiple intelligences helps us to think "outside the academic box" of our simplistic, outmoded misconceptions about the true nature of intelligence and to come to recognize the potential of ourselves and other people.

There are a great many ways that MI can be applied to the tasks of work and daily life. Even after nearly 20 years we are all still learning and exploring. We are only limited by our imagination and diligence. I will sketch a number of ways that you can use the MI perspective to maximize performance and create a work culture that is intrinsically motivating, that values creative problem-solving and that learns from its mistakes. One of the challenges in making the shift from IQ-based to MI-inspired thinking is that all too often we forget and resort back to previous habits developed during childhood. Aphorisms and pithy sayings are a time-tested means of giving life to worthy ideas so I'll frame the remainder of this article around several well-known sayings pertinent to the business of business.

Know Thy Self and then . . .

In order to Know Thy Self it is necessary to spend a little quality time navel gazing, as they say, and then get back to work! How can you get an objective assessment of your multiple intelligences strengths and weaknesses? How can you use this information to become an effective leader? For over 15 years I have been involved in the development and validation of an MI assessment that provides useful information and guidance. The Multiple Intelligence Developmental Assessment Scales (MIDAS) can be completed in about half an hour and then the resulting profile can be validated so as to produce a "road map" for personal and professional growth.

The tasks of an effective manager are many but a few of the vital qualities of a good leader are focused in the areas of linguistic skill, interpersonal effectiveness and intrapersonal management. A review of your MIDAS profile in comparison to the daily job requirements can be very revealing and point the way to maximize success or remediate areas of deficit. This "process approach" toward assessment is most effective when conducted in collaboration with people who know you well and has been popularized in the use of "360" performance evaluations.

To Thy Own Self Be True or It's All a Matter of Fit

Who is the right person to hire for a specific job? To answer this question we first need to conduct an MI job analysis and make a hierarchical list of the skills required for successful job performance. Most jobs require a few focused areas of strength with secondary and tertiary abilities. For example, it is not surprising that you want to hire an assembler with strong kinesthetic and spatial abilities because the job requires high levels of manual speed, dexterity and visual discrimination. If you need to find a line supervisor then common sense should tell you that you might not want to select the best performing assembler who is low in the linguistic, interpersonal and logical-mathematical abilities. Truly, success often depends upon the quality of fit between the individual and demands of the task.

The use of a MIDAS profile can enhance the interview and selection process. The MIDAS is a self-report and was not developed as an "evaluation" tool like a test. But rather, it provides a structured approach to conduct a "dialogue of discovery." As a seasoned professional manager you may have a keen insight into people and feel adept at "reading someone's character" but also having high intrapersonal awareness you are aware that carefully constructed instruments can enhance your success. When conducting an interview you may have a "gut feeling" that there is something just right (or very wrong) about the interviewee's qualifications for the position but you just can't verbalize or pinpoint what it is. Everything on paper may look right (or wrong) but still…what is it that just doesn't seem to fit? What is it about the person's story that makes you think that their resume doesn't accurately depict their potential to do the job?

The MIDAS may be used as a stand-alone assessment or integrated into a testing and assessment battery during hiring and selection. A selection test battery typically includes interest inventories, personality, aptitude or achievement tests. These test results can provide one type of "standardized" information while the MIDAS process can provide a rich source of data about the person's past experiences, intellectual disposition and future aspirations. What combination of instruments that you choose to use depends primarily on the needs of your specific situation.

I have found that using The MIDAS profile in conjunction with one other test such as an interest inventory or achievement test related to the specific needs of the job to be a powerful combination. The goal, of course, is to obtain pertinent information as efficiency as possible so as you make the best decision or strategy for both the company and interviewee. The MIDAS "process approach" can fit into any selection procedure that suits your needs. It can be given as an initial "screening procedure" prior to testing or administered along with a test then followed up with an interview. What is of most interest to me is to first review the profile and compare key scales to the job's requirements. This preview often raises specific questions in mind about the person's skill profile, past experiences and future aspirations. Then I want to listen carefully as the interviewee describes how s/he thinks the profile's highs and lows relate to the job that is being applied for. These views can then be compared with the person's resume or other test results. Carefully listening to the reasoning, language and ideas expressed will reveal much about whole person that I can relate to the job requirements, work environment and company values.

The multiple intelligences are different from but often related to a person's academic skills, interests and personality characteristics as measured by the usual pencil and paper tests. This is too complicated a subject to adequately discuss here. Suffice it to say that an MI assessment should provide more information about a person's everyday thinking skills, creative problem solving, everyday enthusiasms as well as inter- and intrapersonal management skills.

An MI perspective receives much of its power to help us in daily life when we use MI language to carefully describe what we do and how we think. One teacher calls this "unpacking my thinking" so students can really understand how to perform the task. Novices or outsiders many times view skilled workers as "magicians". The MI language provides a means to pull back the black curtain and reveal mental and physical processes behind the magic. What is the logic used by accountants? What are the interpersonal cues that inform a mediator's actions? How does the scientist know what will happen when several chemical elements are combined in a specific sequence?

The more carefully that you are able to articulate the abilities required by the specific job then the more carefully you may listen for those qualities while a job applicant is discussing his/her MIDAS profile. This "dialogue of discovery" can take several different directions but I like to think in terms of triangulation as it is used for ship navigation. The first reading is of an applicant's past work experience (or the requirements of desired job), the second reading is of strengths and weaknesses revealed on the MIDAS profile. The third reading is the applicants explanation of how the profile relates to pertinent job experiences- both strengths as well as weaknesses. Taken together these three readings will reveal hidden obstacles or highlight important landmarks that may be lost in the fog.

Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do Unto You

Another important use for MI is personal / professional staff development. When I am working with someone to enhance their success the first step is simply to recognize their areas of strength. The second step is to value the potential of these strengths as a potent means toward achievement. The third and fourth steps are support and challenge. The fifth step is to reward and celebrate their achievements.

The procedures described above will tend to keep an employee engaged in the job. If, however, you want to keep an employee over a longer period of time then you will need to be concerned about his/her professional (and personal) skill development. Every workplace provides for annual performance reviews and goal-setting. This is SOP and is considered essential for every company. Is it working for you as a professional manager? Is it working for your employees? Is your supervisor able to support your professional goals? Do your aspirations fit with the ultimate goals and immediate needs of your company?

If your employment begins with a clear understanding of your MI profile then it will be easier to discuss your skill development goals in terms of the MI language and your profile. Using this language then makes it easier to describe how these skills will be used to perform "valued added" functions that are aligned with the company's needs. If you (or an employee) are feeling frustrated by your position then reviewing your MI strengths (as well as limitations) can point the way to resolving these difficulties. What should you do if you are not strong in an area that is necessary to your position?

Use Your Strengths to Overcome Weaknesses

The usual and traditional approach to education is what I call "hammering away at the weaknesses." This is also called "drill and kill." Teachers love this approach. If you're not good at addition then they give you extra math worksheets to do for homework. I agree that practice is necessary to improve skills but I also find it can be demoralizing and frustrating. What I advocate is the creative use of strengths to improve weaknesses.

Many years ago in graduate school I asked myself that important question, "How can I possibly pass my statistics examination?" You may be familiar with this dilemma. During high school math was my least favorite subject and thus I avoided it like the plague. I took the minimum classes necessary to graduate from high school. I pursued an independent study bachelor's program where I dodged math successfully and during my master's program I elected to take qualitative research methods rather than quantitative. Thus, during my doctoral program I was faced with passing a statistic (or as I preferred to call it "sadistics") examination after avoiding serious math classes for almost 20 years. Sound familiar? I was in a panic until I changed the question and asked myself: "How can I possibly use my linguistic strengths to learn statistics?" This opened up a full range of possibilities beyond the "drill and kill" activities that I had feared for a very long time. I ended up using every aspect of my linguistic intelligence that I could think of (note taking, speaking aloud, listening, story telling, and questioning) so that I eventually passed the exam on my first attempt.

Promote Teamwork

How can you arrange groups of employees to work together to accomplish a task? Sometimes you don't have much choice but if you do then it is advisable to, once again, highlight how each person's MI strengths contributes to the task's objectives. Publicly recognizing each project team member's unique strengths can promote a positive collaborative working attitude by everyone. Secondly, awareness of each person's weaknesses / limitations can help you to prevent breakdown in the group's progress. Of course, you would probably want to deal with these issues privately with each individual rather than risk public humiliation. For especially close working groups you might find that they spontaneously share among themselves both strengths as well as weaknesses. This is probably a good sign of a group's cohesiveness, compatibility and ability to naturally compensate for each other's preferences and shortcomings.

Know Your Customers

One of the keys to success for any performer is to know their audience and the same can be said for your "performance" as a manager. What does your boss expect? What do your clients / customers value? There are many ways to answer these questions but you might use the "MI lens" to anticipate their criteria for success. You can begin by doing an informal assessment of your "audience's" MI profile then compare this to your own profile and the characteristics of your product or service. Are they aligned or very different? If they are different, then your audience may appreciate your unique approach and perspective when you can relate it to what they value and typically receive.

It is important to keep in mind that all the different intelligences are merely tools that can be used to produce a wide variety and range of services and products. The musical intelligence can produce symphonic delights, head banging rap or mind numbing elevator Musak. Likewise your (or an employee's) keen interpersonal skills can be use to promote high motivation or provoke discord in the ranks. As I often advise dazed and bewildered college students who've yet to select their major- it's not necessarily how high your MI profile but how you choose to use what you've got. This is where the importance and power of the intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences is revealed for both your business and personal success. In an age of rapid turnover and keen competition it may be more important than ever that you use your head or loose it.