Does IQ Matter in Business?

I have just completed reading Successful Intelligence by Dr. Robert Sternberg. Besides pointing out some of the shortcomings of various IQ tests, he makes a good case for reducing the reliance on things like SAT scores in order get accepted into a College or University.

Dr. Sternberg expands the definition of ‘successful intelligence’ to be made up of three types of intelligence:

Analytical Intelligence – IQ type tests tend to give high scores to those who can memorize knowledge and also reward those who can think quickly due to the timed nature of the tests. Dr. Sternberg’s definition of analytical intelligence also includes the ability to think. This thinking ability is not based on speed of problem resolution but more on better solutions that often come after taking a little more time.

Creative Intelligence – As an advisor to business owners, I observe this type of intelligence in successful business owners fairly often. When confronted with a problem that has no obvious solution they stick with it until they figure one out – they create a solution. Innovations evolve from ‘creative intelligence’. I like to say the creativity is interactive. Creatively intelligent people look outside themselves and the current view for ideas. It’s the ‘openness’ of their mind that allows more creativity in.

Practical Intelligence – This is the same thing as ‘street smarts’. I would also consider this intelligence part of being ‘good with people’. If you have respectful and productive communications with customers and employees, your success rate will be higher. This type of intelligence is easier to recognize when it is low! Examples can be found of very high IQ individuals who have real trouble adapting to the world around them.

Although the book Successful Intelligence is not specifically focused on small business owners, it provides encouragement to those business owners that didn’t score high on IQ tests in school – it makes very little difference to success in business.

‘Creative intelligence’ is something everyone has when they are age 4 and the longer you stay in the education system the higher the risk of losing creativity exists. The scholastic reward tends to be for conformity as opposed to creativity.

‘Practical intelligence’ is intelligence that can be learned and improved over your adult life. The author provides research that ‘practical intelligence’ increases on average until the age of 50 and sometimes can increase up until the age of 70!

In summary, if your teacher or a test score ever told you that you weren’t smart enough, it was reporting on the wrong smarts! Everyone has some degree of creativity in them and using ‘practical intelligence’ you learn from your mistakes.

I guess there is no excuse not to be successful then, is there?

Are You Doing Regular Computer Backups?

For some reason, the typical way to motivate you to set up a systematic,automatic backup routine is to first lose some important information as a result of a hardware issue.

But it doesn’t have to be that way! I have designed this blog to be sufficiently short that you can take the rest of the time allocated to reading it to proactively checking on your backup routine!

If backups are tape, disk or data traveler – don’t forget to take them offsite. It is also prudent to alternate between two backups in case one fails during the backup process.

There are lots of cloud based (over the internet) backup programs available too.

Even if your backup routine is working like clockwork for you, it might be a good idea to test to see if you can recover data from the backup just to make sure it is working properly.

And if you’re feeling like being a nice person, why not send this blog post as a little reminder out to your friends to remember to do their backups – including smart phones and tablets too.

Luck favours the proactive!

Good Customer Service Makes all the Difference

As a business advisor, I always take note of customer service. Ever since I had a really bad rental car experience, I have been looking to find a better rental agency, and I think I found one!

I like to try out different car models when I rent. Last year, I booked a Dodge Charger for a two week tour of Arizona and California. When I got there they didn’t have any Chargers left. I understand they qualify the rental reservation by stating they guarantee a ‘Dodge Charger or similar’. Well they didn’t have any ‘or similar’ either! It was late, I was tired, so I took a Ford Escape. It was underpowered and the sound system had only one speaker on only one side of the car. Similar?  Are you kidding me?

This year’s trip to Arizona was very different. I had a good experience with Hertz last summer so they were my first choice this trip. I have this crazy idea that somewhere in the universe you should be able to agree to rent a particular car and actually get it when you arrive!

Hertz was totally awesome. Here’s why:

1)      I made a reservation for a Malibu – A Malibu was available.

2)      Quick and easy – Have you ever watched the rental car guy type forever in his keyboard to prepare your rental documents? Not Hertz – the contract was done quick and easy.

3)      No confusing insurance questions – Do you ever get the guilt trip pitch about the insurance coverage? Does your credit card cover it? Are the rates ridiculous?  Not this time – no insurance questions.

4)      How easy was that? – Sign in one place and bring the car back with a full tank of gas, OK?

OK!

There was one other thing. I mentioned to the representative that I was looking to form a long term relationship with a car rental agency. He asked me if I really wanted the Malibu or should he look for something better for me?

How about a Camaro convertible at the same low price?

Thanks Hertz, your operation is easy and impressive – I guess that’s why the car I rented was one of almost 2,000 rentals rented in a single day at that single location!

Check it out: