Of course, we all do think we’re smart, don’t we? Certainly, those who challenge us on the matter think they are. And, as we’ve seen, often the least radiant among us think they shine the brightest of all.
But what if we really are smart – so what? Is that enough? Is our smartness sufficient to every mental test to which it might be put?
Consider this question: are there differences between intelligence, genius, and common sense? If so, are they differences of type, or of degree within the same type of mental capacity?
Can a person be possessed of (or by) more than one type? Are they permanent characteristics, as we typically presume, or transient – or, at least can they periodically fail, or seize, us?
Is one superior to another, as we also typically presume? Which one? Are you sure? How would you defend your answer? Do you base your opinion on what appears to make (common) sense, on personal experience, or on a review of how well people of your preferred type of smartness have been faring lately?
Does one encompass, like Russian nesting dolls, the others? Or does the possession of one necessarily exclude, impede, or suppress the others? That is, might geniuses routinely miss things that common-sense types perceive rather more easily, and the reverse?
What are the organizational implications of this? For which, if any, do you design your operations and processes? Indeed, for which, if any, do you build your hiring, assignment, and promotion criteria and assessments?
Are you sure you have that right? And you thought you were so smart.
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Today’s tip: This Bloomberg.com item suggests that the departure of Google’s CEO from the Apple board of directors is a result of increasing anti-trust pressure on Silicon Valley firms. Is that the only problem with a CEO of one firm being on the board of another?
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2 Comments
In the 80s, Howard Gardner laid out his Theory of Multiple Intelligences in the seminal book, Frames of Mind. Many people have picked this up in many different ways, but it boils down to asking “How am I smart?” instead of “How smart am I?”
The term “common sense” seems to vary depending on who’s using it and on the context. It seems to me to be an ever-changing mix of results orientation, emotional intelligence, and experience.
Hello Wally,
I’m sorry to say, I haven’t read Gardner’s work directly – just a good bit about it. I’ll have to rectify that. I am a fan of the thinking, though, and I agree, at bottom, with those who rephrase the question about smartness as you’ve pointed out.
“Common sense” is surely no less difficult a term to pin down as “intelligence,” then – or even “genius,” is it? I like your definition – especially the “results orientation” component. That seems to be the essence of it – the ability to assess the practicality of an idea, or to perceive its real-world consequences.
Thanks for stopping in with this!
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