Intelligence matters for leadership. Its presence is seen as a guarantee for good leadership to prevail.

The premise of this thought relies on the hair splitting of intelligence into social, practical business intelligence, and emotional intelligence.

In a study it was discovered that ‘Actual Intelligence was found to have a positive relationship with effective Leadership’. But that co- relation was fairly low and other characteristics like extraversion and conscientiousness correlated higher to leadership.

A philosopher of the East had said, ‘you don’t need intelligence, all you need is ‘temporary schooling’. Intellect alone doesn’t allow for ability to deal with different situations and different people.

Knowledge has to be backed by certain humane qualities to be able to seek the support of other members of the workforce or followers.

The ability to direct the unique strength of each constituent of the team towards common objective emerges not from intelligence alone but through patient understanding of the issues, crises or objective.

Possession of high intellect is no assurance that an individual is free from practical inabilities or vulnerabilities. Intelligence regrettably is seen by many as a straight jacketed concept involving a high level of mental capacity or, in other words, a high IQ score. Management scientists alongside practitioners of neurosciences feel and argue that intelligence goes beyond mental capacity.

This argument has led to the development of concepts that hair split “intelligence” into ‘wisdom intelligence’, ‘character intelligence’, ‘social intelligence’ and more significantly ’spiritual intelligence ’.

Is there a difference between intellect and intelligence? They are certainly not the same. Intellect is considered in-born. Intelligence, on the other hand, is acquired and can be expanded because it is knowledge based. IQ measures intelligence not intellect; to measure intellect there are standardised tests that have valid indices.

Intelligence is acquired liberally, however wisdom is rare. Wisdom is not what you know but it is how to use the knowledge.

Intellect inhibits free flow of information leading up to a general attitude of not listening to others. An attitude of self-righteousness is the first signal of a leader that has no foundations resting in wisdom.

Leaders with intellect are those who can do critical thinking, research, and possess innate ability to reflect upon the nature of reality, in particular the nature of society and proposed solutions for its settlement.

Einstein reflects intellect. There are intelligent leaders who can be as non-intellectual as........

© Business Recorder