Fact or Fiction

Uncovering the Truth Behind Popularized Opinions

Our traditional view of intelligence came from a desire by French educationalists to predict success in school by testing a combination of memory, understanding and judgement. IQ remains a very good predictor of future academic success, but does it matter in leadership?

The short answer is yes. The US army started using IQ as screening tool for potential officers as early as World War I. Leaders generally have above average IQ. This is not surprising when you consider the applicability of understanding what is before you and making well reasoned decisions, to many leadership tasks.

Research shows that a person with higher than average IQ is more likely to be a better leader than someone with average or low IQ. High IQ has also been specifically linked with the transformational leadership dimension of intellectual stimulation.

Yet, it is clear that high IQ is not enough on its own to make you a successful leader. The workplace is full of stories of people with high IQ, who do not successfully transition into the role of leadership. This does not mean that IQ is not important, rather, as Daniel Goleman, points out IQ is a threshold competency – essential but not enough on its own. Recent research shows that whilst IQ is a good predictor of leadership success:

• Properly measured emotional intelligence is a better predictor than IQ of leadership success
• Social intelligence is a better predictor of leadership successthan both IQ and emotional intelligence