Learning to Become More Intelligent

by Jim Cathcart

Stage Two in Creating High-Value Relationships (the Relationship Intelligence System) is:

Learning to Become More Intelligent

To Know More, Notice More.

The essence of Intelligence is the ability to make distinctions, noticing more than others do. In the first stage of the Relationship Intelligence System there is a series of questions based on looking at your organization in terms of "Behavioral Economics." Each of the questions was designed to cause you to notice more about a particular aspect of your organization.

In each category; sales, management, communications, operations, service delivery, interpersonal communication, etc. there is immense opportunity for improvement.
Consider each as an Acorn, the seed of millions of future Acorns…if you nurture and grow it properly.

Now let's work on becoming more intelligent about relationships.
Step one in becoming more intelligent is to get into the habit of “helicoptering up” to a higher perspective so that you can see the patterns in things. As you become more aware of the patterns you will begin to discover the principles that make those patterns work. And once you have discovered the principles, you can make better choices.

The three levels of Thinking are: Conceptual, Strategic and Operational.
Most people function at the Operational level of thinking - what you can see is assumed to be all that there is. They see a ballpoint pen as simply a writing instrument. Those who develop their thinking to the Strategic level would tell you that the pen is also a marking instrument, an artist’s tool, an ear scratcher, a pointing device and even a form of business jewelry. They see many more uses for it than the obvious. Now which do you think will find more solutions to a problem, the operational or the strategic thinker?

The person who learns to think on the Conceptual level opens up even more vistas and opportunities. They would tell you that the pen is a symbol of mankind’s ability to communicate across space and time using a combination of hand crafted elements to change their world. Whoa! That may be a bit stratospheric for some folks, but consider for a moment, if more of your people were to progress from Operational to Strategic, and some of them even to Conceptual thinking skill…wouldn’t that increase in Intelligence be likely to expand your profitability as well? Some jobs simply require Operational thinking but even those jobs could be streamlined through more Intelligent thinking.

Intelligence doesn’t operate in a vacuum.
It is not very useful to just have raw processing capacity or intellectual potential. It only begins to matter when you direct it with intention.

The activating factor for Relationship Intelligence is your Desired Outcome.
Once you decide what you want then everything you do or avoid doing takes on more meaning. Meaning is the motivator in life. Without meaning our jobs become drudgery and we resent the work. With meaning they take on purpose and we seek even better ways to reach the Desired Outcome.

Desired Outcomes are goals and life requires goals in order to organize itself. When you decide what you want then everything else takes on a new place in the order of things. Relationships that contribute toward your goal move forward and those that detract move aside. So look at all of your relationships in terms of what you want from your life. Assign a role or level of importance to each relationship.

Even a casual friendship has a Desired Outcome of support, mutual caring and enjoyable communication. In each relationship as the Desired Outcome grows so does the relationship itself. Every contact takes on new meaning and motivation is the by product.

Be more Conscious, more Intentional and be more Natural.
By noticing more as described earlier, people become more Conscious of what they do and how it is working. Thinking and talking about Desired Outcomes conditions people to become more Intentional in what they do. Then by finding ways to communicate openly and truthfully they become more Natural about what they do. They do their best by behaving as their best self, not by trying to become something else. “If you are an Acorn you should plan an Oak future. You are going to be one anyway, so why not be the best Oak you can be instead of trying to become a Giant Redwood?” Your greatest impact will be felt from doing the things you are naturally suited for.

There are multiple ways to increase your intelligence. These are outlined in my book The Acorn Principle. I'll enumerate some of them here for your review.

• Develop your multiple intellects:
  

1. Verbal Intelligence: Word Smarts - cultivate a larger vocabulary. The more ways you can express yourself and understand others the greater your possibilities will be.
   
2. Visual Intelligence: Picture Smarts - learn to think in terms of images, shapes and patterns. Practice seeing the outcome you desire.
   
3. Physical Intelligence: Body Smarts - develop your ability to use your body well. Play music, create art, dance, run, stretch, move in the many ways you can. This will add to your ability to achieve more in a physical sense, plus you'll probably become more fit.
   
4. Musical Intelligence: Music Smarts - this is not just music in the usual sense but also rhythm and pace as it relates to all things. Timing is a big element of music and the better you are at timing the more intelligent you can be in what you are doing.
   
5. Mathematical and Logical Intelligence: Number Smarts - the world operates according to universal laws and many of those can be better understood through math & logic. By expanding your math intellect (try Sudoku and other exercises) you expand your overall strategic and tactical ability.
   
6. Interpersonal Intelligence: People Smarts - study human behavior and psychology to learn more about how to listen and how to express yourself to each different type of person. This broadens your reach and appeal. People are your gateway to everything you want.
   
7. Intrapersonal Intelligence: Self Smarts - Socrates told us "Know Thyself." The reason this matters so much is that the better you understand You, the better and more readily you will understand the patterns that cause others to behave as they do. You will also come to like yourself better and judge people less as this intellect grows.
   
8. There is much discussion around other forms of intellect but the seven presented above will give you more than enough to expand your potential before trying to explore the others.
   

• Indicators of Intelligence - work on these to become more intelligent
  

1. Ability to Make Distinctions - get into the habit of noticing more about every situation you are in. See through multiple points of view. Practice this daily.
   
2. A Wide Vocabulary - study the special vocabulary of the society, business or organization you wish to connect with. The better you "speak their language" the more you will fit in and be accepted by them.
   
3. The Use of Metaphors and Analogies - learn to think in pictures and comparisons. Using examples in this way broadens the understanding of the topic by illustrating the main idea and principles as well as the specifics. It's like understanding military tactics helps you understand sports and vice versa.
   
4. Flexibility and Adaptiveness - the more ways you have to respond to a situation the more likely you are to prevail. Cultivate the ability to change quickly and smoothly.
   
5. Problem Solving - learn to assess causes and distinguish between a symptom and a cause. Find multiple models for solving problems to increase your chances of success.
   
6. Time Orientation - Operational thinkers focus on the past and present only. Strategic thinkers can see both the present and the future possibilities. Conceptual thinkers seem to focus primarily on the future. Be conscious of the time frame you are looking through.
   
7. Sensitivity - As you notice more, assure that you notice not only thoughts but also feelings. The more sensitive you are to your own feelings and the feelings of others, the more you will see solutions where others only see or feel problems.
   
8. Memory - If you don't remember it then you don't really know it. Use proven memory techniques to improve your ability to understand and recall information of all types. The more you remember the more points of reference you can use to remember even more.
   

Intelligence is expandable. You can learn to behave more intelligently and you can certainly become more intelligent about the relationships in your life.

In the Spirit of Growth,
Jim Cathcart
copyright 2008 Jim Cathcart