Professional Intelligence
Striking it Right with Professional Intelligence
IQ and EQ
The Intelligence Quotient, IQ, is vaguely perceived as the measure of ones
intelligence, in general. Though encompassing a mix of various aptitudes, it mainly
tries to evaluate the rationality of a person. Until recently, IQ was being used as a
major and decisive yardstick to filter-out the people to consider them to be fit for
various positions, especially in the organizations and industries.
Not too late, however, IQ was realized to be “necessary but not sufficient” factor to
pre-empt a person’s real life performance. It was observed that more than the rational
abilities, the emotional make-up of an individual played a significant role to carve out
the collective destiny of an organization.
This led to the concept of Emotional Intelligence…the emotional component contributing to a person’s performance output. We can call its index as EQ. Of course, the foundation was already laid down by Freud & Jung. But the term is in currency due to Daniel Goleman.
The concept of EQ, however confronts a basic problem – how to measure it! A few tests and methods are devised but none is conclusive. In fact, unlike IQ, one has to agree that the EQ can not be measured. But whether measurable or not, the problem is not with the methods. It is with the dynamics of the whole situation.
Off-Line and On-Line
Emotions are not static. They are rather dynamic and interactive. They vary from event
to event and sometimes, moment to moment. Hence, the emotionality measured at
one point of space-time-event singularity has no relevance at some other space-time-event
singularity. For example, a person judged as emotionally composed during an interview may actually loose his integrity at some critical instance during operations. A character categorized as “restless” or “immature” may actually turn out to be an innovative and free thinker. A person who was always seen as buzzing with enthusiasm may found one day to have committed suicide.
But more importantly, the EQ also affects the IQ. We have seen many executives who prepare profoundly before a meeting but forget everything inside the board room. It shows that the rational abilities of a person are invariably modulated by emotional oscillations. The pathways of reasoning have to traverse through turbulent waters of emotions.
In short, neither IQ nor EQ, both of which being measured Off-line, doesn’t stand up
the tests of On-line situations.
Going On-line
The real life, however, throbs where people interact with each other within the
framework of space-time-event singularity…meaning “In that place, at that time, in that situation around” . No one from outside can really chase, control or manipulate these people-processes. Nor can a good score of IQ-EQ really help. You can not handover “in-this situation-do-this” kind of guide. People there are all equipped with their dynamic mental make-up. Unless this dynamic mental model is altered in some way, they are bound to fight dirty!. To do this, one should look for some third component of one’s personality which is independent of mere rational and emotional aptitudes. This third component can then be methodically developed and nurtured to handle the IQ and EQ aptitudes in right proportion.
What is this new component? How can it be developed and nurtured? This article develops a new concept to answer these questions and addresses this new component of one’s personality as the Professional Intelligence.
The Professional Intelligence
By definition, Professional Intelligence(pI) of a person is the ability to mix the right proportion of rationality and emotionality to handle a real life situation.
The word ‘right’ should not be misunderstood as ‘balanced’. Some situations demand more emotionality. Some require mere rationality. It is exclusively in the context of that person, in that situation at that moment, to decide and act accordingly!
The word ‘right’ should also not be heard as ‘perfect’. The pI doesn’t work around perfectionism. For a person with good pI, there is no ‘absolute right’ or ‘absolute wrong’, but ‘relatively right’ or ‘relatively wrong’ in the context of the situation around.
So, essentially, pI is a person’s wisdom to grasp the need of the time and apply the right component of his mental make-up ; either rationality or emotionality or both .
pI elaborated:
pI is not much significant for the implementers(those who are supposed to do what they are told to do). It is significant for the decision makers and administrators. It is when a person is in the process of taking some action, deciding some strategy, forming some policy, responding to somebody or something, developing a project plan while interacting with various people and teams, demonstrating his work for evaluation or appraisal, participating in some group discussions, conducting a meeting, providing some counter service, negotiating a sales deal, conducting an on-site vendor evaluation, playing sports, counseling, diagnosing a problem situation, investigating a crime etc.
In short, the pI skills comes in handy when a person is undergoing mixed and interactive psychological pressures caused by some ongoing outside processes demanding results.
pI Scope:
In conventional terms, pI practices offer you the self management skills. It, however, restricts itself to the professional domain of a person and unlike other contemporary approaches, doesn’t try to encompass his whole life. It does not talk about any spiritual transformation nor does it outline any principles or preach any habit based lifestyle.
A pI methodology just recommends a few key approaches and some tools to pursue these approaches which then equip a person to fight on his own on the warfield of professional reality!
Developing a Good pI
The basic requirements to develop a good pI are
- to have mental separation from one’s rational and emotional components
- to have acute sense of the space-time-event singularity around you
- to be able to steer or maneuver one’s responses to this singularity
These requirements can be fulfilled using Three Key Approaches as follows.
Key Approach 1: Distancing
By definition, Distancing is a mental process and state of mind in which a person finds himself being virtually separated from himself creating a distance from his actions, thoughts and emotions.
It is practically possible to achieve this by methodically practicing a few techniques.
We will discuss some of them.
pI: Distancing Techniques
1. Observing
During any significant real-life situation, observe your actions, thoughts and emotions in detail. Observe the surrounding. Listen to the sounds around you. Observe others. Smell the air. Feel your body and clothing intensely.
This technique can be practiced on-line.
2. Role Playing
Play roles of a few familiar characters in the context of some past event or expected situation, without any script. Just go on improvising the responses in the initiated plot.
This technique needs to be practiced off-line.
3.Statue-ing
Stop abruptly like a statue in between any action and watch the pause. Watch the whirlpool of the thoughts and emotions as if revolving around you and you are at it’s center.
If appropriate, this technique should be tried in a real-life situation or else can be practiced off-line.
Key Approach 2: Zooming
By definition, Zooming is a mental process and state of mind in which a person “enlarges” all the facts and figures existing in the space-time-event singularity. He, kind of blows up the scale of everything that is happening around.
It is practically possible to achieve this by methodically practicing a few techniques.
We will discuss some of them.
PI: Zooming techniques
1. Slowing :
Perform all your actions at a much slower pace than normal. Move your hands slowly. Walk slowly. Talk slowly. Drink slowly. Do whatever you do in a conscious slow motion.
If appropriate, this technique should be tried in a real-life situation or else can be practiced off-line.
2. Silencing
· Close your eyes and listen to the silence between two words.
· Close your eyes and watch the space of breathlessness between your inhale and exhale.
This technique needs to be practiced off-line.
Key Approach 3: Maneuvering
By definition, Maneuvering is a mental process and state of mind in which a person “shuffles” his responses generated within the space-time-event singularity. He, organizes and de-organizes the various permutations and combinations of the consequences of his responses being so shuffled.
It is practically possible to achieve this by methodically practicing a few techniques.
We will discuss some of them.
pI : Maneuvering techniques
1. Contradicting
· Select a specific subject and talk about it in it’s support, thoroughly.
Next, talk on the same subject in it’s opposition.
· Choose a person whom you think as wrong. Talk about him to tell how he is right.
· Recollect an event that hurts you most. Narrate that event in a manner to justify how it should not have hurt you.
This technique needs to be practiced off-line.
2. Substituting
· Mentally, substitute an event with its probabilistic alternative.
For example, visualize a career track of yours if you would have been in some
different profession.
· Visualize the altered chain of events if the starting point would have been different.
This technique needs to be practiced off-line.
Conclusion:
More than the IQ and EQ, a third dimension of a man’s personality, called Professional Intelligence (pI), needs to be developed for increased probability of success of a person in the context of the organizations and society in general.
A good pI can be developed and nurtured by using the 3 key approaches, viz., Distancing, Zooming and Maneuvering, as described above.
Workshops may be arranged for further understanding of these tools.
Case studies, if required, can be presented to elaborate the concept in specific.
Any further research on the ways and means of implementing these key approaches or expansion of the concept as a whole is welcome. Your valuable feedbacks or queries will also be appreciated.
Please reach us through : consult@transforman.org
Written by :
Shirish Kulkarni
Proprietor ,TRANSFORMAN CONSULTING, Pune
(The writer is having a 16+ years of Industrial Experience. He has worked as an employee for 12 years in a Consumer Electronics Company , in various capacities from a Design Engineer up to a Project Manager. He had been to the countries such as Japan, Singapore, Hongkong and China while handling the responsibilities of Product development and Project Management .
Presently , he is active as an entrepreneur in the field of Embedded Systems Development and the Corporate Training and Mentoring at various organizations.)
About the Author
•Mr. Shirish Kulkarni
(Lead Consultant & Entrepreneur-TRANSFORMAN CONSULTING)
•P.G.D.I.C. (Post Graduate Diploma in Industrial Counseling),
B.E. (Electronics).
•16 Years Industry Specific Experience in Embedded System Design Consulting, Corporate training and mentoring of various professionals and organizations. Overseas exposure, both, on business as well as cultural front in countries like Japan, Singapore, China and Hong Kong.
•Conducted various programs on different topics like Office Management, Product Development, Business Strategies, Communication, Project Management, Ambiguity, etc. in many leading corporate offices.
•Actively involved in the mentoring process for small and medium scale organizations and also in the counseling of Individuals.
•His articles are published in various print media on subjects like “Professional Intelligence(IJTD)”, “Inductive Phasing(TOI)”, “Counseling (Sakal)” etc.
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